Pew

Long, single, and usually permanent seats in the nave of a church building. In the earliest times there were no chairs except for the clergy, and the congregation "congregated" in the nave. Later individual seating was added particularly for older members. Pews came into existence as a way for local churches to support themselves financially, by renting or selling pews to families. After the American Revolution and the disestablishment of the state-owned Anglican church, pew rental was the sole means of income for many colonial churches. In some parishes today, the family pew still exists. Today, however, the family does not actually own the pew. They only think that they do.