A reform of the Benedictines originating at the Abbey of Cluny, Burgundy, in 910. The Cluniacs organized themselves in a new and more centralized way. They became the first real religious "order," as we undertand the term. Their daughterhouses, established as priories, remained dependent upon Cluny, with the abbot having control over all the foundations. This scheme allowed greater uniformity of practice, and observance. They followed Benedict's rule, but were given to more elaborate ritual, more lavish architectural decoration and more use of rich vestments than the Benedictines. Scholarship, rather than manual labor, became their norm.

The Order of Cluny (reformed Benedictines) was founded in 912 at Cluny in Burgundy, by Berno, abbot of Gigny, with the co-operation of William duke of Aquitaine. The monks of the new order came to England in the following century and established their first house at Barnstaple. Northamptonshire possessed two important priories of Cluniac foundation, and a nunnery of the order.

This order was the first to obtain immunity from diocesan visitation; this coveted privilege being granted by Pope Gregory VII, who had himself been a monk of the order. But all the houses, whether abbeys, priories, or smaller cells, had to submit to visitation by commissioners of their own order. Two were selected for this duty for each ecclesiastical province (England and Scotland forming one) at the annual general chapter held at Cluny. The time for meeting was September, and the attendance of the superior of every house was compulsory; the priors, however, of England, Spain, Lombardy, and Germany were privileged, and not obliged to attend more than once in two years, a period afterwards extended to three, with occasional remissions up to seven years. The priors also of dependent houses or cells owed special allegiance to the parent house, and were expected, with some irregularity, to respond to a chapter summons. None of their priors could be elected by their own convent, but were nominated by the mother-house beyond the seas, which almost invariably sent foreigners to this country. The majority of the monks until the time of Edward III were French, for novices could not be professed by the priors in England. During the wars with France these houses were not unnaturally treated as alien priories, and their revenues and patronage administered by the crown. Some few were altogether suppressed and transferred to other religious foundations, but the majority were gradually made denizen, and discharged from foreign subjection and obedience, while remaining under the discipline of the Order of Cluny. One or two, such as Daventry, took out new foundation charters and united themselves to the general chapter and congregation of the Benedictines; but even these usually styled themselves Cluniac, and the priors (thirty-two in number) at the time of the dissolution surrendered under that title. The great majority of the English houses, however, continued down to the dissolution to make considerable payments or annual pensions to Cluny, the abbot of Cluny drawing from this source an annual income of £2,000. But up to the time of the suppression of the alien houses, the whole income of the English cells or priories was subject to foreign administration, a certain portion only being reserved for local needs.