lay clerk

American  

noun

1. lay vicar.

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Etymology

Origin of lay clerk

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 • Jul. 4, 2025

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 • Mar. 16, 2020

John Playford, in 1683, published his 'Introduction to the Skill of Music,' which gives an account of the viols, and Thomas Mace, of Cambridge, lay clerk of Trinity, in his 'Musick's Monument,' pub.

From Shakespeare and Music With Illustrations from the Music of the 16th and 17th centuries by Naylor, Edward W. (Edward Woodall)

He was the lay precentor or lay clerk, and he was also a good choirmaster.

From Charles Dickens and Music by Lightwood, James T.

The stipend of a lay clerk was too small to attract any other than a local candidate, and no suitable man was to be found.

From The Boy's Voice A Book of Practical Information on The Training of Boys' Voices For Church Choirs, &c. by Curwen, John Spencer