BENEFIT OF See also:

• CLERGY (M.E. clergie, O. Fr. clergie, from Low Lat. form clericia [Skean, by assimilation with O. Fr. clergie, Fr. clerge,from Low Lat. clericatus)
• BENEFIT OF CLERGY

CLERGY  , an obsolete but once very important feature in See also:

• ENGLISH

English criminal See also:

• LAW
• LAW (0. Eng. lagu, M. Eng. lawe; from an old Teutonic root lag, " lie," what lies fixed or evenly; cf. Lat. lex, Fr. loi)
• LAW, JOHN (1671—1729)
• LAW, WILLIAM (1686-1761)

law . Benefit of See also:

• CLERGY (M.E. clergie, O. Fr. clergie, from Low Lat. form clericia [Skean, by assimilation with O. Fr. clergie, Fr. clerge,from Low Lat. clericatus)
• CLERGY, BENEFIT OF

clergy began with the claim on the See also:

• PART

part of the ecclesiastical authorities in the 12th See also:

• CENTURY (from Lat. centuria, a division of a hundred men)

century that every clericus should be exempt from the See also:

• JURISDICTION
• JURISDICTION, CRIMINAL LAW, DIVORCE

jurisdiction of the temporal courts and be subject to the spiritual courts alone . The issue of the conflict was that the See also:

• COMMON

common law courts abandoned the extreme See also:

• PUNISHMENT (from Lat. punire, to punish, from poena, punishment, Gr. 7rocvil)

punishment of See also:

• DEATH

death assigned to some offences when the See also:

• PERSON, OFFENCES AGAINST THE

person convicted was a clericus, and tqe 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 was obliged to accept the See also:

• COMPROMISE (pronounced compromize; through Fr. from Lat. compromittere)

compromise and let a secondary punishment be inflicted . The See also:

• TERM

term " clerk " or clericus always included a large number of persons in what was still further extended to include laymen who performed duties in cathedrals, churches, &c., e.g. the choirmen, who were designated " See also:

• LAY

lay clerks." Of these lay clerks or choirmen there was always one whose See also:

• DUTY (from " due," that which is owing, O. Fr. deu, dil, past participle of devoir; Lat. debere, debitum; cf. " debt ")

duty it was to be constantly See also:

• PRESENT

present at every service, to sing or say the responses as the See also:

• LEADER, BENJAMIN WILLIAMS (1831– )

leader or representative of the laity . His duties were gradually enlarged to include the care of the church and precincts, assisting at baptisms, marriages, &c., and he thus became the precursor of the later See also:

• PARISH (Gr. irapouda, district, neighbourhood; 7r&poucos, one dwelling near or beside, from crap&, OtKOS, house; Lat. paroecur, Late Lat. parochia; cf. Fr. paroisse)

parish clerk . In a somewhat similar sense we find See also:

• BIBLE
• BIBLE, ENGLISH

bible clerk, singing clerk, &c . The use of the word " clerk " to denote a person ordained to the See also:

• MINISTRY

ministry is now mainly legal or 'formal . The word also See also:

• DEVELOPED

developed in a different sense . In See also:

• MEDIEVAL

medieval times the pursuit of letters and See also:

• GENERAL
• GENERAL (Lat. generalis, of or relating to a genus, kind or class)

general learning was confined to the clergy, and as they were practically the only persons who could read and write all notarial and secretarial See also:

• WORK

work was discharged by them, so that in See also:

• TIME (0. Eng. Lima, cf. Icel. timi, Swed. timme, hour, Dan. time; from the root also seen in " tide," properly the time of between the flow and ebb of the sea, cf. O. Eng. getidan, to happen, " even-tide," &c.; it is not directly related to Lat. tempus)
• TIME, MEASUREMENT OF
• TIME, STANDARD

time the word was used with See also:

• SPECIAL

special reference to secretaries, notaries, See also:

• ACCOUNTANTS

accountants or even See also:

• MERE
• MERE, ADALBERT (1838-1909)

mere penmen . This special meaning developed into what is now one of the See also:

• ORDINARY (med. Lat. ordinarius, Fr. ordinaire)

ordinary senses of the word . We find, accordingly, the term applied to those See also:

• OFFICERS

officers of courts, corporations, &c., whose duty consists in keeping records, See also:

• CORRESPONDENCE
• CORRESPONDENCE (from med. scholastic Lat. correspondentia, corrcspondere, compounded of Lat. cum, with, and respond ere, to answer; cf. Fr. correspondance)

correspondence, and generally managing business, as clerk of the See also:

• MARKET (Lat. mercatus, trade or place of trade)

market, clerk of the See also:

• PETTY, SIR WILLIAM (1623-1687)

petty bag, clerk of the See also:

• PEACE
• PEACE, BREACH OF THE

peace, See also:

• TOWN

town clerk, &c . Similarly, a clerk also means any one who in a subordinate position is engaged in See also:

• WRITING
• WRITING (the verbal noun of " to write," O. Eng. writan, to inscribe)

writing, making entries, ordinary correspondence, or similar " clerkly " work .

In the See also:

• UNITED

United States the word means also an assistant in a commercial 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, a See also:

• RETAIL

retail salesman .