non·res·i·dent / nänˈrezidənt/ • adj. not living in a particular place, esp. a country or a place of work: the building had a nonresident, part-time caretaker. ∎  (of a job or program of study) not requiring the holder or participant to reside at the place of work or instruction. ∎  Comput. (of software) not kept permanently in memory but available to be loaded from a backing store or external device: if you want to use a nonresident font, you can manually download it.• n. a person not living in a particular place: parking permits are available for Richmond residents and nonresidents.DERIVATIVES: non·res·i·dence n.

non-residence. Residence in one's place of ministry has been compulsory since early times for all bishops and beneficed clergy, but absence became a substantial abuse in the later Middle Ages. Notable examples were Wyclif who, though he attacked the abuse, was himself not resident, and Wolsey who successively held several sees in commendam with the archbishopric of York. Non-residence was a major target of the reformers. The Council of Trent specifically banned it, as did the Anglican canons of 1604 and 1964–9. Nevertheless it was commonplace in the 18th cent. since many livings were too poor in themselves to support a priest; 60 per cent of incumbents were non-resident in 1808.

Revd Dr William M. Marshall