PARISH, the precinct of a parochial church, or a circuit of ground inhabited by people who belong to one church, and are under the particular charge of its minister. The word comes from the Latin parochia, and the Greek παg>ικια, habitation, compounded of παξα, near, and δικος, house. ’Accordingly, Du Cange observes, that the name τcαζοικια was anciently applied to the whole territory of a bishop, because the primitive Christians, not daring to assemble openly in cities, were forced to meet secretly in the neighbouring houses.

In the ancient church there was one large edifice in each city for the people to meet in; and this they called parochia, or parish. But the signification of the word was afterwards enlarged, and by a parish was meant a diocese, or the extent of the jurisdiction of a bishop, consisting of several churches; unless we suppose, as some do, that those bishops were only pastors of single churches. Dupin observes, that country parishes were unknown before the fourth century; but those of cities are more ancient. The city of Alexandria is said to have been the first which was divided into parishes.

Of the first division of parishes there is no certain information; for in the early ages of Christianity in this island, parishes were unknown, or at least signified the same thing as diocese. There was then no appropriation of ecclesiastical dues to any particular church; but every man was at liberty to contribute his tithes to any priest or church that he pleased; or if he made no special appropriation of them, they were paid to the bishop, whose duty it was to distribute them amongst the clergy, and for other pious purposes, according to his own discretion. Camden says that England was divided into parishes by Archbishop Honorius, about the year 630. Sir Henry Hobart maintains that parishes were first erected by the council of Lateran, held in the year 1179. But Selden proves that the clergy lived in common, without any division of parishes, long after the time mentioned by Camden; and it appears from the Saxon laws, that parishes were in being long before the council of Lateran in 1179. The distinction of parishes first occurs in the laws of Edgar, about the year 970. It seems pretty certain, says Justice Blackstone (Com. vol. i. p. 112), that the boundaries of parishes were first ascertained by those of a manor or manors; because it very seldom happens that a manor extends itself over more than one parish, although there are often many manors in one parish. As Christianity spread, the lords began to build churches upon their own demesnes or wastes, in order to accommodate their tenants in one or two adjoining lordships; and, that they might have divine service regularly performed therein, they obliged all their tenants to appropriate their tithes to the maintenance of the one officiating minister, instead of leaving them at liberty to distribute them amongst the clergy of the diocese in general. The tract of land the tithes of which were thus appropriated formed a distinct parish; a circumstance which accounts for the frequent intermixture of parishes one with another. For if a lord had a parcel of land detached from the main part of his estate, but not sufficient to form a parish of itself, it was natural for him to endow his newly-erected church with the tithes of such lands.

Parish- Clerk. In every parish the parson, vicar, or curate has a parish-clerk under him, who is the lowest officer of the church. Parish-clerks were formerly clerks in orders, and their business at first was to officiate at the altar, for which they had a competent maintenance by offerings; but they are now laymen, and have certain fees at christenings, marriages, and burials, besides wages for their maintenance.