Grant regulations under the Education Minutes of 1846 prohibited ministers of religion teaching in aided schools. This article examines the background to this professional disability, the extent of its application and its survival for 112 years. The impact of changing social conditions and the creation of new justifications as the policy became anachronistic are discussed. The fiftieth anniversary of its abolition in 1959 allows a long view of this regulation, unjust yet remarkably resistant to change. Documentary sources, public and personal, reveal the actions of policy-makers and concerns of groups and individuals, and expose complex issues forming the historical context of this contested aspect of teacher employment. Attention is given to the effects of central policy on individual schools and teachers at significant stages in the account. Finally, suggestions are made for further research on the employment of ordained teachers since the ban was lifted 50 years ago. (Contains 97 footnotes.)