Editing Parish (section)

===Church of England===
{{Main|Parish (Church of England)|Church of England#Structure|Church of England parish church}}
{{See also|Advowson}}
[[File:Hasfield Parish Church.jpg|thumb|St Mary's parish church in [[Hasfield]], [[Gloucestershire]]]]
The [[Church of England]]'s geographical structure uses the local parish church as its basic unit. The parish system survived the [[Protestant Reformation|Reformation]] with the Anglican Church's [[Church of England#Secession from Rome|secession from Rome]] remaining largely untouched; thus, it shares its roots with the [[Catholic Church]]'s system described above. Parishes may extend into different counties or hundreds and historically many parishes comprised extra outlying portions in addition to its principal district, usually being described as 'detached' and intermixed with the lands of other parishes. Church of England parishes nowadays all lie within one of [[List of Church of England dioceses|42 dioceses]] divided between the provinces of [[Province of Canterbury|Canterbury]], 30 and [[Province of York|York]], 12.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Dioceses|publisher=Church of England|url=https://www.churchofengland.org/about-us/dioceses.aspx|access-date=8 September 2021}}</ref>

Each parish normally has its own parish priest (either a [[vicar]] or [[Rector (ecclesiastical)|rector]], owing to the vagaries of the feudal [[tithe]] system: rectories usually having had greater income) and perhaps supported by one or more [[curate]]s or [[deacon]]s—although as a result of ecclesiastical [[Benefice#Pluralism in England|pluralism]] some parish priests might have held more than one parish [[advowson|living]], placing a curate in charge of those where they did not reside. Now, however, it is common for a number of neighbouring parishes to be placed under one [[benefice]] in the charge of a priest who conducts services by rotation, with additional services being provided by [[lay reader]]s or other non-ordained members of the church community.

A [[chapelry]] was a subdivision of an [[ecclesiastical parish]] in [[England]], and parts of [[Lowland Scotland]] up to the mid 19th century.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Vision of Britain {{!}} Administrative Units Typology {{!}} Status definition: Chapelry |url=https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/types/status_page.jsp?unit_status=Ch |access-date=2024-02-16 |website=www.visionofbritain.org.uk}}</ref> It had a similar status to a [[Township (England)|township]] but was so named as it had a [[Chapel of ease|chapel]] which acted as a subsidiary place of worship to the main parish church.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/types/status_page.jsp?unit_status=Tn |title=Status details for Township |work=Vision of Britain through time |access-date=24 February 2008}}</ref>

In England [[Civil parishes in England#History|civil parishes]] and their governing [[Parish councils in England|parish councils]] evolved in the 19th century as ecclesiastical parishes began to be relieved of what became considered to be civic responsibilities. Thus their boundaries began to diverge. The word "parish" acquired a secular usage. Since 1895, a parish council elected by public vote or a (civil) parish meeting administers a civil parish and is formally recognised as the level of local government below a [[Districts of England|district council]].

The traditional structure of the Church of England with the parish as the basic unit has been exported to other countries and churches throughout the [[Anglican Communion]] and [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] but does not necessarily continue to be administered in the same way.