BETHNAL GREEN RURAL DEANERY

This series contains records of the Bethnal Green Rural Deanery. It consists mainly of ruri-decanal chapter minute books, conference minute books and sub-committee minute books including Finance sub-committee and Evangelistic sub-committee. Associated papers relate to societies and groups associated with the deanery and also include circulars and notices regarding the appointment of curates and scrapbooks of notes and notices relating to ruri-decanal conferences on issues such as outdoor relief.

A rural deanery is a collection of parishes administered by the rural dean, who is the leader of the local clergy in a deanery and joint chairman of the deanery synod with an elected lay chairman. His main role is to act as a means of communication between the bishop and the clergy. Typically between 16 and 24 parishes make up a deanery. A group of deaneries forms an Archdeanery.

Ruri-decanal pertains to the rural dean and his jurisdiction.

A Chapter is a meeting of the clergy of an area of a diocese under the chairmanship of their rural dean

This series is divided into the following subseries

Ruri-decanal chapter

Ruri-decanal conference

Evanelistic sub-committee

Rural Dean

<p>Records of the Rural Deanery of Stepney 1954-1966 and of the Rural Deanery of Poplar 1902-1966 have been deposited in Tower Hamlets Local History Library.</p>

deposited by the Area Dean of Tower Hamlets, 18 April 1983 Acc. 1843

Note: The Rural Deanery of Bethnal Green was formed in 1902 on the dissolution of the Rural Deanery of Spitalfields. In 1966 it was amalgamated with the Rural Deaneries of Stepney and Poplar to form the Deanery of Tower Hamlets. Records of the Rural Deanery of Stepney for 1872-1954 have been deposited here, ref. P93/DUN/283-290.