St. Hugh of Lincoln was born in Avalon, Burgundy, in 1140, of a noble family. He was educated and made his profession at the priory of Augustinian canons at Villarbenoît. Hugh joined (c.1160) the Carthusians at age 25, rising to become procurator general. About 1176 he was sent to England at the request of King Henry II, to become Abbot of the first Carthusian monastery in England, which had been built by King Henry as part of his penance for the murder of Thomas Becket.

His reputation for holiness and sanctity spread all over England and attracted many to the monastery. He admonished Henry for keeping Sees vacant to enrich the royal coffers. Income from the vacant Sees went to the royal treasury. He was then named bishop of the eighteen year old vacant See of Lincoln in 1186 – a post he accepted only when ordered to do so by the prior of the Grande Chartreuse. Hugh quickly restored clerical discipline, labored to restore religion to the diocese, and became known for his wisdom and justice.

He was one of the leaders in denouncing the persecution of the Jews that swept England, 1190-91, repeatedly facing down armed mobs and making them release their victims. He went on a diplomatic mission to France for King John in 1199, visiting the Grande Chartreuse, Cluny, and Citeaux, and returned from the trip in poor health. A few months later, while attending a national council in London, he was stricken and died two months later at the Old Temple in London on November 16, 1200. He was canonized twenty years later, in 1220, the first Carthusian to be so honored.