Chaunterie

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An endowment or bequest established to fund a priest who regularly sings masses for the soul of the deceased
2. A fund set aside to pay a clergyman to perform chanted masses on behalf of a departed person
3. A charitable foundation providing income for a priest to offer sung liturgical services in commemoration of the dead

Etymology: The word described a small endowed chapel where priests were paid to sing Masses for the soul of the person who had funded them, and often for their family too. Founders might pay for this in perpetuity, so a chantry could keep its priest singing for generations. The name comes from the Old French "chanterie", from "chanter", to sing, which descends from Latin "cantare". Its meaning was tied to the endowment and the singing, not to the building. The system ended abruptly. Chantries held land and income that the crown wanted, and under Edward VI they were dissolved and their property seized. Many chapels were stripped or converted to other uses, and the priests lost their posts. The modern spellings "chantry" and "chauntry" survive mainly for these medieval foundations and the buildings that remain.