Of the three salaried officials of a parish church, the Clerk was superior to the Sexton but inferior to the rector or vicar. In 1844 an act of Parliament deprived the parish clerks of nearly all their duties (which were transferred to curates) while another of 1894 left them with few responsibilities other than the care of certain documents and maps.
Lecturers and Parish Clerks Act 1844 (c.59)
Local Government Act 1894 (c.73)
The London guild of parish clerks was incorporated by Henry III in 1232 and became a Livery Company of the City of London. When their charter was renewed by James I (and later by Charles II) it was stipulated that 'Every person that is chosen Clerk of a Parish shall first give sufficient proof of his abilities to sing at least the tunes which are used in parish churches.'
Clerks were often entrusted with making up the parish Registers though, in fact, delegation of this responsibility was unlawful.
They are often maligned by historians as being uneducated and reactionary. And yet their office was an ancient one and they made a significant contribution to the development of church music in England.
Parish clerks were usually men, though there were rare exceptions such as the formidable Betty Howell who was clerk and sexton of St. Saviour's church at Puxton in Somerset in the early nineteenth century.
There can be some confusion about the ancient position, and duties, of 'Parish Clerk' and the situation today. The clerical duties of a parish are now undertaken by the PCC secretary, also called the Parish Administrator in some parishes.
Stan
