Boy Bishop
Preserved but no longer current.
St. Nicholas of Bari was called "the Boy Bishop" because from his cradle he manifested marvellous indications of piety; the custom of choosing a boy from the cathedral choir, etc., on his day (December 6th), as a mock bishop, is very ancient. The boy possessed episcopal honour for three weeks, and the rest of the choir were his prebendaries. If he died during his time of office he was buried in pontificalibus.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Boy Bishop” mean?
St. Nicholas of Bari was called "the Boy Bishop" because from his cradle he manifested marvellous indications of piety; the custom of choosing a boy from the cathedral choir, etc., on his day (December 6th), as a mock bishop, is very ancient. The boy possessed episcopal honour for three weeks, and the rest of the choir were his prebendaries. If he died during his time of office he was buried in pontificalibus.
Is “Boy Bishop” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.