Township (England)

In England, a township (Latin: villa) is a local division or district of a large parish containing a village or small town usually having its own church.[1] A township may or may not be coterminous with a chapelry, manor, or any other minor area of local administration.

The township is distinguished from the following:

  • Vill: traditionally, among legal historians, a vill referred to the tract of land of a rural community, whereas township was used when referring to the tax and legal administration of that community.[2]
  • Chapelry: the 'parish' of a chapel (a church without full parochial functions).
  • Tithing: the basic unit of the medieval Frankpledge system.[2]

'Township' is, however, sometimes used loosely for any of the above.

  1. ^ Anon (2007). Shorter Oxford English Dictionary. Vol. 2 (6 ed.). p. 3308.
  2. ^ a b Winchester, Angus (2000). Discovering Parish Boundaries. Shire Publications. pp. 21–29. ISBN 0-7478-0470-2.

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