Rural Deans

Rural Deans, very ancient officers of the Church (almost grown out of use, until, about the middle of the last century, they were generally revived), whose deaneries are an ecclesiastical division of the diocese or archdeaconry. They are deputies of the bishop, planted all round his diocese, to inspect the conduct of the parochial clergy, to inquire into and report dilapidations, and to examine candidates for confirmation, armed in minuter matters with an inferior degree of judicial and coercive authority