curate in charge

Preserved but no longer current.

Meaning · English

A curate placed by a bishop in charge of a parish where there is no incumbent, or where the incumbent is sus- pended.

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 “curate in charge” mean?

A curate placed by a bishop in charge of a parish where there is no incumbent, or where the incumbent is sus- pended.

Is “curate in charge” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.