church of ease

English

Noun

church of ease (plural churches of ease)

1. Synonym of chapel of ease
   • 1756, The Ecclesiastical History Of England To The Eighteenth Century, page 141:

     Very probable it is, on the other hand, that if the distinction of parishes was began before this time, it had hitherto made but a little progress; and that those few churches which had been erected in towns and villages, were chapels or churches of ease to the mother churches of the diocese rather than proper parish churches: it is probable that they had not fixed and settled pastors in them, but were generally supplied from those collegiate societies which at this time passed under the general name of monasteries; and that these foundations so exhausted the charity of the age as to stop the progress of parochial institutions, and thereby obstruct the propagation and interest of religion.

   • 1837, Penny Cyclopaedia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge:

     It contains 17 towns, 4 market towns, 465 villages, 156 Roman Catholic churches and 119 churches of ease, 40 Protestant and 5 churches of ease, 3 free churches, 211 Roman Catholic chapels, and 34 synagogues.

   • 2018, Henry Fishwick, A History of Lancashire:

     Another report of about the same date, made by several of the Lancashire clergy, confirms this account; they state that Popish fasts and festivals were everywhere observed, and that "crosses in the streets and waies, devoutly garnished, were pletiful, and that wakes, ale, greenes, May games, rushbearings, bearbaits, doveales, etc.," were all exercised on the Sabbath, and that the number of those who came to church many do more harm than good by their "crossinge and knockinges of theire breste and sometimes with beads closely handled" (i.e. partly concealed) and that at marriages they brought "the parties to and from churche with piping, and spend the whole Sabbothe in daunsinge,” and that the churches generally were in a ruinous condition, being “unrepaired and unfurnished,” whilst the “churches of ease (which were three times as many as the parish churches)" were many of them without curates, and in consequence were growing into "utter ruin and desolation."