In Lost in the Lyon’s Garden, both the hero’s and the heroine’s father are vicars, so it seemed appropriate to address what that meant.

To become a clergyman in the Regency era, one typically needed to attend a public school, followed by a university degree from Oxford or Cambridge. After completing their degree, candidates presented a testimonial to a bishop and passed an examination to prove their fitness for ordination at the age of 24. While the education was not specifically theological, a single class in theology was common, and university attendees also focused on making important social connections that would lead to a parish “living”. “It’s true that clergy of the established, Anglican church were treated as ‘honorary gentlemen’. Most would have attended Oxford or Cambridge universities. Quite a few were younger sons or cousins of landed gentry families. However, this was far from being universal and certainly did not apply to the many Dissenting Ministers, who served in non-conformist chapels. Nor should prosperity be assumed. There were three main categories of Anglican clergy. In a rough descending order of income, these were rectors, vicars and curates. Dissenting Ministers make up a confusing category of their own. [Pen and Pension]

Early Education:

Boys from the gentry and middle classes were educated at public schools or private preparatory schools. Some clergymen (as it was with Jane Austen’s father) ran small boarding schools in the countryside to supplement their income, often taking in a few boarders or day students.  

University Education:

A college degree from Oxford or Cambridge was a requirement for ordination in the Church of England. A university education was not specific to theology, but, rather, a general training for a professional career.  Prospective clergy followed the same syllabus as other undergraduates, though some divinity lectures were available. 

The Path to Ordination:

A candidate must be at least 24 years old to be ordained. After university, the candidate would present a testimonial to the bishop, attesting to his moral fitness. The bishop would then examine the candidate on his knowledge of Latin, scripture, and church doctrine. 

Finding a Parish “Living”:

If a position was not immediately available, a newly ordained man might serve as a curate, which was a poorly paid assistant, until he found a parish to take on. 

A clergyman secured a position, or “living,” where they could perform the duties of the church. Therefore, it is more than obvious why attending University, it was important to build connections with people who had livings to offer. A wealthy patron or a position obtained through connections could provide the funds for a degree. 

“Rectors ‘held’ the living, in the sense that they could retain it for life, had a legal right to the associated income and could not be forced out, save on the most serious disciplinary grounds. They were not deputies, like vicars, who might in theory be dismissed by the rector for whom they deputised. The rector could also lay claim to all the income from the living; the vicar only the part of it allowed him by the rector. The term ‘curate’ can be confusing and difficult to define precisely. Etymologically, it means an ordained person responsible for the ‘cure of souls’ in a parish — i.e. the parish priest. In that sense, the term applied equally to rectors (unless lay ones) and vicars. In practice, it had come to mean a salaried assistant, deputy or locum: i.e. someone paid a stipend or salary directly by the rector/vicar, and not having a right to any part of the tithes. Since the Anglican Church was, and is, full of oddities, some parishes were served by ‘Perpetual Curates’, in full charge and deputy to no one, but still paid a stipend, rather than having a right to any of the tithe. This stipend was usually funded by an endowment or charitable body. However, by later Victorian times, the term fell out of general use and they were classed as vicars. [Pen and Pension]

Other Sources:

Greater and Lesser Tithes and Who Received Them

Male Education in Regency England

Vicars and Rectors and Livings, a Guest Post from Elaine Owen

What Exactly Did It Mean for A Clergyman to Have a “Living” Bestowed Upon Him During the Regency Period?