There's a very interesting woman who died in Cambridge (UK) in 1975
and her Death Certificate gives her 'Description' as 'Domestic
Manciple (Retired)'.

Now, I am familiar with Chaucer's Manciple and I know that Colleges
still employ Manciples to take charge of their Housekeeping, etc. but
I've never heard of the Domestic variety.

Any ideas?

Dear Bryan,

The only references I can find are to the manciple of a college or
university, or in a monastery. I?ll leave it as a comment. I?m sure
Leli-ga will know a trick or two on this one!

This the definition from the 1911 encyclopedia.

"MANCIPLE, the official title of the caterer at a college, an inn of
court, or other institution. Sometimes also the chief cook. The
medieval Latin manceps, formed from mancipium, acquisition by purchase
(see ROMAN LAW), meant a purchaser of stores, and mancipium became
used of his office. It is from the latter word that the 0. Fr.
manciple is taken."
http://94.1911encyclopedia.org/M/MA/MANCIPLE.htm


The Queens? College, Cambridge, produce a ?Glossary of Cambridge
Jargon? which states
"Manciple - (more common at Oxford than Cambridge) a member of college
staff with oversight of domestic or catering arrangements."
http://www.quns.cam.ac.uk/Queens/Misc/jargon/CUjargon-all.html


The Inns of Court had a Manciple as early as 1340
"The oldest office in the inns of court is that of Manciple, and a
manciple of the Temple is mentioned as early as the 1340s."
http://www.innertemplelibrary.org.uk/temple-history/inner-temple-history-the-inns-officers.htm


I searched for any 19th century census returns which listed a manciple
as part of the domestic servants in a household, without success, all
seemed to relate to universities. For instance:

"College Servants
Cox Jonathan (manciple & cook, St. John's College), [8] St. Giles'-street
St Giles's Street, Oxford 
1852 Directory"
http://www.headington.org.uk/oxon/stgiles/history/directory_1852.htm

"The Manciple of St Edmund Hall, William Gardener, lived here with his
wife Mary, two servants, and an undergraduate lodger in 1851; a
different Manciple, Thomas D. Jackson, was here with his wife, four
children, and two servants in 1861."
http://www.headington.org.uk/oxon/high/tour/north/039_041.htm

In my extensive library (er.. bookcase), I have an old, battered
edition of Mrs Beeton?s Book of Household Management, and nowhere in
the chapter on domestic servants, does she mention manciples.

I found this 21st century advert for a manciple, it details the
current job description.
"Appointment of Manciple 
All Souls College seeks a successor to the Manciple, who will be
retiring at the end of December 2000 after twelve years of
distinguished service. The Manciple's responsibilities include (but
are not limited to) supervision and control of the college's domestic
staff, oversight of catering services, preparation of domestic budgets
and accounts, maintenance of college buildings, rooms, and gardens,
and preparation and oversight of college functions."
http://www.ox.ac.uk/gazette/2000-1/weekly/210900/coll.htm

This advert and the following may be a clue.  Many universities have a
Domestic Bursar. Perhaps, your lady was in college which for some
reason had two manciples who had split responsibilities?
"domestic bursar"
://www.google.com/search?q=%22domestic+bursar%22&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&start=10&sa=N

I hope you get the answer.

answerfinder-ga

---

Clarification of Answer by answerfinder-ga on 25 Jun 2004 13:10 PDT

Bryan,
Having carefully set it out, I posted it as an answer instead of a
comment! I'm sorry. Your comments please, do you wish me to have the
editors remove it?
answerfinder-ga

Hi, Answerfinder

Let the Answer stand, as Found by the Great Finder!

You have given me everything I wanted except, of course, the bit about
the personciple.

It would have been great to hear from the Magnificent Leli but this is
an imperfect world.

Many thanks.

Bryan

Given today's tendency toward expunging references to gender, I fully
expect that this occupation will eventually be known as 'personciple'.

Bryan,
Thank you for your tip, but I am very red-faced about posting it as an
answer instead of a comment. The interface does need to be changed a
little to cope with idiots like me.
Best wishes,
answerfinder-ga

According to the transcription of the 1901 England Census as provided by
http://www.ancestry.co.uk/    (subscription required)

George William Gibbs, manciple, was 13 years old in 1901. 

However, according to the census book (images reproduced on
ancestry.co.uk) he was 43 years old and married.

Just to point out that it is worthwhile taking a close look at the records.

Hi, AF & Freddy P

Very many thanks to both for your comments ...

Answers or Comments such as yours are always appreciated.

All the Best

Bryan

Thanks for calling my name, Bryan and AF, but I can't add anything helpful.

It does seem unlikely that there could be manciples anywhere but an
Oxbridge college, Inner Temple or similar establishment.

Perhaps "domestic manciple" came from a conversation about the death
certificate with a mystified registrar? For instance:

What was her occupation?
Manciple

And what job did she do?
She was a manciple.

Where did she work?
At Old Trads College

Did she teach there?
No, she was in charge of the domestic arrangements.

Yes, Leli

Her son (who registered her death) may not have had much of a clue of
what she actually used to do, because he lived in Kent.

And (unlike you and me) he may not have known anything about her work
for MI5 during the war.

Thanks a bucketful

Bryan