THE CHANCELLOR AND REGISTRAR

THE CHANCELLOR

Every Diocese has a court known as the Consistory Court, whose judge is the Chancellor. A person appointed as a chancellor may be a layman or cleric, and a lawyer who holds (or has held) high judicial office, or is a barrister of at least seven years’ standing. If a candidate for the office of Chancellor is a layman, the Bishop must be satisfied that the candidate is a communicant.

After appointment by the Bishop by letters patent, the Chancellor becomes an independent judge. The Consistory Court is one of the Queen’s Courts and the authority of the Chancellor derives not from the Bishop but from law. This gives the Chancellor an independence from the Bishop; no appeal lies from the Chancellor to the Bishop, but to an appellate court known as the Court of Arches.

The Chancellor, like any other judge, is under a duty to hear and determine disputed cases impartially, and this may include those in which the Bishop has an interest.

In addition to being the judge of the Consistory Court, the Chancellor also grants Common Marriage Licences; the Archdeacon of Cambridge also has this ancient right in his archdeaconry.

THE DIOCESAN REGISTRAR

A Registrar is appointed by the Bishop and must be both a solicitor and a communicant.

The Registrar of the Diocese (at Lee Bolton Monier Williams, 1 The Sanctuary, Westminster, London SW1P 3JT – 020-7222-5381 Email: ely.registry@1thesanctuary.com ) is responsible for dealing with all Faculty applications, common marriage licences, consecrations of churchyards and extensions thereto, the Patronage Register, legal work at ordinations and installations, and various other matters on which he is consulted by clergy or churchwardens. He is also the legal adviser to the Bishop, and deals with such matters as ordinations, patronage, and the inauguration of new ministries. In addition, he advises the Bishops and Archdeacons over other legal matters, and parishes which have legal concerns are encouraged to approach their Archdeacon, who may then look to the Registrar for advice.