Rectory

“ Do what you may, a rectory is always house, not home. It may always belong to some one else next month. If only it were worth while to plant perennials in our flower-beds! If only it were worth while to plant friendships to bear fruit in after years! Yet this last we can never help doing as we pass from parish to parish, being at heart most human of wanderers. It must be very beautiful to belong somewhere, to have, for instance, cousinships in the neighborhood. There are never any family parties in the ministry. ”

“ My Lord,—The small rectory of Wroot, in the diocese and county of Lincoln, is in the gift of the Lord Chancellor, and, more than seven years since, was conferred on Samuel Wesley, rector of Epworth. It lies in our low levels, and is often overflowed. ”

“ And now we reach the gate that admits us down a steep descent to the Rectory-house, a large substantial mansion, covered with Banksia roses, and finely placed upon a natural terrace,—a fertile valley below, and its own woods and orchard-trees above.
My friend the rector, raciest of men, is an Oxford divine of the old school; a ripe scholar; one who has travelled wide and far, and is learned in the tongues, the manners, and the literature of many nations ”

“ Perhaps there is another reason, and a wickeder one, why all men stand in our sight naked of all accidental social trappings; and that is that we know them all so well! I cannot determine how clearly the world may see into rectory windows, but certainly one sees pretty clearly from rectory windows. It is a heart-searching and heart-revealing relation, that of a parish to its parson. The completely voluntary nature of all church effort and church organization affords an exhibition of idiosyncrasies not to be found in any other association. ”

“ Our rector was a nice old gentleman, nearly eighty years of age, and he would often ask me into his study, under pretense of examining me, to see how my education was going on. The old man really seemed to feel his feet a little during these visits, and generally gave me sixpence for a nice kiss before he would let me go. Of course I was always glad to go to the rectory, especially as Mrs. Wilson, the housekeeper, often gave me sweets and cakes in addition to the parson's sixpences. ”

“ The rectory is just over the way"—pointing to it—"and I know the rector's at home." I explained that I had not come to see [Pg 32] the church but had merely driven into the village accidentally. "But you really ought to see it now you are here," he continued; "the rector takes a great interest in it, and is always so pleased to show it to any stranger." Fate had brought me to Fletching, and Fate appeared determined I should see the church. Fate was kinder than I knew. The man stood there watching me, and after his civility I felt it would seem ungracious to disappoint him. ”

“ Mary Young, of Swaffham, widow, and now holds this consolidated rectory and vicarage, united to Holm-Hale. To this vicarage belong a good glebe and house, adjoining to the east part of the churchyard; the rector paid no annual synodals nor procurations, but visitatorial procurations only, viz. 2s. 1d. the vicar answering the whole, viz. 1s. 9d. annual synodals, and 7s. 7d. ob. archdeacons procurations, and 2s. qr. visitatorial procurations.
The rectory is undischarged, and so incapable of augmentation, it standing thus in the King's Books; it pays first fruits and yearly tenths:
8l. 6s. 8d. ”

“ His sister never comes, and she's none the worse for it. I go every Sunday, and I want to be away all the time; and I never feel so wicked as I do in church. But you will not see the signor and his sister, if you're staying at the rectory: the rector looks down upon them, and so do the people round. They are never asked to the Manor House, or anywhere else, unless the signor is wanted to play. ”

“ The rectories and vicarages scattered over the country have passed through the same transformation as the manor-houses, which they much resembled. The rectory was often surrounded by a moat, with an entrance protected by a gatehouse. The duty of entertaining strangers and travellers was always duly recognised by the clergy, and entailed a heavy charge upon their income. Those who lived off the main roads used to provide accommodation for an occasional guest, but the rectors in the more frequented districts had frequently to entertain many travellers. ”

“ W. H. p. 87Massie, who was universally beloved, and who effected great improvements in the church and parish.
St. Mary’s is a rectory, in the gift of the Marquis of Westminster. The present rector is the Rev. C. Boween, M.A.
There are Sunday evening lectures in this church, under the patronage of the Bishop of the diocese. They are supported by annual subscriptions, aided by collections in the church. ”

“ Bad reports preceded him to Stisted, and he was not only unable to obtain possession of the rectory, but was maltreated by his parishioners; it is doubtful even whether he obtained admission into the church, as his name nowhere appears in the parish registers. Eventually, in July 1645, he was sequestrated from the living, though a fifth part of the profits of the rectory was granted to his wife by the committee for plundered ministers. ”

“ This church, so built, 4 he endowed with the tithes aforesaid, as a rectory, [1] and so became patron thereof, or had jus patronatus; reserving to himself and his heirs the right of presenting to the Ordinary a Clerk to be Rector thereof when the same should become void; and the first Rector, as I take it, that he presented to this church was Mr. John Bedford. Thus, it is evident by what ways and means men became patrons of churches, viz. patronum faciunt dos, ædificatio, fundus; the patrons of churches were either founders, builders, or benefactors thereof. ”

“ This rectory is valued in the King's Books at 12l. 17s. 1d. and pays 1l. 5s. 8d. ob. yearly tenths It hath a good rectory-house joining to the south side of the churchyard, with a convenient glebe belonging to it, of 60 acres.
Rectors Of All Saints 1257, Mr. Tho. de Ingaldesthorp, rector. Ralph de Bukenham, patron. 1281, Mr. John, rector of All- Saints. 1311, 5 kal. Mar. The Bishop, in his manor of Geywode, granted the sequestration for six months to Robert de Fuldone, priest, who was presented by Sir Hugh de Bokenham, Knt. 1317, 3 non. Mar. John de Bokenham, accolite. Hugh de Bokenham, Knt. ”

“ Peace to your memories, dignified rector, and yet more dignified clerk!—by this time ye are probably gone to your long homes, and your voices are no longer heard sounding down the aisles of the venerable church—nay, doubtless, this has already long since been the fate of him of the sonorous "Amen!"—the one of the two who, with all due respect to the rector, principally engrossed my boyish admiration—he, at least, is scarcely now among the living! Living! ”

“ God has taken him home, and we meet here, every one of us, because the rector—broken though he was in these later years—because the rector, whose great and lovely smile we had loved to see, as we had loved just to touch his hand to gain strength, courage, faith and joy—because we cannot do that any more. His work is done and God gives him a safe lodging and he shall rest in peace to the last. Thank God who gave him to us, to know and to love, that we might be lifted by him to find God and Jesus through him. ”

“ There remains the very large number of unappropriated parish churches, in which the rector or parson was directly responsible for the cure of souls. The duties of the rector were regarded in the middle ages with considerable latitude. Nothing was more usual than for a man of good family, or one whose clerkly talents made him a constant attendant on the king or the great officers of state, to obtain a number of benefices which provided him with a necessary income. ”

“ It is notorious that a rector in the Church of England, in the possession of a living of, let us say, a thousand a year, shall employ a curate at seventy pounds a year, that the curate shall do three-fourths or more of the work of the parish, that he shall remain in that position for twenty years, taking one-fourteenth of the wages while he does three-fourths of the work, and that nobody shall think that the rector is wrong or the curate ill-used! ”

“ He said, “The rector thinks he ought to be one of the trustees of the British school, as a bequest upon which it is in part founded says that the clergyman of the parish shall be one of the trustees, but they say that they will wait until the trusteeship is vacant.” The place was filled, I understood, by the former rector, who, as I have said, was described as a tiny little man; a clever, very learned man; a stanch liberal in politics, over eighty years of age. ”

“ That the rector or head priest is trustee of the whole mission, church, people, school, presbytery, goods, and clergy. The last is the only point we need now to notice. The rector is responsible for his brother priests, for their personal, priestly, and pastoral life. He is answerable to the Bishop for them. And they are bound to recognise that responsibility. As they bear themselves to him, so some day their assistants will bear themselves in turn to them.
(2) That they ought all to live together under one roof. ”

“ The new rector moved into a smart brick house on the other side of the church, and gave receptions and dinner parties, and was punctilious about making his calls. The people therefore liked him very much—so much that they raised the debt on the church and bought a chime of bells, in their enthusiasm. Every one was lighter of heart than under the ministration of the previous rector. ”

“ The criminal certainly had accomplices.”
“The interests of human justice,” said the rector, “are not those for which I act. I am ignorant of how the restitution will be made, but I know it will take place. In sending for me to minister to my parishioner, Monseigneur placed me under the conditions which give to rectors in their parishes the same powers which Monseigneur exercises in his diocese,—barring, of course, all questions of discipline and ecclesiastical obedience.”
“That is true,” said the bishop. ”

“ Among these parish administrators may be classed the so-called perpetual or permanent curates of parishes which are under the jurisdiction of some convent or monastery, and of which the rector or curate is appointed not by the bishop of the diocese, but by the superior of such convent. The case is far more frequent in Europe than in America. The charge of the parish is considered to be with the monastery, and the curate is merely the administrator of the parish for the convent. ”

“ Prendergast, the rector, read prayers—a high intellectual treat, as Miss Townley assured them. It seemed only natural that a rector, who was honourable, should read better than old Mr. Crewe, who was only a curate, and not honourable; and when little Clara Robins wondered why some clergymen were rectors and others not, Ellen Marriott assured her with great confidence that it was only the clever men who were made rectors. ”

“ On the suppression of the monasteries the “ great tithes ” were often bestowed by the crown on laymen, who, as owning the rectorial tithes, were and are known as “ lay rectors.” It follows that, rectories being usually richer than vicarages, the style of “ rector ” is in England slightly more dignified than that of “ vicar.” In the American Protestant Episcopal Church the incumbents of churches are called rectors. ”

“ XVIII. A third rector resides in his parish, but spends his time in sports, keeps well-fed horses and dogs, while the poor are not relieved or the sick visited, makes his voice heard more in the fields and woods than in the church. He lays snares too for the women of his parish, and if their bodies be fair, he cares not how their souls are defiled. ”

“ The officers of the parish and the laymen of the congregation have done what they wished, and are content. As the convention is composed principally of laymen, the sympathy is naturally with the laymen’s side of the question. The rector is hurriedly passed over, his clerical brethren looking helplessly on.
To get a new parish the dismissed rector must “candidate”—a feature of clerical life most revolting to any man with a spark of manhood in him.
We note, in the next place, an utter want of unity in the Protestant Episcopal Church. ”

“ Rector.—The official title of the Priest who has charge of a Parish and as such is its ruler, guide and director. The word means "one who rules." Like other organizations, the Parish must have a head, and by the canons of the Church, the Rector is head of the Parish. As such he is ex officio head of all its organizations. He is the presiding officer at all Vestry meetings, superintendent of the Sunday-school, and President of all Guilds, Brotherhoods and other parochial societies. ”

“ But that clergyman is not our rector,” said the lady. “Our rector is ill; the one we had today came to do duty for him. He is a stranger.”
“But why, then, should he talk of having baptized half the congregation and married the other half—of never having been absent from the pulpit for forty years and more?” asked the man.
“Oh, you are hypercritical!” cried the lady. “Some latitude should be allowed to clergymen. He only made use of one of the figures of speech of the pulpit.” ”