lay clerk

noun

1. lay vicar.

Word History and Origins

Origin of lay clerk¹

First recorded in 1805–15

Example Sentences

Esme Byrd was a lay clerk at Bangor Cathedral for six months and regularly sang with the choir until leaving in January 2023.

From BBC

Alexis Hutchinson, 25, from Worcestershire, is a lay clerk - a professional choral singer.

From BBC

In 1756 a book on the subject was published at Worcester by Richard Lovett, a lay clerk at the cathedral, in which he records the treatment of a number of diseases with electricity.

From Nature

He had the bearing of a lay clerk of some precinct, a verger or sacristan; and after a fashion the dress of one also, for he was in dusty black and wore no sword, though he was girded with a belt.

From Project Gutenberg

The first lay clerk, a man qualified to talk with his enemies in the gate, gave monthly dances; the leading tenor assisted at scientific demonstrations.

From Project Gutenberg