@Wexflyer
I have a feeling this is really an historical question about the 17th/18th C?
Correct, I should have stated that.
One man I was wondering about in particular was an elderly parish priest, who died in the late 18th century and was buried in a parish that was not even adjacent.
He can be identified definitely because the stone was erected by another priest from the parish (with the same surname), who gave his own church.
I am wondering about what that would most likely mean. That he had been reassigned there? Or somehow died there - perhaps at a sort of home for priests? Or that it was his native parish?
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Some words or terms that I find a bit confusing:
"His substitute" referring to another priest on the 1697 return. (I wonder whether this would imply that a priest had more than one parish, and was absent at times. The return does not survive for the vast majority of Ireland, outside of Dublin and its very near environs)
"Mensal parish." This is a term that I believe I have only seen in interpretive notes, relating to a portion of the 1697 return. But I wonder if it would only mean where a Catholic bishop resides, or if there is some implication that he may have also resided at a second parish, at times.
You have specific people in mind, but I think your query can only be answered in generalities.
In more modern times, priest tend to be buried in their churchyards, or in separate clergy plots.
Back then though, there were no Catholic churchyards, so that was not possible.
In my case, where I know that an early period priest was a family member, and I also know where he was buried, then they were all buried in family graves, viz:
Rev William Brennan 1790-1846, PP New Ross, buried Ballybrennan, Bree, with family.
Rev. Thomas Brennan ?-1775, PP Bree, buried Whitechurch, Glynn, with family
Rev. Malachi Brennan, 1798-1866, PP Taghmon, buried Whitechurch, Glynn, with Fr Thomas, his great-grand uncle.
None of these three were buried in the parish of which they were pastor. Note - two separate Brennan families.
Mensal parish - a parish of which the bishop (or perhaps also VG) is formally the pastor. It does NOT mean the bishop necessarily resides there. Usually he does not, it is simply providing financial support for his upkeep. As the bishop is only formally the pastor, that means there has to be someone in his stead - these days termed the Administrator (Admin), but I can imagine that he might have been termed a surrogate in times past?