Anglican clerics

Posted: Sun Sep 07, 2008 10:28 pm Post subject: Anglican clerics

I read somewhere that a vicar/parson could have as many as four livings. Does that mean there is a poor vicar frantically dashing about the countryside trying to get to Sunday services? How many types of clerics are there? Any help would be lovely. Very Happy

Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 11:20 am Post subject:

Welcome to the board, Octavia. I usually try to answer questions like yours much faster, but I have been in the process of moving from San Francisco to Minneapolis, and it has ben pretty frantic!

Anyway, yes I do believe a man could have more than one living, though the parishes would be in close proximity to allow him to travel from one to the other. Here is a good link that describes all the various church titles and functions: http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/YKS/Misc/Definitions/Church.html
It's 1820 forward, but would not have changed much, if any, from earlier days.
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Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 5:28 pm Post subject:

Thank you so very much. My WIP has a vicar (and a parson) so I was curious about how close my vicar's livings would have to be.

I have moved from North Dakota to Oklahoma to Albuquerque to Indiana and back to Oklahoma ( my husband is retired AF) and I'm done! There is nothing more exhausting than moving all of one's stuff to and fro. Good luck with the unpacking and I hope you have lots of help. Thank you again for your help and the great link. Very Happy

Upstart Joined: 16 Oct 2008 Posts: 12 Location: Atlanta

A disagreement with the facts as stated on this site--

http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/YKS/Misc/Definitions/Church.html
The author says that vicars are easily sacked. That is not so. Once a vicar is read into a living, it took some violation of the laws of the church or of the land , and conviction in a court for the bishop to remove the man. The one who made the presentation couldn't just toss the man out.
At the time of the regency, curates were ordained but without a living paid for by tithes. A rector or a vicar could hire a curate for a set wage to take care of one of the vicar's or rector's other livings.Curates could be easily fired as they were hired for set wages for set time periods. One could even hire a curate to hold a living for a n infant until that infant turned twenty four.
There was much protest about pluralism because the clergymen could not be good pastors to the people of the several parishes. A law was passed making it obligatory for the clergymen to live on one of his livings all the time. he did not have to hold service in each place every Sunday, so sometimes alternated where they held services. If the livings were too far apart, he had to hire a curate. if there was a large congregation , he was expected to hold services everyweek and hire a curate for the other churches.
They also hired curates if they were ill or if they wanted to take a holiday.

Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2009 6:13 pm Post subject:

Since this is a life "position," can a vicar resign his position for any reason other than a fatal illness?
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Medieval & Regency Writer
keirasoleore.blogspot.com

Upstart Joined: 16 Oct 2008 Posts: 12 Location: Atlanta

Yes, a vicar could resign his position. However, few ever did unless he was offered a better position elsewhere.
Few vicars were able to save much money and most never could afford to retire. if they became ill, they usually stayed in place but hired a curate to hold services.
There were several charities set up to care for superannuated clergymen and their wives because they had no retirement benefits.
The owner of the living could offer a vicar an annuity if he would resign, but he could not force the man to do so.
nancy