CHURCHING OF See also:

• WOMEN

WOMEN  , the See also:

• CHRISTIAN
• CHRISTIAN, WILLIAM (1608-1663)

Christian ceremony of thanks-giving on the See also:

• PART

part of mothers shortly after the See also:

• BIRTH (a word common in various forms to Teutonic languages from the root of the verb " to bear ")

birth of their See also:

• CHILDREN, LAW RELATING TO

children . It no doubt originated in the See also:

• MOSAIC (corresponding to Lat. opus musivum, from Gr. µovoeiov, an artificial grotto often decorated with mosaics; the word is only found in the sense of mosaic in late Greek, which generally uses k oXI yrlµa)

Mosaic regulation as to See also:

• PURIFICATION

purification (Lev. xii . 6) . In See also:

• ANCIENT
• ANCIENT (also spelt ANTIENT; derived, through the Fr. ancien, old, from the late Lat. antianum, from ante, before)

ancient times the ceremony was usual but not obligatory in See also:

• ENGLAND
• ENGLAND, THE CHURCH OF

England . In the See also:

• GREEK
• GREEK, ETRUSCAN AND

Greek and See also:

• ROMAN

Roman See also:

• CATHOLIC (Gr. KcaBoXuK6s, general, universal)

Catholic Churches to-See also:

• DAY (O. Eng. dreg, Ger. Tag; according to the New English Dictionary, " in no way related to the Lat. dies")
• DAY, JOHN (1574-1640?)
• DAY, THOMAS (1748-1789)

day it is imperative . The See also:

• CUSTOM (from O. Fr. costume, costume or coustume; Low Lat. costuma, a shortened form of consuetudo)

custom is first mentioned in the pseudo-Nicene Arabic canons . No ancient See also:

• FORM (Lat. forma)

form' of service exists, and that which figures in the See also:

• ENGLISH

English See also:

• PRAYER (from Lat. precari, entreat; Ital. pregaria, Fr. priere)
• PRAYER, BOOK OF COMMON

prayer-See also:

• BOOK

book of to-day See also:

• DATES

dates only from the See also:

• MIDDLE

middle ages . Custom differs, but the usual date of churching was the fortieth day after confinement, in accordance with the Biblical date of the presentment of the Virgin See also:

• MARY
• MARY (1457-1482)
• MARY (1496-1533)
• MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS

Mary and the See also:

• CHILD
• CHILD, FRANCIS JAMES (1825-1896)
• CHILD, L
• CHILD, LYDIA MARIA (1802-1880)
• CHILD, SIR FRANCIS (1642-1713)
• CHILD, SIR JOHN (d. 1690)
• CHILD, SIR JOSIAH (163o - 1699)

Child Jesus at the See also:

• TEMPLE
• TEMPLE, FREDERICK (1821-1902)
• TEMPLE, RICHARD
• TEMPLE, SIR RICHARD, BART
• TEMPLE, SIR WILLIAM, BART

Temple . It was formerly regarded as unlucky for a woman to leave her See also:

• HOUSE
• HOUSE (O. Eng. hiss, a word common to Teutonic languages, cf. Dut. huis, Ger. Haus; in Gothic it is only found in gudhiss, a temple; it may be ultimately connected with the root of " hide," conceal)

house to go out at all after confinement till she went to be churched . It was not unusual for the churching service to be said in private houses . In See also:

• HEREFORDSHIRE

Herefordshire it was not considered proper for the See also:

• HUSBAND

husband to appear in See also:

• CHURCH
• CHURCH (according to most authorities derived from the Gr. Kvpcaxov [&wµa], " the Lord's [house]," and common to many Teutonic, Slavonic and other languages under various forms—Scottish kirk, Ger. Kirche, Swed. kirka, Dan. kirke, Russ. tserkov, Buig. cerk
• CHURCH, FREDERICK EDWIN (1826-1900)
• CHURCH, GEORGE EARL (1835–1910)
• CHURCH, RICHARD WILLIAM (1815–189o)
• CHURCH, SIR RICHARD (1784–1873)

church at the service, or at all events in the same See also:

• PEW (Mid. Eng. puwe, through O. Fr. puya, pui, mod, puy, in the sense of hill, cf. appuyer, to lean against; from Lat. podium, a high place, balcony; Gr. lrb&ov, pedestal, 'roes, foot)

pew . In some parishes there was a See also:

• SPECIAL

special pew known as " the churching seat." The words in the See also:

• RUBRIC (Fr. rubrique, Lat. rubrica, Tuber, red)

rubric requiring the woman to come " decently apparelled " refer to the times when it was thought unbecoming for a woman to come to the service with the elaborate See also:

• HEAD (in 0. Eng. heafad; the word is common to Teutonic languages; cf. Dutch hoofd, Ger. Haupt, generally taken to be in origin connected with Lat. caput, Gr. KerbOvi7)
• HEAD, SIR EDMUND WALKER, BART
• HEAD, SIR FRANCIS BOND, BART

head-See also:

• DRESS (from the Fr. dresser, to set out, arrange, formed from Lat. directus, arranged, dirigere, to direct, arrange)

dress then the See also:

• FASHION (adapted from Fr. facon, agon, Lat. factio, making, facere, to do or make)

fashion .

A See also:

• VEIL (O.Fr. veile, mod. voile, from Lat. velum, cloth, awning, sail)

veil was usually worn, and in some parishes this was provided by the church, for an See also:

• INVENTORY (post-class. Lat. inventarium, a list or repertory, from invenire to find)

inventory of goods belonging to St Benet's, Gracechurch See also:

• STREET
• STREET, GEORGE EDMUND (1824-1881)

Street, in 1560, includes " A churching See also:

• CLOTH

cloth, fringed, See also:

• WHITE
• WHITE, ANDREW DICKSON (1832– )
• WHITE, GILBERT (1720–1793)
• WHITE, HENRY KIRKE (1785-1806)
• WHITE, HUGH LAWSON (1773-1840)
• WHITE, JOSEPH BLANCO (1775-1841)
• WHITE, RICHARD GRANT (1822-1885)
• WHITE, ROBERT (1645-1704)
• WHITE, SIR GEORGE STUART (1835– )
• WHITE, SIR THOMAS (1492-1567)
• WHITE, SIR WILLIAM ARTHUR (1824--1891)
• WHITE, SIR WILLIAM HENRY (1845– )
• WHITE, THOMAS (1628-1698)
• WHITE, THOMAS (c. 1550-1624)

white See also:

• DAMASK

damask." The " convenient See also:

• PLACE (through Fr. from Lat. platea, street; Gr. IrAar6s, wide)

place," which, according to the rubric, the woman must occupy, was in pre-See also:

• REFORMATION
• REFORMATION, THE

Reformation times the church-See also:

• DOOR (corresponding to the Gr. Bbpa,. Lat. fores or valvae; the English word, with other forms common in allied languages, comes from the same Indo-European stem as the Gr. Obpa and Lat. fares)

door . In the first prayer-book of See also:

• EDWARD

Edward VI., she was to be " nigh unto the See also:

• QUIRE (in earlier forms quaer, quaer and quere, from the O. Fr. quaier, modern cahier, a copy-book, manuscript book; Lat. quaterni, set of four, from quattuor)

quire door." In the second of his books, she was to be " nigh unto the place where the Table standeth." See also:

• BISHOP (A.S. bisceop, from Lat. episcopus, Gr. irio-Korros, " overlooker " or " overseer ")
• BISHOP, ISABELLA (1832-1904)
• BISHOP, SIR HENRY ROWLEY (1786-1855)

Bishop See also:

• WREN (O. Eng. wrcknna, Mid. Eng. wrenne; Icel. rindill)
• WREN, SIR CHRISTOPHER (1632-1723)

Wren's orders for the See also:

• DIOCESE (formed on Fr. diocese, in place of the Eng. form diocess—current until the 19th century—from Lat. dioecesis, med. Lat. variant diocesis, from Gr. Swucio•tc, " house-keeping," " administration," &miceas, " to keep house," " to govern ")

diocese of See also:

• NORWICH
• NORWICH, GEORGE GORING, EARL OF (1583?-1663)

Norwich in 1636 are " That See also:

• WOMEN

women to be churched come and kneel at a See also:

• SIDE
• SIDE (mod. Eski Adalia)

side near the Communion Table without the See also:

• RAIL

rail, being veiled according to custom, and not covered with a See also:

• HAT

hat." In See also:

• DEVONSHIRE (DEvoN)
• DEVONSHIRE, EARLS AND DUKES OF

Devonshire churching was sometimes called " being uprose." Churchings were formerly registered in some parishes . In pre-Reformation days it was the custom in England for women to carry lighted tapers when being churched, in allusion to the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin (See also:

• FEBRUARY

February 2nd), the day chosen by the Roman Catholic church for the blessing of the candles for the whole See also:

• YEAR

year (see See also:

• CANDLEMAS (Lat. festum candelarum live luminum)

CANDLEMAS) . At her churching a woman was expected to make some offering to the church, such as the chrisom or See also:

• ALB (Lat. alba, from albus, white)

alb thrown over the child at christening .