THE OLD - Old Wirral.com

THE OLD CHURCHES OF WIRRAL
cases the church was made " collegiate "
by adding to the parish priest
other priests or colleagues forming
collectively a " collegium " or college
where the officiating clergy lived in a
common clergy house and had a common
table and a common income. The head
of the establishment was generally called
the master, and his associates " socii
capellani " or chaplain fellows, and the
number was often twelve chaplains to the
one master, symbolic of our Lord and
His twelve Apostles.
But a difficulty arose as to the
admission of laymen to the services, and
particularly of the manner of summoning
them thereto. For the chaplain
fellows would be called by special bells
ringing at all hours of the day and night
which were of no use to the laity who
did not wish to attend matins at 1 o'clock
in the morning. They wanted bells for
other purposes, such as weddings,
baptisms, funerals, curfew, etc. The
collegiate members, however, were
averse to the bells being used for these
purposes, and though, in some cases, two
sets of bells were installed, it was
generally found more convenient to allow
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