Yes indeed and one would have to study each parish to see how it was created, a couple of parishes could be joined together to make one, if populations was low. Others created out of sections of 2 parishes to create a new parish. As I said before, some parishes swapped townlands. Some people lived at one end of parish while church could be at the other end and often the nearest church for some people could be a few fields away but in another parish.... As I said before, some of mine lived opposite 'their' church but travelled past other churches to go to the one in Monaghan town, in the 1820's, with six kids! So the church anyone attended COULD be anywhere in the area, sometimes even in neighbouring county as some of mine did! Some churches were closed due to lack of population/income for Rector, then reopened years later if population/income was feasible so one might get 10 or 12 years with no records then they restart if church reopened! Meantime people would have attended another parish so some records for a family would be in one church, then another, then restart in original parish when it reopened Where did one's kin go to church? They went to church where they went to church!! /Subject:/ Re: [S-I] Church of Ireland Structure /Date:/ Fri, 25 Nov 2011 08:45:31 -0000 /References:/ <mailman.546.1322093421.22836.scotch-irish@rootsweb.com><4ECD9B79.8040509@utvinternet.com><BLU0-SMTP249CE49D50DC08821CD0E74AECE0@phx.gbl> /In-Reply-To:/ <BLU0-SMTP249CE49D50DC08821CD0E74AECE0@phx.gbl> This is a generalisation about how the Church generally worked. For the local information you want you need to enquire with local history sources. The Church of Ireland tried to have a church building in every parish. There may have been areas where they failed. Historically there are reports about the rectory /vicarage being in a ruinous state. There was only one parish church per parish. However there might be also chapels of ease which were churches which were additional to the parish church to meet some local demand, for example you could have a chapel of ease on an estate. The Church of Ireland was financed by means of a church tax on everyone no matter what they believed or where they worshipped, and the main clergyman was appointed by the patron. Here the name was important. The Vicar was appointed by someone else, the patron, the Rector was appointed directly by the Church authorities (This is a very general description). After disestablishment 1869 all parish Clergy were Rectors. Edward