Byrne's Dictionary of Irish Local History by Joseph Byrne Page B

model of four dignitaries existed in Ireland before the Anglo-Norman invasion in 1169. It was only in the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries that Norman and Irish bishops began to adopt the structure of English secular cathedrals. Chapters in the ecclesiastical provinces of Dublin and Cashel comprising a dean, precentor, chancellor, treasurer, prebendaries and canons were established by about 1225 and in every diocese in Ireland the archdeacon was a member. The dioceses of Meath and Connor remained without chapters throughout the medieval period, the functions of the chapter being exercised by the archdeacon and clergy. In the provinces of Tuam and Armagh the four dignitaries model was adopted but later simplified. In Tuam the typical chapter comprised a dean, provost (chancellor), archdeacon, treasurer (or sacrist) and at least six canons or prebendaries although in some dioceses the number of canons was indeterminate. An exception was Kilmacduagh which retained the English model and here, too, the chancellor was styled ‘provost’. An even simpler form existed in Armagh province where most chapters consisted of a dean, archdeacon and canons. Armagh also contained a number of chapters (Clogher, Derry and Raphoe) that were completely unendowed although there were sufficient benefices to support a chapter. Downpatrick was unique in possessing a Benedictine monastic chapter. Each cathedral had a parish or number of parishes attached to it, the revenue from which went to maintain the offices of the chapter. Some officials were required to act as parish priests in the parishes tied to their stalls/office but elsewhere the spiritual duties were performed by a vicar or curate. Cathedral duties such as keeping service were also required of some dignitaries. Chapter revenues accrued from the rents and renewal fines on leased cathedral lands and from the rectorial or great tithe of certain parishes. (Nicholls, ‘Medieval Irish’, pp. 102–111; Hand, ‘Medieval cathedral’, pp. 11–14.)
    chapter-house . The place of assembly of a cathedral chapter .
    charge . In heraldry, a device borne on an escutcheon .
    charnel-house . A building in a cemetery which received the bones of the disinterred when new graves were dug.
    charter . A royal writ conferring rights and privileges such as perpetual grants of lands, liberties or manors.
    charter schools . Charter schools originated in the Irish charity school movement of the early eighteenth century, a voluntary system which enrolled children of all denominations but provided instruction in the Protestant faith. A key figure in the movement was Dr Henry Maule who founded the Society in Dublin for Promoting Christian Knowledge in 1717. Charter schools were so called after George II’s 1734 charter which established the Incorporated Society for Promoting English Protestant Schools in Ireland. Hugh Boulter, archbishop of Armagh, was instrumental in securing the royal charter which enabled the society to solicit donations and bequests. Its activities were boosted in 1747 when the Irish parliament granted it the licensing duty on street hawkers. An annual parliamentary grant was voted from 1751 to 1831 which amounted to in excess of £1 million in the 80 years of its existence. Blatantly proselytising, the schools accepted only Catholic children between 1775 and 1803. The practice of removing Catholic children from their parents to a distant area so that conversion could more easily be achieved was particularly resented. By the 1820s only 34 charter schools were operating and the society was attracting increasingly hostile attacks from Catholic clergy. In educational terms its results were deemed far from satisfactory and many of the pupils were underfed, poorly-clothed and cruelly treated. The charter school system withered as the Dublin administration lost faith in its ability to provide adequately for the educational needs of the poorer classes. After