Lay Readers

This sub sub sub fonds has 3 items as follows:

• Register of Postulants, c1898-c1908
• Register of Lectors, c1900-1908
• Register of Lay Readers, c1891-c1908

A postulant is a candidate who is offering themselves for ordination and undertaking the first stage of their training to be admitted to the clergy. This first stage is usually a period of time designed to determine suitability for admission.

A Lector is a role usually associated with the early church and was a person who read extracts from the scripture at Eucharist. In the nineteenth century it appears that the role of Lector was used for training individuals later to become lay readers.

The position of lay reader is a relatively modern one, having been revived in 1866 and evolving from the role of Lector in the early church. The role of reader is licensed by the bishop. Readers were originally appointed to take services in churches or chapels which would otherwise have had none, owing to their very small endowments. Injunctions to which readers had to subscribe were drawn up at the reformation: readers had only to read and not to preach or interpret and could not administer the sacraments. However, later nominations to positions as reader show that the office of reader came to be less strictly defined. Today, the role of lay reader enables a person under the direction of the minister to lead worship, teach, distribute the holy sacrament, read the gospel, perform burial services & read marriage banns.

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