Also 7 vicariot, 7–9 vicariat. [ad. med.L. vicāriāt-us, f. L. vicāri-us VICAR. Cf. OF. and F. vicariat, It., Sp., Pg. vicariato.]
1. The office or authority of a vicar in a religious or ecclesiastical sense: a. Of persons acting as earthly representatives of God or Christ.
1610. Donne, Pseudo-martyr, 247. [To make] Kings, which before had their Lieutenancie and Vicariate from God, but Magistrates … to his Vicar. Ibid. (1614[?]), Elegy to Ld. Harrington, Poems (1669), 249. To deliver up to God that state Of which he gave thee the Vicariate.
a. 1676. Hale, Contempl., Disc. Relig. (1700), ii. 228. Hold what you will, if not the Supremacy and Vicariot of the Pope, all the rest of your Religion is not worth a rush.
1882–3. Schaff’s Encycl. Relig. Knowl., III. 2456/1. Through St. Peter the vicariate was forever conferred on the bishop of Rome.
b. Of the deputy of a bishop, etc.
1611. Sir D. Carleton, Lett., in 10th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm., App. I. 546. Upon ye late remove of our patriarch’s vicar there hath fallen vacant a benefice annexed to ye vicariat.
1725. trans. Dupin’s Eccl. Hist. 17th C., I. V. 110. Vigilius gave his Vicariate to this Arch-Bishop in the Provinces.
a. 1773. A. Butler, Lives Saints (1845), XI. 103. St. Charles established a vicariat, that things might be done with deliberation and counsel, which many other bishops imitated.
c. Of a vicar in the Church of England. Also freq., the period of a vicar’s ministry.
1857. J. Jordan, Paroch. Hist. Enstone, iv. 191. The Rev. J. Beckingham was at some period of his vicariat ejected.
1887. Pall Mall G., 24 Jan., 10/1. He … pointed to the record of his fifteen years’ vicariate, during which he had taken none of the parish income.
2. A political office held by a person as deputy for another; deputed exercise of authority by a person or governing body.
1619. F. Cottington, Lett., in Eng. & Germ. (Camden), 33. If he should chance to fayle, the vicariate of Upper Germany must neades fall upon the Palatin.
1711. Lond. Gaz., No. 4844/2. He has accepted and taken upon him … his part of the Vicariate of the Empire during the present Vacancy.
1769. Robertson, Chas. V., II. Wks. 1813, V. 249. The vicariat of that part of Germany which is governed by the Saxon laws, devolved to the elector of Saxony.
1844. Disraeli, Coningsby, V. viii. 220. An educated nation recoils from the imperfect vicariate of what is called a representative government.
1898. Dill, Rom. Soc. Last Cent. Western Empire, 16. Flavianus received the vicariate of Africa.
attrib. 1762. trans. Busching’s Syst. Geog., IV. 38. They may hold vicariate aulic courts.
3. a. A district under the rule of a deputy governor.
1755. Smollett, Quix. (1803), IV. 204. Donna Guiomar de Quinones, wife to the regent of the vicariate of Naples.
1840. Penny Cycl., XVIII. 404/2. The provinces which constituted, under the Christian emperors, successors of Constantine, the vicariate of Rome. [Ibid. These provinces were under the lay jurisdiction of an imperial vicar.]
b. R. C. Ch. A district under the charge of a vicar apostolic; the see of a vicar apostolic.
1818. Hallam, Mid. Ages (1819), II. 226. By the constitution of the church … every province ought to have its metropolitan, and every vicariate its ecclesiastical exarch or primate.
1857. G. Oliver, Coll. Hist. Cath. Relig. Cornwall, etc., 425. This western vicariat becoming vacant by the death of Bishop Baggs.
1890. T. Cooper, in Dict. Nat. Biog. XXI. 374/1. He was selected by the propaganda to preside as bishop over the vicariate of the West Indies.
c. A church ministered to by a vicar.
1762. trans. Busching’s Syst. Geog., IV. 335. In it is one collegiate and seven other churches, which are vicariates to the former.
4. Vicariousness rare–1.
1877. A. Cave, Script. Doctr. Sacr., I. I. ii. 52. They knew that the lives of innocent … animals were taken in lieu of their own…; what did they regard as the reason of this singular vicariate?
Hence Vicariateship. rare–1.
1753. Scots Mag., XV. 27/1. There is a dispute … between the Elector Palatine, and the Elector of Bavaria, about one of these Vicariatships.
