Our congratulations go to Ken Letts, chaplain at Holy Trinity, Nice, who’s been confirmed in the office of Archdeacon of the Riviera. A word of explanation for our heathen readers: an Archdeacon is a kind of ecclesiastical sergeant-major whose job is to keep an eye on the local clergy. In medieval times he was known indeed as the oculus episcopi, the bishop’s eye. Until not so long ago he was often deeply feared – any readers of Trollope will recall Archdeacon Grantly. By one of those Anglican peculiarities, while other priests are reverend or, higher up the latter, very, right or most reverend, archdeacons are styled “venerable”.

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