Clergy and Church Officials
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RESEARCH GUIDE Clergy and church officials Research Guide 57 - Sources for tracing clergy and church officials CONTENTS Introduction Historical background General Published Sources for Church of England Clergy Incumbents instituted or collated Incumbents presented Persons ordained in the Diocese of London Persons ordained in the Dioceses of Winchester and Southwark Persons to whom letters dimissory were granted by the Bishop of London Bishops Curates, lecturers and other unbeneficed clergy licensed before 1792 'Stipendiary' curates licensed after 1792 Lecturers, 'perpetual' curates and ministers Stipendiary and other curates Licensed in the Archdeaconry of Surrey and Diocese of Southwark Churchwardens (and sidesmen) Organists Parish clerks (and sextons) Deans, Precentors, Chancellors, Treasurers, Prebendaries and Canons of St Paul's Minor canons, Sub-deans, Cardinals, Succentors, Sacrists and Vicars Choral of St Paul's Choristers of St Paul's; vergers of St Paul's Clergy licensed to serve in the Bishop of London's jurisdiction overseas Naval chaplains Chaplains licensed to serve in the Diocese of Gibraltar from 1866 Chaplains, missionaries and school teachers Sources held elsewhere Introduction London Metropolitan Archives holds records of Anglican clergy and church officials in the Diocese of London and the Bishop of London's jurisdiction overseas, the Archdeaconry of Surrey (in the Diocese of Winchester), the Diocese of Rochester, the Diocese of Southwark, the Peculiar jurisdiction of the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's and the Commonwealth and Continental Church Society. In addition, LMA holds many of the published sources mentioned in this leaflet. Historical background The original extent of the Diocese of London as established by the 12th century included the City of London, the counties of Middlesex and Essex, and certain parishes in Hertfordshire roughly east of a line from Ware to Royston. The short-lived Diocese of Westminster was formed in 1540 from the whole of Middlesex except Fulham, but was dissolved in 1550. The Archdeaconry of St Albans, comprising parishes in Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire was added to the Diocese of London in 1551, but more radical changes followed in the 19th and 20th centuries. In 1845 the Diocese of London lost all its parishes in Hertfordshire and nearly all of its parishes in Essex to the Diocese of Rochester, and its parishes in Buckinghamshire were transferred to the Diocese of Oxford. In exchange, the London Diocese gained some parishes in Kent formerly in the Diocese of Rochester, and some Surrey parishes formerly in the Peculiar jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Canterbury. In 1867, its remaining Essex parishes and the Kent parishes gained in 1845 were transferred to the Diocese of Rochester which, in 1877, also gained those Surrey parishes which the London Diocese had acquired in 1845. Also in 1877, parishes in Essex and Hertfordshire with North Woolwich in Kent were transferred to the newly-created Diocese of St Albans, and in exchange the Diocese of Rochester gained parishes in east and mid-Surrey from the Dioceses of London and Winchester. From the early 8th century most of Surrey was within the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Winchester. Eleven parishes forming the Deanery of Croydon (Barnes, Burstow, Charlwood, Cheam, Croydon, East Horsley, Merstham, Mortlake, Newington, Putney and Wimbledon) were a Peculiar of the Archbishop of Canterbury but almost all the remaining parishes in Surrey formed the Archdeaconry of Surrey. There were changes in 1845 when Barnes, Mortlake, Newington, Putney and Wimbledon were transferred to the Diocese of London. In a move which would have later significance, the Kent parishes of Charlton, Lee, Lewisham, Greenwich, Woolwich, Eltham, Plumstead and Deptford were transferred from the Diocese of Rochester to the Diocese of London at the same time, although they were returned to Rochester in 1867. Ten years later, parishes in the parliamentary divisions of east and mid-Surrey formerly in the Archdeaconry of Surrey and the Diocese of London also went to Rochester Diocese. In 1905 the Diocese of Southwark was created from these Surrey parishes and the Kent parishes of Deptford, Eltham, Greenwich, Lewisham, Mottingham and Woolwich which had been part of Rochester Diocese. The Diocese of Guildford was formed in 1927 from those west Surrey parishes remaining in the Archdeaconry of Surrey together with a few Hampshire parishes. From 1633, the Bishop of London was held to have responsibility for Anglican chaplaincies overseas where no local bishop had been appointed. The Bishop of London’s jurisdiction over chaplaincies in southern Europe ceased in 1842 on the creation of the Diocese of Gibraltar. However, he retained responsibility for those in northern and central Europe until 1980 when he divested himself of all jurisdiction overseas and a single Diocese of Gibraltar in Europe was formed, known today as the Diocese in Europe. Outside Europe, the allegiance of the American (Episcopal) church to the Bishop of London had ended after American independence in 1776. The first Anglican bishop in Canada was appointed in 1787, and other British colonies generally acquired bishops of their own in the 19th century. General Published Sources for Church of England Clergy University Educated Clergy For the period before the mid 19th century, when most English clergymen were graduates of Oxford or Cambridge University, biographical details including clerical appointments can often be found in: A.B. Emden, Biographical register of the University of Oxford, covering Oxford graduates 13th cent.-1540; J. Foster, Alumni Oxonienses, covering Oxford graduates 1500-1886; A.B. Emden, Biographical register of the University of Cambridge, covering Cambridge graduates 13th cent.-1500; J. and J.A. Venn, Alumni Cantabrigienses, covering Cambridge graduates 13th cent.-1900. Similar books exist for the universities of Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and St Andrews, and for Trinity College Dublin; however some of these do not give full biographical details. No comparable sources exist for those who had not received a university education. Clerical Directories From 1817 to date the following clerical directories are available: The Clerical Guide: lists incumbents but not curates, arranged by parish (with index to names), giving date of institution or collation to current incumbency. The Clergy List: lists incumbents and curates, arranged by parish and also by name. Crockfords Clerical Directory: lists incumbents and curates, arranged by name and also (from 1889) by parish. The following details are given in all volumes (except for 1858 and 1860, where some details are omitted): current address, date of institution or collation to current incumbency, date of licensing to current curacy, date and diocese of ordination, places and dates of previous incumbencies or curacies. The London Diocese Book: lists incumbents and curates, within the diocese of London only, arranged by parish, with index to names. Dates are given of ordination and also of institution or collation to current incumbency, or of licensing to current curacy. LMA holds Crockfords Clerical Directory (53.0 CRO) either in hard-copy or on microfilm for 1858, 1860, 1864, 1868, 1870, 1872, 1874, 1876-1879, and from 1892-date. LMA also has some editions of the Clergy List (53.0 CLE) and the London Diocese Book (53.8 LON). The Clergy of the Church of England Database The Clergy of the Church of England Database (www.theclergydatabase.org.uk) is a collaborative project, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and bringing together scholars from King's College London, the University of Kent at Canterbury and the University of Reading. Its objective is to create a relational database documenting the careers of all Church of England clergymen between 1540 and 1835. Incumbents instituted or collated The Bishop (or Chapter) had the authority to institute a clergyman to livings within their jurisdiction; where the Bishop (or Chapter) presented and instituted an incumbent, the process was known as collation. a) Parishes in the City of London & (former) County of Middlesex For the period 1321-1898 see G. Hennessy, Novum Repertorium Ecclesiasticum Parochiale Londinense,1898 (53.3 HEN), which is arranged by parish with an index to personal names at the back. Hennessy gives details of institutions and collations of incumbents derived from records of the diocese of London and the peculiar jurisdictions of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Dean and Chapter of St Paul's. References to original sources used by Hennessy are given in each entry. After 1898, lists of those in office at any given date can be found in Crockfords Clerical Directory or the London Diocese Book (see section 1) for the year concerned. The most accessible manuscript source for institutions and collations 1898-1937 is the Bishop’s act books (DL/A/A/020/MS09532A/11-15). b) Parishes in Essex (before 1867), Herts. and Bucks. (before 1845), Kent (1845-67) & Surrey (1845-77) within the Diocese of London; & parishes in Essex & Herts. (before c.1847) within the Peculiar of the Dean & Chapter of St Paul's. For the period 1321-1700, see R. Newcourt, Repertorium Ecclesiasticum Parochiale Londinense, 1708-10 (53.3 NEW), arranged by parish in 2 volumes with an index to personal names at the back of volume 2. For incumbents not mentioned in Newcourt, the following sources may be worth trying: For Essex parishes see P. H. Reaney, Early Essex Clergy (1939-46) which covers the 12th to 15th centuries. For parishes in the St Paul's Peculiar see the Chapter Act Book 1411-48, CLC/313/D/001/MS25513 and the Dean's Register 1536-41, CLC/313/C/001/MS25630/001. For the Diocese of London 1701-1761 consult the Bishop’s registers, DL/A/A/04/MS09531/017-020, for 1761-92 the Bishop’s act books in DL/A/A/018/MS09548 and DL/A/A/019/MS09549, and for 1792-1877 in DL/A/A/020/MS09532A/001-007.