The character of The Vicar of Bray appears in a traditional English folk song with that title, and was the subject of a comic opera which opened at the Globe Theatre, in London, on July 22, 1882, for a run of 69 performances. Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area  - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 1st UK 49,138,831 377/km² Ethnicity... Folk music, in the original sense of the term, is music by and of the people. ... Comic opera is a subcategory of opera, and denotes a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature. ... This article is about the Globe Theatre of Shakespeare, both the original and its modern reconstruction. ... St. ... July 22 is the 203rd day (204th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 162 days remaining. ...

The eponymous vicar was the clergyman of the parish of Bray-on-Thames, Berkshire. The lyrics recount his adaptability (some would say amorality) in embracing whichever form of liturgy, Protestant or Catholic, was favoured by the monarch of the day in order to retain his position. See Annotated Lyrics to The Vicar of Bray. 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. ... Bray church Bray (sometimes Bray-on-Thames) is a village in Berkshire, on the banks of the River Thames. ... 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. ... England was first unified as a state by Alfred the Great of Wessex. ... The Vicar of Bray is a satirical song recounting the career of the Vicar of Bray and his contortions of principle in order to retain his ecclesiastic office despite the changes in the Established Church through the course of several English monarchs. ...

Historical basis

Several individuals have been proposed as the model for the Vicar of Bray.

Brome argues that the model for the song was the 16th century cleric Simon Alwyn (1540–1588), who lived in the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary, and Elizabeth, but the most frequently sung words refer to 17th century monarchs. Therefore, a later proposed model is Simon Symonds, who was an Independent in the Protectorate, a Church of England believer under Charles II, a Roman Catholic under James II, and a moderate Protestant under William and Mary. The lyrics may have been written by "an officer in Colonel Fuller's regiment," according to one source. The story remains the same in all circumstances: a clergyman changes with the religions of the monarchs and determined that, regardless of the contortions of principle involved, he will remain the Vicar of Bray. (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ... Events January 6 - King Henry VIII of England marries Anne of Cleves, his fourth Queen consort. ... Events May 12 - Day of the Barricades in Paris. ... Henry VIII (28 June 1491 – 28 January 1547) was King of England and Lord of Ireland (later King of Ireland) from 22 April 1509 until his death. ... King Edward VI (12 October 1537–6 July 1553) was King of England and King of Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death. ... Mary I of Scotland; known as Mary, Queen of Scots Mary I of Scotland (Mary Stuart or Stewart) (December 8, 1542 – February 8, 1587), better known as Mary, Queen of Scots, was the ruler of Scotland from December 14, 1542 – July 24, 1567. ... Elizabeth I Queen of England and Ireland Queen of France, nominal title Elizabeth I (September 7, 1533–March 24, 1603) was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from November 17, 1558 until her death. ... (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. ... For the rule of Oliver Cromwell, see The Protectorate. ... The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and acts as the mother and senior branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion as well as a founding member of the Porvoo Communion. ... Charles II (29 May 1630–6 February 1685) was the King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 30 January 1649 (de jure) or 29 May 1660 (de facto) until his death. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... King James VII and II ( 14 October 1633–16 September 1701 ) became King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 6 February 1685. ... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ... The phrase William and Mary usually refers to the joint sovereignty over the Kingdoms of England and Scotland of King William III and his wife Queen Mary II. Their joint reign began in February, 1689, when they were called to the throne by Parliament, replacing James II, who was deemed...

Thomas Barlow (1607–1691), bishop of Lincoln, is another candidate. Thomas Barlow (1607 - 1691) was a British bishop of Lincoln often considered one of the candidates for being the Vicar of Bray. ... Events January 20 - Tidal wave swept along the Bristol Channel, killing 2000 people. ... Events March 5 - French troops under Marshal Louis-Francois de Boufflers besiege the Spanish-held town of Mons March 29 - Siege of Mons ends to the city’s surrender October 3 - Treaty of Limerick which guaranteed civil rights to catholics was signed. ...

Population Genetics

In recent years the phrase has been used as the name for a hypothesis as to the adaptive benefit that sexual reproduction offers to a species in the theory of evolution. This theory points out that the offspring of a population of sexually reproducing individuals will show a more varied selection of phenotypes and that they will therefore be more likely to produce a strain that can survive a change in the ecology of the environment in which they live. A mathematized version of this theory was accepted by most biologists as being one of the most important reasons for the prevalence of sexual reproduction in the natural world until the implicit group selectionist character of the argument was re-examined in the course of the Williams Revolution. The newer theory for sexual reproduction, which is now accepted by most evolutionary biologists, is the Red Queen hypothesis. Sexual reproduction is a process of reproduction involving the merging of two gametes from the same species to produce a new organism. ... In biology, a species is, loosely speaking, a group of related organisms that share a more or less distinctive form and are capable of interbreeding. ... This article is about biological evolution. ... The phenotype of an individual organism is either its total physical appearance and constitution, or a specific manifestation of a trait, such as size or eye color, that varies between individuals. ... (Ecology is sometimes used incorrectly as a synonym for the natural environment. ... Main articles: Life All organisms (viruses not included) consist of cells, which in turn, are based on a common carbon-based biochemistry. ... In evolutionary biology, Group selection refers to the idea that alleles can become fixed or spread in a population because of the benefits they bestow on groups, regardless of the fitness of individuals within that group. ... Named in honour of George C. Williams, the Williams Revolution is a phrase used to characterise a paradigm shift asserted to have occurred in theoretical biology in the mid-1960s. ... Sexual reproduction is a process of reproduction involving the merging of two gametes from the same species to produce a new organism. ... The Red Queen or Red Queens Race is an evolutionary theory explaining the advantage of sex. ...