Vestry

A vestry refers to a robing and storage room in or attached to a place of worship.

It also referred in England and Wales to the committee for secular and church government for a parish which met in the vestry of the parish church, and consequently became known colloquially as the "vestry".

Vestry (room)

A vestry is a room in a church or synagogue in which the vestments are kept, and in which the clergy and choir don these liturgical clothes for worship services. Valuable or sacred items such as communion vessels or collection plates may be kept there, usually in a secure safe, along with official records such as registers of marriages and burials.

In Welsh chapels, the room is often the location of a tea served to the congregation, particularly family members, after a funeral, when the congregation returns to the chapel after the burial or cremation.

Vestry committees in England and Wales

The vestry was a meeting of the parish ratepayers chaired by the incumbent of the parish, originally held in the parish church or its vestry, from which it got its name.