28 NOVEMBER 1947, Page 5

Others besides myself no doubt were interested to note the

instruction to " all Parsons, Vicars and Curates within this Realm " to include the name of the Duke of Edinburgh in the prayer for the Royal Family. What, specifically, is a parson ? The word, of course, goes back to Chaucer and far beyond. Strictly speaking, parson is equivalent to rector—" a holder of a parochial benefice in full possession of its rights and dues." But, as the O.E.D. hastens to add, the word has been extended successively in popular use to include a vicar, a chaplain, a curate and even a nonconformist