A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of a given religion. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse , parsonage , rectory , or vicarage .
8-467: A manse ( / ˈ m æ n s / ) is a clergy house inhabited by, or formerly inhabited by, a minister , usually used in the context of Presbyterian , Methodist , Baptist and other Christian traditions. Ultimately derived from the Latin mansus , "dwelling", from manere , "to remain", by the 16th century the term meant both a dwelling and, in ecclesiastical contexts, the amount of land needed to support
16-445: A former clergy house may be known as the "Old Manse". There are a number of more specific terms whose use depends on the rank of the occupant, the denomination, and the locality. Above the parish level, a bishop's house was traditionally called a " Bishop's palace ", a dean 's residence is known as a deanery , and a canon lives in a canonry or "canon's house". Other clerical titles have different names for their houses. A parsonage
24-615: A single family. Many notable Scots have been called "sons (or daughters) of the manse", and the term is a recurring point of reference within Scottish media and culture. For example, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Gordon Brown was described as a "son of the manse" as he is the son of a Presbyterian minister. When selling a former manse, the Church of Scotland always requires that the property should not be called "The Manse" by
32-419: Is not always available. In addition, such a residence can be supplied in lieu of salary, which may not be able to be provided (especially at smaller congregations). Catholic clergy houses in particular may be lived in by several priests from a parish . Clergy houses frequently serve as the administrative office of the local parish, as well as a residence. They are normally located next to, or at least close to,
40-481: Is where the parson of a church resides; a parson is the priest/presbyter of a parish church . A rectory is the residence of an ecclesiastical rector , although the name may also be applied to the home of an academic rector (e.g., a Scottish university rector), or other person with that title. In North American Anglicanism, a far greater proportion of parish clergy were (and still are) titled as rector than in Britain, so
48-544: The church their occupant serves. Partly because of the general conservation of churches, many clergy houses have survived and are of historic interest or importance. In the United Kingdom, the 14th-century Alfriston Clergy House was the first property to be acquired by the National Trust . It was purchased in a state of near ruin in 1896 for £10, the vicarage having moved elsewhere long before. In some countries where
56-455: The clergy houses were often rather grand, many of them have now been sold off by the churches and replaced by more modest properties. Numerous clergy houses have been acquired by families for use as private homes. Others have been adapted as offices or used for various civic functions. In many villages in England, the former clergy house is called the "Old Vicarage" or the "Old Rectory". In Scotland,
64-499: The new owners, but "The Old Manse" or some other acceptable variation. The intended result is that "The Manse" refers to a working building rather than simply applying as a name. Clergy house A clergy house is typically owned and maintained by a church, as a benefit to its clergy . This practice exists in many denominations because of the tendency of clergy to be transferred from one church to another at relatively frequent intervals. Also, in smaller communities, suitable housing
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