Clergy Precedence, Austen’s View of the Clergy, and Paying Tithes
How did clergymen rank in the Regency era? Does Mr. Collins represent Austen’s true views on the clergy? How were tithes paid? Find out the answers to these questions and more, in this episode of My Cousin Jane.
Show Notes
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Transcript
Welcome back to another episode of My Cousin Jane. Each week, we look at what you might think of as the behind the scenes featurettes or deleted scenes of a particular chapter in Austen’s books.
This week, we’re going to talk about Pride & Prejudice Chapter 18.
Chapter Summary
Chapter 18 finds us at the Netherfield ball. Elizabeth’s hopes of dancing with Mr. Wickham are dashed when she finds from his friend Denny that he was “called away”, but he also implies that he likely wouldn’t have been called away had Darcy not been in attendance.
This of course contradicts his claims two chapters ago of not being frightened away by Darcy, but Elizabeth doesn’t seem to notice. Ironically, she ends up dancing with Mr. Darcy instead, an event which neither of them come away wholly satisfied with.
During this dance, Darcy first learns of the expectation by the Bennets and the community at large. Meanwhile Elizabeth feels that her family is spending the evening doing their best to embarrass themselves in front of Darcy and the Bingley’s.
Clergy Introductions
We’ve talked before about how being a clergyman can elevate someone to the same social status of a gentleman, but how far does that elevation go? When Elizabeth warns Mr. Collins against introducing himself to Mr. Darcy’s at the ball, he explains to her that this elevation knows no bounds:
“My dear Miss Elizabeth, I have the highest opinion in the world of your excellent judgment in all matters within the scope of your understanding, but permit me to say that there must be a wide difference between the established forms of ceremony amongst the laity, and those which regulate the clergy; for give me leave to observe that I consider the clerical office as equal in point of dignity with the highest rank in the kingdom—provided that a proper humility of behaviour is at the same time maintained. You must therefore allow me to follow the dictates of my conscience on this occasion, which leads me to perform what I look on as a point of duty.
Pride & Prejudice – Chapter 18
Unfortunately, things don’t really go his way. While some clerical offices do have an official precedence, this is generally limited to the rank of Bishop and higher, and even then there is a hierarchy. For example, according to Debretts, the Bishop of London takes precedence over a Baron, but is outranked by a Viscount. Meanwhile the Archbishop of Canterbury outranks everyone except the sovereign and most of their family.
Neither Mr. Collins nor Mr. Darcy had titles that implied precedence, but as Daniel Pool, the author of “What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew”, says: “official rank and actual social clout of any particular individual might be two different things.”
This is still true today, for while the Lord Chamberlain is an ancient and noble office which takes precedence over all the Dukes of the British Isles, he doesn’t have anywhere near the social clout of someone like Sir Elton John.
Clergy Portrayals
Speaking of Mr. Collins, Austen’s portrayal of the clergy is interesting. From previous episodes, you’ll remember that her father, The Reverend George Austen, was a clergyman, and someone for whom Jane had great respect. Her father in turn always encouraged Jane’s writing.
Some writers have said that Jane’s satiric portrayal of the clergy is a hallmark of her writing, citing Mr. Collins as the prime example. But I think between her father, uncles, and those of her brothers who became clergymen, Jane had a great respect for the clergy.
I think the character Edmund Bertram from Mansfield Park, is the best example of her views on the clergy, that while they had great capacity for goodness and noble influence, they were also human and therefore subject to the same follies as regular men. And that’s how Austen usually portrayed clergymen like Edmund Bertram, Edward Ferrars, Mr. Elton, Charles Hayter, and even Henry Tilney.
Clergy Duties
To finish out this chapter, which despite taking place at a ball, contains a great deal of information about the clergy, we have an interesting enumeration of the duties of a clergyman, as understood by Mr. Collins:
“The rector of a parish has much to do.—In the first place, he must make such an agreement for tythes as may be beneficial to himself and not offensive to his patron. He must write his own sermons; and the time that remains will not be too much for his parish duties, and the care and improvement of his dwelling, which he cannot be excused from making as comfortable as possible. And I do not think it of light importance that he should have attentive and conciliatory manners towards every body, especially towards those to whom he owes his preferment. I cannot acquit him of that duty; nor could I think well of the man who should omit an occasion of testifying his respect towards any body connected with the family.” And with a bow to Mr. Darcy, he concluded his speech, which had been spoken so loud as to be heard by half the room.
Pride & Prejudice – Chapter 18
The “agreement for tythes” that Mr. Collins mentions here is a reference to the fact that most of the income from a living came from then ten percent of the area’s farm production the living was entitled to. This was paid “in-kind” (meaning the clergy received payment in produce) until the Tithe Act of 1836, which replaced this system with monetary payments.
However this wasn’t the first attempt at converting tithing from agricultural payment to currency. A few years earlier, in 1823, parliament passed the Tithe Composition Act, which required Irish farmers to pay monetary payments to the Anglican Church in Ireland instead of in-kind payments of farm produce.
Seeing how the majority of Ireland were Roman Catholics at the time and already hated being forced to support the Anglican church through tithes, this did not go over well, leading to the “tithe war”, a series of sometimes violent uprisings and persecutions between Irish Catholics and their Anglican neighbors until a series of changes were made to the tithing laws.
Conclusion
That wraps up this episode of My Cousin Jane.
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Either way, thanks so much for listening
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