Manse,

Manse, in Scotch law, is the designation of a dwelling-house of the minister of the Established Church, and in popular use the term is often applied generally to the dwelling-house of any minister of a dissenting congregation, though no legal right exists in the latter case. In the Established Church every first minister of a rural parish is entitled to a manse, which the heritors or landed proprietors in the parish are bound to build and uphold; and he is also entitled, as part of the manse or dwelling-house, to a stable, barn, and byre. The manse must, by statute, be near to the church. When a manse has been built or repaired by the heritors it becomes a free manse, and all ordinary repairs have to be done at the charges of the minister. Decree to the effect that a manse is 'free' may be given by the sheriff; and such decree stands good for fifteen years, or until the appointment of a new minister. It has been judicially decided that a minister has a right to let his manse at a rent for two months in summer.