Friars and How They Came to England

Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. The Friars Minor, or Franciscan Friars, as they are popularly called, arrived in Eng land in the year 1224. They came at a moment when events were swiftly moving towards a decisive crisis in our national history. The feudal system, assailed on the one side by the Crown, and on the other by the rising burgher class, was passing away, ending a noble history in a not altogether inglorious death; for feudalism had saved Europe from barbaric licence and had laid the foundations of civilised society, and it left behind it a legacy of noble deeds and beautiful thought which we do well to cherish. But its day was over.