A parson is a member of the Protestant clergy. Specifically, in the Anglican church traditions, a parson is the incumbent of a parochial benefice: a parish priest or a rector; in this sense a parson contrasts with a vicar. The title parson is also applied to clergy from other denominations. Protestantism is a movement within Christianity, representing a split from the Roman Catholic Church during the mid to late Renaissance in Europe —a period known as the Protestant Reformation. ... Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. ... The term Anglican (from the Angles or English) describes those people and churches following the religious traditions developed by the established Church of England. ... The incumbent, in politics, is the current holder of a political office. ... A parish is a type of administrative subdivision. ... Originally a benefice was a gift of land for life as a reward (Latin beneficium, means to do well) for services rendered. ... Roman Catholic priest LCDR Allen R. Kuss (USN) aboard USS Enterprise A priest or priestess is a holy man or woman who takes an officiating role in worship of any religion, with the distinguishing characteristic of offering sacrifices. ... The word rector (ruler, from the Latin regere) has a number of different meanings. ... In the broadest sense, a vicar (from the Latin vicarius) is anyone acting as a substitute or agent for a superior (compare vicarious). In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant. ... A denomination, in the Christian sense of the word, is an identifiable religious body, organization under a common name, structure, and/or doctrine. ...

In the Anglican tradition

William Blackstone's Commentaries on the Laws of England says that a parson is a parish priest with the fullest legal rights to the parish properties: Sir William Blackstone, (July 10, 1723 – February 14, 1780) was an English jurist and professor who produced the historical treatise on the common law called Commentaries on the Laws of England, first published in four volumes over 1765–1769. ... The Commentaries on the Laws of England is an influential 18th century treatise on the common law of England by Sir William Blackstone, originally published by the Clarendon Press at Oxford, 1765-1769. ...

A parson, persona ecclesiae, is one that has full possession of all the rights of a parochial church. He is called parson, persona, because by his person the church, which is an invisible body, is represented; and he is in himself a body corporate, in order to protect and defend the rights of the church (which he personates) by a perpetual succession. He is sometimes called the rector, or governor, of the church: but the appellation of parson, (however it may be depreciated by familia, clownish, and indiscriminate use) is the most legal, most beneficial, and most honorable title that a parish priest can enjoy; because such a one, (Sir Edward Coke observes) and he only, is said vicem seu personam ecclesiae gerere ("to carry out the business of the church in person")

— Bl. Comm. I.11.V, p. *372

In Ireland

In Ulster, in the early 17th century, every parish had a vicar and a parson instead of a co-arb and an erenagh. The vicar, like the co-arb, was always in orders. He said the mass (‘serveth the cure’) and received a share of the tithes. The parson, like the erenagh, had a major portion of the tithes, maintained the church and provided hospitality. As he was not usually in clerical orders, his responsibilities were mainly temporal. However, there were differences in the divisions of the tithes between various dioceses in Tyrone. In the Diocese of Clogher, the vicar and the parson shared the tithes equally between them; in the Diocese of Derry, church income came from both tithes and the rental of church lands (‘temporalities’). The vicar and the parson each received one third of the tithes and paid an annual tribute to the bishop. In places where there was no parson, the erenagh continued to receive two thirds of the income in kind from the church lands, and delivered the balance, after defraying maintenance, to the Bishop in cash as a yearly rental. In other places, the parson, the vicar and the erenagh shared the costs of church repairs equally between them. In the Diocese of Armagh the parson received two-thirds of the tithes and the vicar one third. The archbishop and the erenagh impropriated no part thereof because they received the entire income from the termon lands. Ulster (Irish: Cúige Uladh, IPA: ) is one of the four provinces of Ireland. ... (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ... A parish is a type of administrative subdivision. ... In the broadest sense, a vicar (from the Latin vicarius) is anyone acting as a substitute or agent for a superior (compare vicarious). In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant. ... In medieval Ireland and Scotland the Co-arb or Coarb (alternately comarba) was the president of a collegiate church (i. ... The medieval Irish office of Erenagh was responsible for receiving parish revenue from tithes and rents, building and maintaining church property and overseeing the termon lands that generated parish income. ... This article is about County Tyrone. ... Clogher is a small town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, situated on the River Blackwater in the Dungannon district 25 miles south of Omagh. ... Derry or Londonderry (in Irish, Doire or Doire Cholm Chille), often called the Maiden City, is a city in Northern Ireland. ... Armagh is a city in Northern Ireland, the capital of County Armagh. ...

The division of responsibilities between vicar and parson seems to derive from a much earlier precedent established in the old Celtic Church of St Columcille. Celtic Christianity is Christianity as it was first received and practiced by communities with Celtic backgrounds that observed certain practices divergent from those in the rest of Europe. ... Saint Columba (7 December 521 - 9 June 597), the Latinized version of the Irish name Colmcille (Old Irish Columb Cille) meaning Dove of the church, was the most outstanding among the group of Dark Ages Irish missionary monks who reintroduced Christianity to Scotland and the north of England. ...

In the Canterbury Tales

The Parson is a character from Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, and he tells the final tale that Chaucer wrote. This is the last tale from Geoffrey Chaucers The Canterbury Tales. ... Chaucer: Illustration from Cassells History of England, circa 1902 Geoffrey Chaucer (c. ... Canterbury Tales Woodcut 1484 The Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories written by Geoffrey Chaucer in the 14th century (two of them in prose, the rest in verse). ...

Parson's table

A parson's table is a small, square table, made in a simple, unadorned style with four square legs. Parson's tables are designed to be easily stacked and often, easily disassembled and reassembled. They typically are made of wood or plastic, and frequently are used as patio or lawn furniture. Wooden kitchen table and chairs For other uses, see Table (disambiguation). ... A patio garden is an outdoor garden space generally used for dining or recreation that often adjoins a residence and is typically paved. ...

Parson Russell Terrier

The Parson Russell Terrier, a variation of the Jack Russell Terrier, is a breed of dog. Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Country of origin Country Classification Breed standards (external links) FCI (Parson Russell), FCI (JRT #345), AKC, ANKC, KC(UK), NZKC, UKC (Jack Russell), UKC (Russell) Notes Some kennel clubs consider this the same as a Jack Russell Terrier The Jack Russell Terrier is a type of small terrier that has... Trinomial name Canis lupus familiaris (Linnaeus, 1758) The Dog is a canine carnivorous mammal that has been domesticated for at least 14,000 years and perhaps for as long as 150,000 years based on recent evidence. ...