Ecclesiastical authorities

In England, the clergy, under the sovereign, as temporal head of the Church, set apart from the rest of the people or laity, in order to superintend the public worship of God and the other ceremonies of religion, and to administer spiritual counsel and instruction. The several orders of the clergy are: (1) Archbishops and bishops; (2) deans and chapters; (3) archdeacons ; (4) rural deans; (5) parsons (under whom are included appro-priators) and vicars; (6) curates. Churchwardens or sidesmen, and parish clerks and sextons, inasmuch as their duties are connected with the church, may be considered to be a species of ecolesiastical authorities.

Wharton.