Legal Definitions - prebend

A prebend refers to a specific financial provision or the property that generates it, traditionally associated with a cathedral or collegiate church. It is essentially an income allocated to a member of the clergy, known as a prebendary, to support their role within the church's governing body, called the chapter. This income could originate from designated lands, endowments, or other assets.

• Example 1: Imagine a newly appointed canon at a historic English cathedral in the 18th century. Upon taking up his post, he is granted an annual sum of money, paid out from the cathedral's long-standing financial reserves, to cover his living expenses and support his duties within the chapter.

  Explanation: This annual sum of money, provided for the support of a specific clergyman in a cathedral role, is an example of a prebend.

• Example 2: A medieval document describes a particular farm estate, complete with its tenant farmers and their annual rents, as being permanently assigned to provide income for the Treasurer of York Minster. The income from this estate ensures the Treasurer's financial stability while performing his ecclesiastical duties.

  Explanation: In this scenario, the farm estate itself, along with the income it generates, is considered the prebend, as it is the property designated to support a member of the cathedral chapter.

• Example 3: During a period of significant church reform in the 19th century, a parliamentary commission reviewed the financial structures of various cathedrals. They identified several "prebends" that were no longer serving their original purpose effectively, such as a small village rectory whose income was historically tied to a specific, now largely ceremonial, position within a cathedral chapter.

  Explanation: Here, "prebends" refers to both the specific income streams and the underlying properties (like the rectory and its associated revenues) that were historically designated to support individual clergy members within the cathedral system, which were then subject to re-evaluation and potential redistribution.