(1)Subject to subsection (2) below, there shall be a diocesan record office for every diocese.
(2)If the bishop of a diocese considers it necessary for the diocese to have more than one diocesan record office, he shall divide the diocese into parts for the purpose of this section, and there shall be a diocesan record office for each part.
(3)The diocesan record office for a diocese or part thereof shall be the place which is for the time being designated by the bishop of the diocese as such an office by an instrument in writing.
(4)The bishop of a diocese shall not designate a place as a diocesan record office unless that place—
(a)is a depository provided by a local authority under the M1Local Government (Records) Act 1962 or the M2Local Government Act 1972 for documents deposited with or belonging to that authority; or
(b)is a place of deposit appointed under the M3Public Records Act 1958; or
(c)is in the opinion of the bishop a suitable place to be appointed as a place of deposit under that Act;
and before he designates any such place as a diocesan record office he shall obtain the agreement of the authority who will be responsible for register books and records deposited in that place under this Measure.
(5)Where the bishop of a diocese makes an instrument under this section, he shall notify the diocesan synod that he has done so and of the effect of the instrument.
(6)Where a diocese has more than one diocesan record office, any question which arises under this Measure by reason of that fact shall be determined by the bishop of the diocese.
(7)Any place which immediately before the commencement of this Measure is the diocesan record office for a diocese or part thereof under the M4Parochial Registers and Records Measure 1929 shall be deemed to have been duly designated by the bishop of the diocese under this section as such office; but the preceding provision shall not be taken as affecting the right of the bishop of the diocese to withdraw the designation or the right of the authority responsible for register books and records deposited in such office to withdraw its agreement to the designation.
(1)A diocesan record office may be used as a place of deposit for manorial documents within the meaning of section 144A of the M5Law of Property Act 1922 or documents to which section 36(2) of the Tithe M6Act 1936 applies if it has been approved by the Master of the Rolls under any rules made by him under the said section 144A or the said section 36, as the case may be, as a place of deposit for such documents.
(2)Without prejudice to subsection (1) above nothing in this Measure shall be taken to affect the provisions of the said section 144A or of section 36(2) of the Tithe M7Act 1936 (which respectively provide that manorial documents and sealed copies of certain documents made pursuant to the Tithe Acts 1836 to 1951 shall be under the charge and superintendence of the Master of the Rolls) or of any rules made under either of those sections.