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medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture I am not convinced that I accept the basic premise. Whilst it is obvious that the wand is a symbol of authority, and that whilst that authority might be exercised by the bearer of the wand it derives from the authority of some other person, I am not convinced that the wand itself actually belongs to the dean. I have the uneasy feeling that there is here some elaborate joke at my expense - and can only hope that it will not necessitate recourse to: J.N. Adams, The Latin Sexual vocabulary (London: Duckworth, 1982) :-) Respondeo: No joke, I assure you, either elaborate or simple. I myself have been corrected by a Dean for refering to a 'verger's wand'. A verger is not an office-holder, in the sense that a Dean or Precentor is an office-holder. His sole function is to carry the Dean's verge. If you won't take my word for it, I refer you to the Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church: verger. Strictly the official who carries a mace or 'verge' (Latin virga) before a dignitary . . . In the Sarum Rite the verger headed the procession [as you rightly say]. The Dean of Ryedale. --------------------------------- ALL-NEW Yahoo! Messenger - all new features - even more fun! ********************************************************************** To join the list, send the message: join medieval-religion YOUR NAME to: [log in to unmask] To send a message to the list, address it to: [log in to unmask] To leave the list, send the message: leave medieval-religion to: [log in to unmask] In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to: [log in to unmask] For further information, visit our web site: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/medieval-religion.html