Friars, Crossed
English branch of the mendicant order of Fratres Cruciferi, claiming Eastern origin and flourishing in Italy in the 12th and 13th centuries ; suppressed, 1656 . They sought permission to settle in England at the synod of Rochester, 1244 , and in time established eight or nine houses there. They followed the Augustinian rule and each friar carried in his hand a wooden staff surmounted by a cross ; hence their name.