PADDINGTON RURAL DEANERY

This series contains records of the Paddington Rural Deanery. It consists mainly of ruri-decanal chapter meeting minute books and ruri-decanal conference minute books, some of which are indexed. There are associated correspondence and papers relating to church defence and clergy sustentation, London Diocesan Fund and other issues.

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

deposited in the Archives Department, Marylebone Library, by the Louis de Soissons Partnership in 1971 and transferred to the Greater London Record Office, 18 April 1980 Acc. 1529

Note: 'These records were found amongst rubbish left in vacant buildings during the re-development of Ulster Place in 1971. The Rural Dean of Paddington confirmed at that time that he wished them to be deposited in this collection, but no reason for their chance survival in this way was found' information from the Archives Department, Marylebone Library.