Parish (Lat. parochia; Gr. paroikia, 'neighbourhood') is a term used to denote the district assigned to a bishop or priest. In early times the bishop arranged all the church work of his diocese, and the minor churches were served by clergy sent from the bishop's church. Where the church was established and endowed parishes were assigned to resident priests, and tithes were, by special gift or by general rules of law, made payable to the parson of the parish. In England provisions relating to this matter were included among the laws of Edgar about 970. Parishes were formed on the basis of previously existing manors and townships; the lord of the manor often held the Advowson (q.v.) or patronage of the parish church; and the inhabitants held their meetings in the vestry of the church; the parson presided, and he was usually permitted to nominate one of the Churchwardens (q.v.). The parish was originally the unit of administration for poor-law and highway purposes, but modern legislation has transferred many of the functions of parish authorities to Boards of Guardians (see POOR-LAWS) Highway Boards (see ROADS), and County Councils (q.v.). There are about 15,000 civil parishes in England and 900 in Scotland; they vary very widely both in extent and in population. Thus, Queensferry has an area of only 11 acres, Kilmallie (pop. 4157) in Lochaber of 444 sq. m. (nearly as large as Bedfordshire); whilst Whalley in Lancashire (180 sq. m.) has more than 250,000 inhabitants, and Skiddaw (nearly 5 sq. m.) in Cumberland only 10. The boundaries of an ancient parish are fixed by custom, the memory whereof was formerly, and in some cases is still, kept alive by an annual or periodical perambulation (see BOUNDS, BEATING THE). Ancient parishes have been divided and altered in many cases in the exercise of statutory powers; the Local Government Board possesses large powers of alteration. For ecclesiastical purposes populous parishes may be divided and new vicarages constituted by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners; by the exercise of these powers the number of ecclesiastical parishes has been raised to about 13,000. The parson or incumbent is a corporation sole; he has a freehold in his office, and in the church and churchyard (see TITHE). The church is only used for the services of the Church of England; the Churchyard (q.v.) may be used by Nonconformists. The powers of Churchwardens and Vestry have been greatly limited by the Local Government Act of 1894, which established district councils, parish meetings, and parish councils. The district councils are mainly the old rural and urban sanitary authorities under a new name, and have charge of highways, &c. The parish meeting in every rural parish includes all persons registered as parochial electors (all registered as parliamentary or local government electors), and retains, even where there is a parish council, the power of adopting the Adoptive Acts (Lighting and Watching Act, Baths and Washhouses Acts, Burial Acts, Public Improvements Act, Public Libraries Act), and of controlling the expenditure of the parish. When there is no parish council, the parish meeting (which must take place at least once a year) appoints the overseers, and may have some of the powers of the parish council conferred on it by the county council. Every rural parish with a population of 300 in 1891 (though some parishes are grouped, and some smaller parishes have had a council given them by the county council) has now a parish council of a chairman and from five to fifteen councillors, elected annually at a parish meeting by show of hands, or by ballot, if demanded. The council, which is a corporate body whose expenses are defrayed out of the poor-rate, appoints overseers and assistant-overseers, has the secular power once exercised by the overseer (rating, nominating constables, &c.), the former powers of the churchwardens save in church affairs and charities, the carrying out of the Adoptive Acts by the provision of public offices and recreation grounds, the duty of looking after wells, streams, footpaths, rights of way, and minor nuisances, the power of acquiring and holding land for allotments and other local purposes, and the appointment of trustees for parochial charities. Both married and single women are eligible as parish councillors, guardians, rural or urban district councillors (not for borough or county councils). As parochial electors women may attend parish meetings and vote. Husband and wife cannot be qualified in respect of the same property.
The Vestry of a parish is either a common vestry—a meeting of all the ratepaying inhabitants, presided over by the incumbent—or a select vestry, elected under Hobhouse's Act (1831). In urban parishes it is unaffected by the Local Government Act of 1894; in rural parishes it now exists for ecclesiastical purposes only. The administration of the Poor-laws (q.v.) in England is unaffected by that act, save that now rural district councillors act as guardians. The care of the poor is almost entirely in the hands of the guardians; the overseers assist the guardians. The assistant-overseers, when not appointed by the guardians, are officers of the parish council. A woman may be an overseer. See CHURCH-RATES, CHURCHWARDENS, CHURCH-YARD, POOR-LAWS, VESTRY.
In Scotland the ecclesiastical parishes are of very ancient date. The Court of Session, acting as the Commission of Teinds, has power to unite and divide parishes, and to erect a disjoined part into a parish quoad sacra—i.e. for ecclesiastical purposes only. The poor-law was formerly administered by the kirk-session in county parishes and by magistrates in burghal parishes; but an act of 1845 introduced a system of parochial boards, which since the Local Government of 1894 have been superseded by the parish councils. The church fabric is supported by the heritors; there are no churchwardens in Scotland; nor is there any meeting corresponding to the vestry. In the matter of parish schools Scotland was formerly far in advance of England; the policy of the Education Acts is now the same in both countries.
In the United States the term parish is not uncommonly used to denote the district assigned to a church or minister, but there are no civil parishes, except in the state of Louisiana.
See Wright and Hobhouse, Local Government; and, for the ecclesiastical part of the subject, Lord Selborne on Churches and Tithes.