Verger/virger

[Guy Barry]

Browsing through the job ads just now I noticed a position I don't often see
advertised - Virger at Wells Cathedral. The name of the post is normally
spelt "verger", but a quick Google search came up with this article from the
Virger at Beverley Minster in the East Riding of Yorkshire:

http://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/Mister-Minster-Spare-rod-mis-spell-job-title/story-11969620-detail/story.html

It mentions that the post is also spelt that way at St Paul's Cathedral,
Winchester and Windsor, though it doesn't mention Wells. Apparently the
word comes from the ceremonial rod called a "virge" (from the Latin "virga")
that they carry.

So why did the spelling change to "verger", and why did those particular
institutions resist the change? Are there others that keep the old
spelling?

--
Guy Barry

[quia...@yahoo.com]

A 1913 dictionary (at onelook.com) defines 'virge' as "a wand (see
verge)". AHD doesn't show 'virge', but does show 'verge', with one
meaning as "6. A rod, wand, or staff carried as an emblem of authority
or office." Also, French has 'verge', as "penis, rod, stick", but no
"virge" that I could find.

So maybe "verger" is better justified than "virger".
--
John

[Joe Fineman]

quia...@yahoo.com writes:

> A 1913 dictionary (at onelook.com) defines 'virge' as "a wand (see
> verge)". AHD doesn't show 'virge', but does show 'verge', with one
> meaning as "6. A rod, wand, or staff carried as an emblem of authority
> or office." Also, French has 'verge', as "penis, rod, stick", but no
> "virge" that I could find.

Ring the bell, verger, ring the bell, ring.
Perhaps the congregation will condescend to sing.
Perhaps the village organist, sitting on his stool,
Will play upon the organ instead of on his tool.
--
--- Joe Fineman jo...@verizon.net

||: You have to be smart enough to understand the game and dumb :||
||: enough to think it's important. :||

[Guy Barry]

"Joe Fineman" wrote in message news:84k3a3u...@verizon.net...

>
>quia...@yahoo.com writes:
>
>> A 1913 dictionary (at onelook.com) defines 'virge' as "a wand (see
>> verge)". AHD doesn't show 'virge', but does show 'verge', with one
>> meaning as "6. A rod, wand, or staff carried as an emblem of authority
>> or office." Also, French has 'verge', as "penis, rod, stick", but no
>> "virge" that I could find.
>
>Ring the bell, verger, ring the bell, ring.
>Perhaps the congregation will condescend to sing.
>Perhaps the village organist, sitting on his stool,
>Will play upon the organ instead of on his tool.

Here's another oddity: the magazine of the Church of England Guild of
Vergers (so spelt) is called "The Virger" (so spelt):

http://cofegv.org.uk/magazine/

--
Guy Barry

[Derek Turner]

On Sat, 03 May 2014 08:22:47 +0100, Guy Barry wrote:

> Here's another oddity: the magazine of the Church of England Guild of
> Vergers (so spelt) is called "The Virger" (so spelt):

Just another example of the Anglican via media :) We've been doing it
since the Elizabethan settlement.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabethan_Religious_Settlement

[Peter Duncanson [BrE]]

Some virgers are "Virgers" and some are "Vergers". As the word is a job
title it is, or verges on being, a proper name. As such there would be
resistance to changing the spelling of any particular instance.

Nearly a year ago I commented on the titles of mace-bearers in a
different field.

A post from Mike Lyle:

<quote>
On Fri, 21 Jun 2013 16:35:17 +0100, "Peter Duncanson [BrE]"
<mail@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

On Fri, 21 Jun 2013 09:26:08 +0100, LFS
<laura@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

[university degree ceremony]

It turned out that yesterday's MC was not the registrar but
another chap
with an important title, and a mace, but, more importantly, a
sense of
humour.

MC stands for both "master of ceremonies" and "mace carrier".

At my former place of employment, Queens University Belfast, the MC
rejoiced in the traditional title of "Esquire Bedell".

As the OED says of "bedell" [In the article for beadle, n.]:

3. An apparitor or precursor who walks officially in front of
a. spec. in the English universities (at present conventionally
spelt bedel, -ell,) the name of certain officials, formerly of two
ranks distinguished as esquire bedels and yeomen bedels, having
various functions as executive officers of the University. Their
duties are now chiefly processional: at Oxford there are four, the
junior- or sub-bedel being the official attendant of the
Vice-chancellor, before whom he bears a silver staff or mace; at
Cambridge there are two, called esquire-bedells, both of whom
officially walk in front of the Vice-chancellor with maces.

That's the aging university at Oxford, not the young frisky one.

"apparitor" has various related senses including, of course:

?Apparitor, or Apparitour, or Apparator, a beadle in an university,
who carries the mace before the masters, and the faculties.?
Chambers Cycl. 1727. Also applied to other similar functionaries.


I'd expect the Apparitor to be charged with responsibility for
conjuring apparitions.

-----
Mike
<endquote>

Wikip
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esquire_Bedell

An Esquire Bedell is a junior ceremonial officer of a university,
usually with official duties relating to the conduct of ceremonies
for the conferment of degrees. The word is closely related to the
archaic Bedel and modern English Beadle. The term is primarily
associated with universities in the United Kingdom

ODO
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/bedel

bedel
(also bedell)
noun
British

(In some British universities) an official with largely ceremonial
duties.

Origin
late Middle English: archaic spelling of beadle.


--
Peter Duncanson, UK
(in alt.usage.english)