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:
was~originally
c.reated
a deputy for archbishops
when their ' work took them far
afield. It fell into abeyance at the
Reformation and was revived dur–
ing the middle of the last century.
Technically, the administration of
a cathedral is not in the hands of
the Dean alone but in the 'council, .
subordinate to the Archbishop,
con.sisting of the Dean and Chapter,
the latter consisting in this case
of five canons. And the activities of'
Dean and Chapter are very strictly
limited by
t:l).e
Statutes, At their
weekly meetings, usually held on a
Friday, they discuss services, the
e.state and other business connected
with the Cathedral.
, Their privileges and rights .have
grownup'with tradition in a typically
English way.and are -very jeruously
guarded, Thus the canOIis have the
" privilege of taKing and preaching at
the
mo~g '
services, and , they .
appoint one of Pl€ir number every
month as
Vice-D~an
in rotation to
take these services, They are, says
Dr, Hewlett Jolmsdn" , 'l).is only
" vices." The De'an, on the other
hand,has the right to preachat1l,lotn–
ing serviee on.the occasion of any of
the great festivals, as well as at 'the .
"poputar" Sunday eVeDfug
~ervices,
which are an innovation dating
from
1881.
' It,is also customary for
the Archbishop of Canterbury to
ask permission from the Dean
when he wishes to preach at the .
Cathedral.
In addition to the canons the
Dean is assisted by a Precentor
who is responsible, for the) music,
vestmellts and.
gen.e~a1
ceremonial.
It
is his duty
to ~
see that the
furt:ti–
,11jl'e and' fabriC
i~
in \
g~odordd:
'and -that ,robes, altar frontals and
linen generally are kept-clean: He
also "drills" the choir for the,pro–
cessions and sup.enr,ises,the vergers,
who are five
in
.nuinber including ;'
the pead verger.
'
The' vergers are reinforced on
important occasions when ·theY are
also assisted ' by twelve beadsmen,
who are an ancient group ofpension:–
ers of the
Catliedra1~
Lastly, there
i~
the night-watchman, 'Yho sees that -
the great gates ar.e loeked at 9 p.lh.
and perambulates the precincts
-calling the hour.
~or
must we
forget the honorary ca.tlons, each of
whom has to deliver one sermon a
year.
The Cathedral services consist
of a daily celebration 'of the Holy
Communion at
8
a.m.
Every
week-day there is Morning Prayer
in the Choir at
9.30
a.m., whjle
Evensong is- held at 3 p.m. On
.Sundays, Morning Prayer is at
IO.30,
except on the last/ Sunday
of the month, when there is a
Choral Eucharist at
10.30.
with
Eyensong at
3
p.m. and
6.30
Q.m.
In addition to these normal services
and the services on Saints' Days
and the great festivals the Cathedral
is the scene of many other services
and ceremonies. Special services
are held for the Buf(s (East Kent
Regiment), for scouts, girl guides,
Freemasons, Mothers' Unions, and
so on. Next year an avalanche of
bishops will descend on Canterbury
when all the Bishops ofthe Anglican
Communion meet for their decen-
. nial congress. More curious is the
, French Presbyterian service held
every Sunday afternoon
in
the
Crypt. This commemorates the
Huguenot andWalloonrefugees who
46
came to Canterbury during the
Twice a bay in CanterburJl Ciithedral,
In the pldce where St. Augustine dedicated one of the first churches in Britain, choir-boys now hold their evening
\ work-a-day purple cassocks with white ruffs.. For tne serv.ice ilisetJ they