 |
 |
medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture I can tell you that among us Orthodox it is customary for a priest to receive a "stole fee" anytime he dons his priestly stole (epitrachilion): baptism, funeral, wedding, house blessing, etc. In the past, this practice was even more extensive, including confession, visitation of the sick, unction/last rites as well. Also, surplice "fee" might be a bit strong. Although baptism was free it might have been customary to nevertheless give the priest a small gift. #1 New Release in Gay & Lesbian Studies www.whenbrothersdwellinunity.com www.stephenmorrisauthor.com > On Jul 15, 2016, at 3:35 PM, Ms B M Cook <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > > medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture > > Dear All, > > This is a bit off topic, but its roots will be in the MA. > > I came across the phrase "surplice fees" in an 18th C source (Parson Woodforde's Diary) and asked a priest friend if I was right to think that these were fees paid for the occasional office: baptisms, churchings, weddings, burials. Their reply was that it must refer to weddings & burials only since baptisms (and possibly churchings) were free - but then added that this may have only been true since the coming of state registration of birth since 1832. Before then baptism acted as a birth registration. > > Can anyone throw light on this ? Were baptisms performed for free in (any part of ) the Middle Ages ? Post Reformation ? Wikipedia lists "baptisms, weddings and burials" as generating surplice fees but we all know how accurate THAT is. And it does not mention churchings. > > In anticipation, > > Brenda > > > Brenda M. Cook > Independent Scholar > ********************************************************************** > To join the list, send the message: subscribe 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: unsubscribe 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/medieval-religion ********************************************************************** To join the list, send the message: subscribe 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: unsubscribe 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/medieval-religion