Perpetual curate was a class of resident parish priest or
incumbent curate within the
United Church of England and Ireland. The name is found in common use mainly during the first half of the nineteenth century. The legal status of perpetual curate originated as an administrative anomaly in the 16th century. Unlike ancient rectories and vicarages, perpetual curacies were supported by a cash
stipend, usually maintained by an endowment fund, and had no ancient right to income from
tithe or
glebe.