Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction Measure 1963

3 Judges of the Arches and Chancery Courts. E

(1) The judges of the Arches Court of Canterbury and the Chancery Court of York respectively shall be five in number, but proceedings which, by virtue of the following provisions of this Measure, are cognisable by either of those Courts shall be heard and disposed of by such of the judges thereof as may be determined in accordance with those provisions.

(2) Of the judges of each of the said Courts—

(a) one, who shall be a judge of both Courts (and, in respect of his jurisdiction in the province of Canterbury shall be styled Dean of the Arches and, in respect of his jurisdiction in the province of York, shall be styled Auditor, and is hereinafter referred to in this Measure as the Dean of the Arches and Auditor), shall be appointed by the archbishops of Canterbury and York jointly with the approval of Her Majesty signified by warrant under the sign manual;

(b) two shall be persons in holy orders appointed by the prolocutor of the Lower House of the Convocation of the relevant province;

(c) two shall be laymen appointed by the Chairman of the House of Laity after consultation with the Lord Chancellor and possessing such judicial experience as the Lord Chancellor shall think appropriate;

(3) A person appointed to be Dean of the Arches and Auditor shall be either a [F1 person who has a 10 year High Court qualification, within the meaning of section 71 of the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990,]or a person who has held high judicial office, and, before appointing a layman, the archbishops of Canterbury and York shall satisfy themselves that he is a communicant.

(4) Before the Chairman of the House of Laity appoints a person to be a judge of either of the said Courts, he shall satisfy himself that that person is a communicant.

(5) The appointment of any person to be a judge of either of the said Courts shall be [F2 for a period beginning with the date of the appointment and ending with the date on which that person attains the age of seventy-five years], but—

(a) the Dean of the Arches and Auditor—

(i) may resign his office by instrument in writing under his hand addressed to, and served on, the archbishops of Canterbury and York;

(ii) may be removed by the archbishops of Canterbury and York jointly if the Upper Houses of the Convocations of the provinces of Canterbury and York each resolve that he is incapable of acting or unfit to act;

(b) any other judge of either of the said Courts—

(i) may resign his office by instrument in writing under his hand addressed to, and served on, the archbishop of the relevant province;

(ii) may be removed by the archbishop of that province if the Upper House of its Convocation resolves that he is incapable of acting or unfit to act;

[F3 (c) any judge of either of the said Courts may continue to act as a judge thereof for the purpose of any proceedings in that Court during the course of which he attains the age of seventy-five years as if the date of the conclusion in that Court of those proceedings were the date on which he attains that age.]

(6) The Dean of the Arches and Auditor shall, before he enters on the execution of his office,—

(a) take and subscribe,—

(i) before the archbishop of Canterbury in the presence of the registrar of the province of Canterbury and before the archbishop of York in the presence of the registrar of the province of York; or

(ii) in open court in both of those provinces in the presence of the registrar of the province;

the oaths set out in Part I of the First Schedule to this Measure; . . . F4

(b) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F5

(7) A person (other than the Dean of the Arches and Auditor) appointed to hold the office of judge of either of the said Courts shall, before he enters on the execution of his office,—

(a) take and subscribe the said oaths either before the archbishop of the relevant province and in the presence of the registrar of that province or in open court in the presence of that registrar; . . . F4

(b) . . . F5

(8) A provincial registrar shall record the taking . . . F4 and subscription, of an oath . . . F4 in his presence in pursuance of either of the two last foregoing subsections.

Textual Amendments

F1 Words substituted by Courts and Legal Services Act 1990 (c. 41, SIF 37), s. 71(2), Sch. 10 para. 18(1)

F2 Words substituted by Ecclesiastical Judges and Legal Officers Measure 1976 (No. 2), s. 1(2)(3) except in relation to any person who holds the office of judge of either of the courts mentioned in this subsection on 25.4.1976

F3 S. 3(5)(c) inserted by Ecclesiastical Judges and Legal Officers Measure 1976 (No. 2), s. 1(2)

F4 Words repealed by Church of England (Worship and Doctrine) Measure 1974 (No. 3), Sch. 2

F5 S. 3(6)(b)(7)(b) repealed by Church of England (Worship and Doctrine) Measure 1974 (No. 3), Sch. 2