DEAN. The institution of deaneries, as of other ecclesiastical offices of dignity, bears a resemblance to the methods of ancient civil government. Thus, for the preserva tion of civil order, every hundred consisted of ten districts, called tithings, and in every tithing was a constable or civil dean. In conformity to this, the spiritual governors, the bishops, divided each diocese into deaneries or decennaries (Lat. decem, ten), correspond ing to tithings, each of which was the district of ten parishes or churches, over every one of which a D. was appointed, who in the cities or large towns was called the D. of the city or town, and in the country, rural dean. It has been supposed, but on no certain authority, that the D. of a chapter was appointed to superintend ten canons; but it is more probable that the name was given to the office from its analogy to those above described. In the English church, there are the following dignitaries who bear this name: 1. In the province of Canterbury, it is part of the dignity of the archbishop to have prelates to be his officers, and of these the bishop of London is his provincial D.; and when a convocation is assembled, the archbishop sends to him his mandate for summoning the bishops of the province. This is the sole example of the kind.
2. Honorary deans, as the D. of the chapel royal of St. James's.
3. Deans of peculiars, as of Battle in Sussex, founded by William the conqueror in memory of his conquest. There are also the deans of the Arches in London, of Hocking in Essex, and of Croydon in Surrey, who have jurisdiction, but no curd of souls.
4. Deans of chapters, as at Canterbury, St. Paul's, etc., who are governors over the canons in cathedrals and collegiate churches. Their appointment is in the direct patronage of the crown, which may appoint by letters-patent; and the D. so appointed is entitled to be installed. The D. of a chapter must reside eight months in the year, and he may hold one benefice with his deanery. The income of the office is, in the case of Durham, £3,000; of St. Paul's, Westminster, York, and Manchester, £2,000; of other cathedrals, £1000, except St. Davids and Llandaff, which have £700. See CATHEDRAL.
5. Rural cleans. These are very:woken: officers of the,church, but custom gradually transferred their duties to the archdeacon, as in the visitation of churches, parsonage houses, etc. They may, however, act as deputies to the bishop and archdeacon ; and of late the office has been revived with great advantage; and in well-ordered dioceses affords a useful channel of communication between the bishop and his clergy, and a means of joint action in matters affecting the church. There are altogether nearly 600 rural deaneries in England and Wales.
In the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, the D. is the officer who superintends the discipline of the college and the chapel services. At Christ church, which is a cathedral, the D. is master of the college.