Cathedral Administration

Cathedral Statutes 13th century, 1583, 1636, 1937, 1966, 2000.

These are governing regulations concerning clergy duties and appointments, cathedral endowments, services, library and school

Chapter Act books 1512 – date

Minutes of chapter meetings recording appointments – bishop, dean, dignities, prebendaries, organists, choristers, vicars choral vergers, schoolmaster, sextons etc, and appointments to benefices within the chapter’s patronage, leases and decisions of chapter

Accounts of the administration, including fabric, claviger, library, canon’s bakehouse from the 13th century to date

College of Vicars Choral

The vicars choral were perpetual vicars required to be present and perform all the services in the choir. They lived a collegiate life in a cloistral range south of the cathedral which included accommodation, a chapel, library, hall and domestic offices. Chartered as a college in 1395, it was formally discontinued in 1937 and its property and assets added to those of the cathedral.

The college owned considerable property throughout the city and other parishes.

The records include act books similar to those of the chapter, accounts, rentals , leases and deeds from the 16th century to 1937.

There are also biographies of all vicars choral from 1660 to 1823 compiled by Revd William Cooke in the mid-19th century

Dean's Peculiar Jurisdiction

The following parishes were within the Dean’s jurisdiction: –

Allensmore
Blakemere with Preston on Wye
Clehonger
Dinedor
Dewsall
Eaton Bishop
Hampton Bishop
Hereford - St John, St Martin and All Saints, St Nicholas, St Owen, St Peter Holmer
Kingstone
Moreton Jeffries
Madley
Marden
Norton Canon
Canon Pyon
Putley
Pipe
Thruxton
Tibberton
Withington with Preston Wynne
Woolhope

The records comprise:

Cathedral Registers

Registers of baptisms,(1813–1916) marriages (1686–1754) and burials (1813 to date)

St John’s Parish

St John’s parish worshiped in a designated space within the cathedral building but was distinct from the cathedral clergy and services. The vicar of St John was usually appointed from among the Vicars Choral. Churchwardens and other parish officers were appointed at the annual vestry meeting. In 1919 the boundaries of the parish were reduced to the immediate area of the cathedral and from that date the Dean has been appointed vicar of St John

Registers of baptisms, and marriages (1604 – date) and burials (1604–1919),

Vestry & PCC minutes 1824–2000, Churchwardens’ accounts 1917–44

Poor rate books 1835–58, other parish papers 1680–1996

Charities

Charities administered by the Dean and Chapter include

St Ethelbert's Hospital, Hereford – deeds and leases from 1230 to date

Property mostly in Hereford or neighbouring parishes, Holmer, Marden, Sutton, Clehonger

St Katherine's Hospital , Ledbury – deeds and leases and administrative papers from 1240 to date

Property mostly in Ledbury and surrounds

Also Tomson’s, Cope’s, Howell’s and Croft’s charities

Hereford Cathedral School
References to the school are mainly in the Chapter Acts which include Headmaster’s reports from the 19th century. Some other records for the school survive from the 17th to the 20th centuries

Three Choirs Festival
Minutes of the Hereford standing committee 1935–80
Printed programmes 1867,1900, 1908 to date
Newspapers reports and other ephemera.

Maps
The archives include over 1000 maps including tithe maps and schedules for cathedral, vicars choral and charity properties - mainly late 18th to 20th century

Also printed county maps, 1604–1835

Deposited records
The cathedral archive will accept material of direct relevance to the cathedral eg personal papers of former canons, organists etc. Most of the deposits are samll but there are two significant deposits as follows:

Records of St Michael’s Tenbury 1852–1982
This was a choral college set up by Sir Frederick Ouseley, precentor of the cathedral (1855–89), to promote and revive sung services and the English choral tradition

Records of Hereford Choral Society 1836 to date