CONCLUSION
The passing of the parish clerk causes many reflections. For a thousand years he has held an important position in our churches. We have seen him robed in his ancient dignity, a zealous and honoured official, without whose aid the services of the Church could scarcely have been carried on. In post-Reformation times he continued his career without losing his rank or status, his dignity or usefulness. We have seen him the life and mainstay of the village music, the instructor of young clerics, the upholder of ancient customs and old-established usages. We have regretted the decay in his education, his irreverence and absurdities, and have amused ourselves with the stories of his quaint ways and strange eccentricities. His unseemly conduct was the fault of the dullness, deadness, and irreverence of the age in which he lived, rather than of his own personal defects. In spite of all that can be said against him, he was often a very faithful, loyal, pious, and worthy man.
His place knows him no more in many churches. We have a black-gowned verger in our towns; a humble temple-sweeper in our villages. The only civil right which he retains is that the prospectors of new railways are obliged to deposit their plans and maps with him, and well do I remember the indignation of my own parish clerk when the plans of a proposed railway, addressed to "the Parish Clerk," were delivered by the postman to the clerk of the Parish Council. It was a wrong that could scarcely be righted.
I would venture to suggest, in conclusion, that it might be worth while for the authorities of the Church to consider the possibility of a revival of the office. It would be a great advantage to the Church to restore the parish clerk to his former important position, and to endeavour to obtain more learned and able men for the discharge of the duties. The office might be made again a sphere of training for those who wish to take Holy Orders, wherein a young man might be thoroughly educated in the duties of the clerical profession. It would be an immense assistance to an incumbent to have an active and educated layman associated with him in the work of the parish, in teaching, in reading and serving in church, and in visiting the sick. Like the clerk of old, he would be studying and preparing for ordination, and there could be no better school for training than actual parish work under the supervision of an earnest and wise rector.
The Church has witnessed vast changes and improvements during the last fifty years. The poor clerk has been left to look after himself. The revival of the office and an improvement in the position and education of the holders of it would, I fully believe, be of an immense advantage to the Church and a most valuable assistance to the clergy.
INDEX
Absolon, Chaucer's portrait of,
David, clerk of Great Yarmouth,
"Acts," a Christian name,
Addison, on clerks,
Advent, a carol for,
"Ales," clerk's,
Allington, Kent,
Alnwick, Turner, clerk of,
"Amen" epitaph,
Ancient Mysteries
,
Andrews, W.,
Curious Epitaphs
,
Curiosities of the Church
,
Antiquity of clerk's office,
, etc.
Apostles, complimenting the,
Appointment, the right of,
Aquæbajalus
,
Arms of the Company of Clerks,
Art of Politicks
,
Art, the clerk in,
, etc.
Ashford, Isaac, the story of,
Aston, Yorks,
Astronomical clerks,
,
Atchley, Dr. Cuthbert,
Atkinson, Rev. Canon,
,
Atkins, Thomas of Chillenden,
Augustine of Canterbury, St.,
,
Avington, female clerk at,
Badger, H.W., of Mallow,
Baker, Anthony, deacon-clerk,
Bakewell, the Roe family of,
Barkham,
,
,
Barnet, East, clerk of,
Barnstaple, clerks of,
,
Barrel-organs,
Barton Turf, Norfolk, dog-whippers land at,
Beating the bounds at Ringmer,
Bede Roll of the Company,
Bede, Cuthbert,
,
,
,
,
Bells to warn travellers,
Belbroughton,
Belts Life
, in the pulpit,
Belton, Suffolk, Noah Pole, clerk of,
Bennet, John, of Woodstock,
Beresford Hope on old services,
,
Besant, Sir W., description of old clerk,
Bilby, Thomas, author of hymn,
Bills of Mortality,
Bingley, Hezekiah Briggs, of,
Bletchley, clerk of,
Bly, Sarah, sexton,
"Bobber," or sluggard-waker,
Bond family of Worcester,
Boniface, Archbishop, constitutions of,
Borne, Hooker's parish,
Borough, The
, by G. Crabbe,
Bradford-on-Avon,
,
Bramwells of Chapel-en-le-Frith,
Bristol, St. Nicholas,
,
Broadway, the Tustins of,
Bromfield, Salop,
Bromham, the clerk of,
Bromsgrove, Rose family of,
Burrows, Mrs., recollections of,
Buxted, clerk of,
Caistor, Lincolnshire,
Calculating clerk, a,
Cambridgeshire curate, a,
Canes in churches,
Canterbury, Guild of Clerks at,
Carley, Thomas, of Grafton Underwood,
Carne, James, oldest living parish clerk,
Carshalton, register of,
Catechising,
Catechising in church by the clerk,
,
Catwick, Thomas Dixon, of,
Celibacy of clerks,
Chanter, Rev. J.F., on clerks of Barnstaple,
Chapel-en-le-Frith,
Chapple, William, of Swymbridge,
Charman Dean, smuggling at,
Charters of Company of Clerks,
,
Chaucer's portrait of frivolous clerk,
Cheshire clerk, an old,
Chess in a village,
Chester, plays at,
Sir Robert, spoliator of Clerks' Company,
Chillenden, Kent,
Choirs, old-time,
,
,
,
,
"Chosen people," 235
Church, description of an old,
Churching of women,
Churchwardens' Account books,
Clark, John, the register book of,
Clarke, John,
Clarkson, David, of Feckenham,
Claverley, Shropshire,
Clergy, defective readers,
Clerk's ale,
house,
Clerks Book, The
,
,
Clerks, too clerical,
, etc.
Clerk's Latin,
Clerkenwell and clerks' plays,
, etc.
Clerkship, stepping-stone to higher preferment,
Coaching days,
Collis family of clerks,
Collumpton, female clerk at,
Company of parish clerks,
, etc.
Cornish parsons,
Cornish wreckers,
Coronation changes in the Prayer Book,
Council of Merida,
Toledo,
Court, George, of Wednesbury,
Coventry, Trinity Church,
,
,
Coventry, plays at,
Cowper's mortuary verses,
The Sofa
,
The Task
,
Crabbe's sketch of old clerics,
Crabbe's sketch of old clerks,
Crayford, Kent, "Amen" epitaph at,
Cromer, David Vial of,
Cropthorne, Worcestershire,
Crosthwaite and catechising,
Curious stories,
, etc.
Dagenham and its clerk,
Dean, West, Sussex,
Decline of clerks,
Decorating the church,
Deputations,
Descent into Hell,
Dickenson, Thomas, licensed to officiate,
Dicker, Robert, of Crediton,
Diggs, David,
,
,
Dismissing a clerk,
,
Dixon, Thomas, a curious character,
Dog, an archbishop's,
Dogs fighting in church,
Dog-whippers,
,
Dogs lost, notices of,
Dogs in churches,
Duke's present of game, a,
Dunstable,
Dunstan, St.,
Easter cakes,
Eastham, clerk of,
Ecclesfield, clerks at,
Eccleshall's cricketing clerk,
Ecclesiastical Law
, by Sir R. Phillimore,
Edgar, King, canons of,
Elliott, Rev. E.K., recollections of,
Elmstead,
Elton, Miss, recollections of,
Epitaphs of clerks,
, etc.
Epworth and John Wesley,
Ethelbert, King,
Evison, Thomas, of Wragsby,
Exeter, Synod of,
Faithfulness of clerks,
Fairfield,
Fasting Communion, a tradition,
Faversham,
,
,
Feckenham,
Feudal customs,
Fewson, Richard, a curious clerk,
Fielding's clerics,
Fighting in church,
,
Finch, Betty, "bobber,"
Flore, carol by the clerk of,
Ford family of King's Norton,
,
Foster, Joshua, of Caistor,
Foston-le-Clay and Sydney Smith,
Fressingfield, clerk's house at,
Frith's Vicar of Wakefield,
Funerals, London clerks at,
Funerals, old time,
,
Furness, Richard, clerk of Dore,
Gadara, swine of,
Gainsborough's portrait of Orpin,
Gargrave, York,
Gay's allusion to clerks,
George IV and Queen Caroline,
Ghost story,
Gill, Mrs., recollections of,
,
"God speed 'em well,"
,
Goldsmith's
Vicar of Wakefield
,
Goose in the pulpit,
Grafton Underwood,
Gray, John, clerk at Eton College,
Green, Rev. W.F., recollections of,
Gregory IX, decretals of,
Gregory Smith, Rev. Canon, recollections of,
Grindal, Archbishop, injunctions of,
,
Grosseteste, Bishop,
Guild of Clerks,
,
, etc.
Guinea-fowls, disturbing congregation,
Gunpowder Plot,
Haddon, West,
Halls of the Clerks' Company,
,
, etc.
"Harmun," a Christian name,
Hartlepool, clerk of,
Harvey, Christopher,
Haw of Halton Holgate,
Hawker, Rev. R.S., recollections of,
,
Hayes, disgraceful scenes at,
Hebrew scholar, a
Hemmans, Rev. Canon, recollections of,
Herbert, George, on responding,
Herbert, George, clerk of Eye,
Heredity of the clerk's office,
Hincmar, Archbishop of Rheims,
Hinton, William, a Wilts clerk,
Hobbes, William, clerk at Plymouth,
Hobby, a matrimonial,
Hogarth's
Sleeping Congregation
,
Holy loaf,
, etc.
Holy water,
Hone's
Year Book
and
Book of Days
,
,
Hooker, the Judicious,
Hopkins, John, clerk at Salisbury,
Houses for clerks,
How, Bishop Walsham, recollections of,
Hust, Richard, portrait of,
Hutchinson, F., a Yorkshire clerk,
Hutton, William, verses by,
Huyk, John, of Hull,
Hymn in praise of William III,
Illuminated MSS.,
Ingenious clerk, an,
Ingham, James, of Whalley,
Jachin, the story of,
Jenkins, Rev. M.E., recollections of,
Jenner's "Mount Sion,"
Jerry and the "Northern Lights,"
John of Althon,
,
Johnson's definition and opinion of clerks,
Kennicott, Dr., a clerk's son,
Kent, John, clerk of St. Albans,
Kenwyn, dogs fighting in church,
Kilbrogan, Ireland,
King's Norton, the Fords of,
,
Lainston, romance of parish register of,
Langdon, Robert, deacon-clerk,
Langhorne, Rev. W.H., recollections of,
Langport, Somerset,
Laracor, Meath,
Latin, a clerk's,
Lavant, East, Russell of,
Law and the clerk, the,
, etc.
Lawton, Cheshire,
Leckhampton,
"Leg end, the,"
Legg, Dr. J. Wickham,
,
,
Legge, Rev. A.G., recollections of,
,
Lessons, right of reading,
Licence granted to clerk to officiate,
Liston, Essex,
Literature, the clerk in,
, etc.
London, St. Peter-the-Less,
London, St. Stephen, Coleman Street,
,
London, St. Michael, Cornhill,
,
London, St. Margaret, Westminster,
,
London, the clerks of,
, etc.
London, Guildhall chapel,
London, St. Margaret, Lothbury,
London, Lambeth parish,
London, Battersea,
London, St. Mary's, Islington,
London, St. Matthew's Chapel, Spring Gardens,
London, parishes,
Longevity of clerks,
Lowestoft, Suffolk, Newson of,
Lupson, E.J. of Great Yarmouth,
Lyndewoode, William, on married clerks,
,
,
Machyn's Diary,
Maldon, Essex, a curious letter,
Mangotsfield, Bamford, clerk of,
Marlow, Bucks,
Marriage Act of 1653,
Marriages by clerks,
Matthew Paris,
Maundy Thursday,
Maybrick, William, and his sons,
Mediæval clerk,
, etc.
Milston, clerk at,
Milverton, Somerset,
,
Moody, clerk at Redbourn,
More, Sir Thomas,
,
Morebath, dispute at,
Mortality, Bills of,
Morwenstow and its ghost story,
Myre, John, instructions to parish priests,
New Remarks of London
,
Newport Pagnell, Bucks,
Northampton, All Saints,
"Northern Lights,"
Notices, the clerk giving out,
, etc.
curious,
Oldswinford, the Orfords of,
Orchestra, village,
,
Orpin, portrait by Gainsborough,
Osbornes of Belbroughton,
Overy, St. Mary,
Pageantry of clerks,
Pall used as horsecloth,
The Parish Clerk
, a new comic song,
Parish Clerk's Guide, The
,
,
Parish Clerk
, by Hewett,
,
,
Parish Clerks, Some Account of
, by J. Christie,
Parish Register, The
, by Crabbe,
Parish registers and the clerks,
, etc.
Parish Registers, History of
,
Parsons, old-time,
,
-15
Parson and Clerk, rocks so named,
Pattishall, clerk's register of,
Perquisites of clerks,
Pews, old-fashioned,
Pierce, Bishop of Bath and Wells,
Plague in London,
Playford, John,
Plays performed by clerks,
, etc.
Pluralism, evil effects of,
Plymouth, St. Andrew,
Poet, the clerk as a,
, etc.
Poor rates levied on the altar,
Pope, Alexander,
Memoir of P.P.
,
Portraits in the hall of the Company,
Prideaux, Dr.,
Priestly, Peter, clerk of Wakefield,
Printing press, the clerks',
Pup wanted, a,
Puritanism, effects of,
Radcliffe, Lancashire,
Radcliffe-on-Sour,
Railways, the advent of,
Raw, Frank, of Selby, epitaph of,
Rawsley, Miss, recollections of,
Rawsley, Canon, story told by,
Reading, duty of,
, etc.
Reading, St. Giles,
,
,
Reading, St. Lawrence,
,
Reading, St. Mary,
,
Rectores chori
,
Recollections of old clerks,
, etc.
Redbourn, Herts,
Reeve, Rev. E.H.L., recollections of,
Reformation changes,
Rempstone, wages of clerk at,
"Responding inaudibly,"
Revival of office of clerk,
Rex
v.
Erasmus Warren,
Richard I as
rector chori
,
Ringmer,
Rival clerks,
,
,
Rivington family,
Robinson, Daniel, of Flore,
Rochester and its parish register,
Rochester, Earl of, epigram by,
Roe family at Bakewell,
Romford,
Roper, William, of Clerks' Company,
Rose family of Bromsgrove,
Rugby, St. Andrew,
Russell, Rev. J., of Swymbridge,
Russell, clerk of East Lavant,
St. Albans, clerk of,
St. Columb Minor, Cornwall,
St. Nicholas, patron saint of clerks,
Salehurst, wages of clerk,
Salisbury, St. Edmund, clerk's house at,
Salisbury, John Hopkins of,
Saltwood, Kent, clerk's house at,
Sapiston and the Duke's hare,
Scarlett, Old, of Peterborough,
Schoolmaster, clerk as,
Scothorne, Blackburn's epitaph,
Selwyn, Rev. W., recollections of,
Sermon forgotten,
Sexton and clerk,
,
,
Shakespeare's allusion to clerks,
Shenley, Rogers of,
Sherlock, F., recollections of,
Shoes in church,
Sidbury, clerk of,
Singing, duty of,
, etc.
Singing, efforts to improve,
Skinners' Well,
Sleeping Congregation
, by Hogarth,
Sleepy church and sleepy clerks,
, etc.
Sluggard-waker,
Smuggling days and smuggling ways,
,
, etc.
Smoking in church,
,
,
Snell, Peter, of Crayford,
Soberton, Hants, smuggling at,
Social Life as told by Parish Registers
,
,
Solomon Daisy of
Barnaby Rudge
,
Song during the sermon, a,
Spectator, The
,
,
Spoliation of Clerks' Company,
Sporting parsons,
,
Sporting clerks,
Squire's pew, the,
Stanford-in-the-Vale, Berks,
Staple-next-Wingham,
Sternhold and Hopkins's Psalter,
Stoke,
Story, Robert, poet,
Stoulton, epitaph at,
Stratfieldsaye,
,
Surplices objected to,
Swanscombe, Kent,
Swift on old pews,
Swift and his clerk Roger,
Syntax, Dr.,
Tait, Archbishop, on old services,
Teeth, story of "artful,",
Tennyson's allusion to clerks,
Tenterden, John Hopton of,
Thame, curious banns at,
Thirza, a Christian name,
Tingrith and its potentate,
Totnes, Devon,
Tourists' queries,
Town crier as clerk,
Tunbridge Wells, Jenner's "Mount Sion,"
Uffington, Salop,
Upton, near Droitwich,
Venables, Rev. Canon, recollections of,
Verney, Lady,
Essays and Tales
,
Vickers, Rev. W.V., recollections of,
Visitation of the sick,
Wages of clerks,
Wakefield,
Walker, Rev. Robert, the "Wonderful,"
Waltham,
Holy Cross,
Walton, Isaac, story of faithful clerk,
Warrington and its "bobber,"
Way to find Sunday without an Almanack, The
,
Webster's
Village Choir
,
Wednesbury,
,
,
Wesley and his clerk,
Westbere,
Westhoughton,
Westley,
Whalley, clerk at,
Wheatley, female clerk at,
Whitewashed church, a,
Whittingdon, Thomas Evans of,
"Wicked man, the,"
Wilberforce, Bishop, on squire's pew,
Willoughton, Betty Wells of,
Wills containing bequests to clerks,
Wimborne Minster,
,
Windermere, clerk of,
Wise, Mr., of Weekley, recollections of,
Witch as parish clerk,
Woburn, J. Brewer of,
Wolstanton,
Wolverley, Worcestershire,
Women as parish clerks,
, etc.
as sextons,
Woodmancote, old clerk at,
Woodstock, J. Bennet, clerk of,
Wootton, Paul, clerk at Bromham,
Worcester, St. Michael, clerk's house at,
Worcester, St. Michael, the Bond family of,
Wordsworth, on the "Wonderful Walker,"
Workington and its beadle,
Worrall family of Wolverley,
Worthing, smuggling at,
Worth, John Alcorn of,
Wragby, clerk of,
Wren, William, of Stondon Massey,
Yarmouth, Great, the clerk of,
York, mystery plays at,
Yorkshire clerks,
, etc.,
Young, Rev. J.C., recollections of,
"Zulphur," a Christian name,