What Is An Archdeacon?
LORD ALTHORP, when Chancellor of the Exchequer, having to propose to the
House of Commons a vote of L400 a year for the salary of the Archdeacon
of Bengal, was puzzled by a question from Mr. Hume, What are the duties
of an archdeacon? So he sent one of the subordinate occupants of the
Treasury Bench to the other House to obtain an answer to the question
from one of the bishops. To Dr. Blomfield accordingly the messenger
went, and repeated the question, What is an archdeacon?--An
archdeacon, replied the bishop, in his quick way, an archdeacon is an
ecclesiastical officer, who performs archidiaconal functions; and with
this reply Lord Althorp and the House were perfectly satisfied. It ought
to be added, however, that when the story was repeated to the bishop
himself, he said that he had no recollection of having made any such
answer; but that if he had, it must have been suggested to him by a
saying of old John White, a dentist, whom he had known in early days,
who used to recommend the use of lavender-water to his patients, and
when pressed for a reason for his recommendation, replied, On account
of its lavendric properties.