Daily AncestorPew rent
Pew rent was a yearly fee a family paid a church for the right to use a particular pew, a common way to raise church income into the 1900s.
Into the early or mid 1900s it was common for Anglican, Catholic and Presbyterian churches to rent pews to families or individuals. Vestry and trustee books record who held which pew and whether they paid.
Pew lists are useful as a census of a congregation's families, sometimes with a pew number that shows rank. In 1865 a Richmond vestry urged members to keep their pews even if they could not pay the rent.
As seen in a recordEpiscopal or Presbyterian pew rent book, 1800s
Pew No. 42, Mrs. Ellen Tabb, rent $16, paid
Sources
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Daily Ancestor. "Pew rent." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/church/pew-rent. Last checked 2026-10-03.