The Clergy-man’s Law: Or, The Complete Incumbent, Collected From The 39 Articles, Canons, Decrees In Chancery And Exchequer, As Also Fom All The Acts Of Parliament, And Common-law Cases, Relating To The Church And Clergy Of England:.
Bound in original calf, gilt with red morocco label; Boards have blind stamped double line borders with decorative wavy line on spine border only. Spine divided into compartments by raised bands. Extremities worn, surfaces of boards eroded in places and joints a little loose. Slight worming at foot of rear endpapers and for last few pages of Table and small tear to lower edge of 501, not affecting text. Otherwise a clean crisp interior and generally a very fine copy.
£300.00
Publisher
Printed by E. and R. Nutt, and R. Gosling, (Assigns of E. Sayer, Esq;) for D. Browne, J. Walthoe, R. Gosling, W. Mears, W. and J. Innys, J. Osborn, T. Woodward, J. Hook, F. Clay, and J. Stephens, In the Savoy, [London].,
Date
1725
Synopsis
Digested under proper heads for the benefit of patrons of churches, and the parochial clergy. and will be useful to all students, and practioners of law. by willaim watson l.l.d. late dean of battel. with a table of the contents of the chapters, and another of the principal matters. to which is added, the names of the present bishops, and other chief dignitaries of the church of england. the third edition, with large additions.
Item Description
Folio. 8.5 x 12.75 inches. 4 + [8] + 652 pp. + [62] + [4], A-A2, A-Z2, 2A-2A4, 2B-5A4, 5B-5B2, 5C-5R2, [1]. Contents include list of bishops, deans and other dignitaries at beginning and Addenda, Table (i.e.analytical) index, Books lately Published and Errata at end. Partly printed in black letter.
Notes
An authoritative and detailed survey of ecclesiastical law. It includes coverage of benefices, patronage and right of presentations, the duties of the minister, disturbances in church, freehold of seats in church, estates and leases and tithes (including such matters as tithes of wool and wood which are all described in considerable detail). William Watson (1637?-1689) was Dean and incumbent of Battle, an exempt in the Diocese of Chichester: 'the Bishop of Chichester doth admit the Dean of of the exempt Jurisdiction of Battel within that Diocese, yet the Patron thereof is to institute, and induct the Dean'(2I2 verso). In the medieval period the office was possibly a local dean in the area of Hastings and Battle, separate from the Deanery of Chichester within the diocese. In Watson's time and later it appears to have become a mere honorific title for the vicar of Battle. In about 1900 the incumbent was still styled dean and vicar and the living described as a peculiar deanery and vicarage. It is not clear who prepared the first edition for publication in 1701 or who revised it for the subsequent editions (second, 1712, this third of 1725 and the fourth of 1747). A magnificent survey of the legal and economic rights and responsibilities of early eighteenth century clergy.
[Stock No. 20186]
