Originally a benefice was a gift of land (precaria) for life as a reward for services rendered. The word comes from the Latin noun beneficium meaning "benefit". Originally a concept in the Catholic Church, it was abandoned by Protestantism (excepting the Church of England). Before the Reformation Under pre-Reformation Canon law it came to mean an income enjoyed — often linked to some land administered — by a priest in chief of an ecclesistical office, such as a parish, monastery, or… (More on Benefice)