vicar

1) In early usages the vicar of a parish was the priest who acted as a representative of the rector, and the ‘vicarage’ was his benefice or living.

1595 That there vicar John Richardson is not resident vpon his vicaredg, Ellerburn. Even by that time, though, the word was already being applied to the vicar’s dwelling-house, distinguishing it from other buildings in the village: c.1540 a mansion called the vicars mansion ... withyn the seid mansion or vicarage, Swine

1596 they have no vicaredge house, Wilton.

spellings vicarage
dates 1540 1595 1596

Related Content Loading...

Photo by Kreuzschnabel CC BY-SA 3.0