Clerical Guide or Ecclesiastical Directory: A History

The Clerical Guide or Ecclesiastical Directory holds the distinction of being the earliest specialist directory created to cover the clergy of the Church of England. First appearing in 1817, it served as a vital record of the ecclesiastical structure and personnel of the time.

Publication History and Editorial Direction

In its initial phase, the directory was published four times: in 1817, 1822, 1829, and 1836. These early editions were produced under the editorial direction of Richard Gilbert. While an edition for 1838 was advertised, no copies have been located in major academic libraries, suggesting it may not have been produced or distributed widely.

The publication's early years were closely tied to the printers J. C. & F. Rivington and the Gilbert brothers. Richard Gilbert, who was both a printer and an accountant with the SPCK, evolved from being listed simply as a printer in 1817 to taking a more prominent editorial role, eventually writing the prefaces for later editions.

Detailed Contents of the Directory

The directory was comprehensive, providing a wealth of data for researchers and church officials. The main alphabetical section included:

• Benefices: A detailed list including populations, counties, dioceses, and archdeaconries.
• Incumbents: The names of the clergy in charge and the year they were instituted.
• Values: Financial values based on the Valor Ecclesiasticus or King's Books (up to the 1829 edition).
• Patrons: The names of the individuals or entities holding the right to appoint the clergy.

The 1836 edition expanded this data to include the income of the benefice for the year 1831, the available "church room" (capacity) for the congregation, and the name of any impropriator.

Preliminary and Supplementary Sections

Beyond the alphabetical lists, the directory featured several specialized sections:

• Lists of bishops, cathedral chapter members, and other dignitaries, including the values of their First Fruits.
• Information on Doctors of Laws (canonical specialists).
• Details on the Chapel Royal, including the king's preachers and chaplains.
• Sections dedicated to Sion College, Gresham College, and the universities of Oxford and Cambridge.
• Lists of fellows and schoolmasters from prestigious institutions such as Eton, Winchester, Westminster, Harrow, Manchester, and St Paul's.

The directory concluded with lists of ecclesiastical patronage, detailing benefices under the gift of the king, the lord chancellor, the chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster, various archbishops and bishops, and the two universities.

Evolution and Legacy

After 1836, the directory ceased regular publication, creating a void that was filled after 1841 by the Clergy List. The title Clerical Guide and Ecclesiastical Directory was briefly revived in 1886 by Thomas Bosworth & Company, but this version was quickly acquired by Hamilton Adams and merged into the Clergy List by 1889.

The lineage of these directories eventually culminated in the 1918/19 merger of the Clergy List with Crockford's Clerical Directory. For several decades, Crockford's continued to acknowledge that it incorporated both the Clergy List and the Clerical Guide and Ecclesiastical Directory.

Today, the early editions are accessible to historians and genealogists through scanned copies on the web and a microfiche version of the 1829 directory produced by the Society of Genealogists in the 1980s.