Letters Patent - Royal Assent and License [1936-05-06]

Dublin Core

Title

Letters Patent - Royal Assent and License [1936-05-06]

Subject

Ecclesiastical
Convocations of the Clergy
Legislation

Description

Letters Patent of King Edward VIII giving Royal Assent to three amended canons passed by the Convocation of Canterbury along with a License to enact them.

Creator

King Edward VIII

Source

LCO 6/1520

Date

1936-05-06

Contributor

Jason Loch

Coverage

England

Letters Patent Item Type Metadata

Transcript

Page 1

Edward the Eighth by the Grace of God of Great Britain Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the Seas King Defender of the Faith

To all to whom these Presents shall come Greeting Whereas The Most Reverend Father in God our right trusty and well beloved Counsellor Cosmo Gordon by Divine Providence Lord Archbishop of Canterbury Primate of All England and Metropolitan President of the Convocation of the Province of Canterbury the Bishops and the Clergy of the said Convocation have agreed upon and have set down in writing and exhibited to Us an amendment of the Canon No. 143 of the year 1921 so far as it relates to representation of the Clergy in the Lower House of Convocation of the Province of Canterbury being word for word as follows—

Canon on the Representation of the Clergy in the Lower House of Convocation

To substitute for Clause (3) (a) and (b) the following:—

(a) The electoral areas shall be:

(i) The several dioceses in the Province.

(ii) The Universities in the Province:

(a) The University of Oxford,

(b) The University of Cambridge,

(c) The University of London,

(d) Other Universities in the Province together for this purpose.
Provided always that it shall be competent for the Archbishop of the Province, after consultation with the Prolocutor of the Lower House of the Convocation, to postpone or suspend the operation of this area should the number of electors appear to them to be insufficient for representation as a separate electoral area.

(b) The electors shall be:

(i) Where a diocese is the area, all clergymen beneficed in the diocese, or licensed under seal by the Bishop of the diocese, or holding office in the Cathedral Church, or in the above-mentioned Collegiate Churches, provided that he be not ex officio members of Convocation, and that no one shall be entitled to vote in more than one diocese.

(ii) Where a University, or group of Universities, is the area, all clergymen of the Church of England whose names are entered on an electoral roll kept in accordance with rules made from time to time by Convocation. Provided that no one shall be entitled to vote in more than one such electoral area.

Canon de Repraesentatione Cleri in Inferiore Domo Convocationis Cantuariensis

(a) Singulae Dioeceses singulas electiones facient;

(b) Universitates intra Provinciam electiones suas facient:

(α) Universitas Oxoniensis,

(β) Universitas Cantabrigiensis,

(γ) Universitas Londiniensis,

(δ) Ceterae Universitates intra Provinciam simul suffragia sua dantes.
proviso quod Archiepiscopo Cantuariensi liceat prolocutore inferioris domus prius consulto aut postponere aut suspendere suffragia haec si ii ferentes non tam multi videantur quam esse digni qui separatim suffragentur.

(c) Jus suffragii habebunt clerici omnes qui vel beneficiati sunt vel sub sigillo Episcopi licentiam possident vel in Ecclesiis supradictis Cathedralibus et Collegiatis officio qualicumque funguntur; ita tamen ut nemo suffragium det qui officii sui Convocationi jam adscriptus fuerit, nec cuiquam liceat nisi in una dioecesi suffragium dare.

(d) Intra Universitates sive Universitates coniunctas ius suffragii habebunt clerici omnes in ordinem presbyteri aut diaconi in Ecclesiae Anglicanae admissi quorum nomina in libro scripta sunt iuxta regulas quas diversa ad tempora synodus faciet; proviso quod nemini liceat suffragium dare nisi in electione una.

Page 2

And whereas the said Most Reverend Father in God Primate of All England and Metropolitan President of the Convocation of the Province of Canterbury the Bishops and the Clergy of the said Convocation have also agreed upon and have set down in writing and exhibited unto Us an amendment of the 62nd Canon and an amendment of the 102nd Canon of the year 1603 being word for word respectively as follows—

CANON 62.

An addition appended to this Canon by the Sacred Synod by way of Supplement and promulgated by Royal Licence, A.D. 1936:

Notwithstanding the foregoing it shall be lawful for any qualified Minister after due observance of formalities canonically to celebrate a marriage between any persons precluded by no impediment between the hours of eight in the forenoon and six in the afternoon, in accordance with what we have learnt heretofore to be permitted by the Civil Laws of this Realm.

Clausula huic canoni a sacra synodo in modum supplementi addita et regia licentia promulgata, A.D. 1936:

Quibus non obstantibus liceat cuilibet ministro idoneo servandis rite servatis matrimonium inter quaslibet personas nullo impedimento praepeditas intra horam antemeridianam octavam et sextam horam pomeridianam canonice celebrare secundum quod novimus legibus huius incliti regni civilibus dehinc esse permissum.

CANON 102.

An addition appended to this Canon by the Sacred Synod by way of Supplement and promulgated by Royal Licence, A.D. 1936:

On further consideration of the foregoing the Sacred Synod thought fit to change the abovementioned hour of three in the afternoon to six in the afternoon, according to what we understand to be permitted by the Civil Laws of this Realm.

Clausula huic canoni a sacra synodo in modum supplementi addita et regia licentia promulgata, A.D. 1936:

Quibus denuo perspectis placuit sacrae synodo horam tertiam supradictam in sextam mutare pomeridianam secundum quod novimus legibus huius incliti regni civilibus dehinc esse permissum.

Now know ye that We by virtue of Our Prerogative Royal and Supreme Authority in causes Ecclesiastical Do hereby of Our especial grace give Our Royal Assent to such amendments of Canons 143, 62 and 102 so exhibited as aforesaid And We do allow the same and do hereby grant unto the said Most Reverend Father Cosmo Gordon Lord Archbishop of Canterbury President of the Convocation of the Province of Canterbury and to the Bishops and Clergy thereof Our Royal Licence to make promulge and execute the said amendments to such Canons so exhibited as aforesaid any other cause matter or thing to the contrary notwithstanding.

In Witness whereof We have caused these Our Letters to be made Patent Witness Ourself at Westminster the sixth day of May in the first year of Our Reign.

By warrant under the King’s Sign Manual.

SCHUSTER.

L. S.

Warranty

Sign Manual Warrant

Seal Type

None

Ornamentation

Royal name, greetings, and incipits are in a Gothic type.

Special Features

This is a transcript of the original Royal License, so its formatting may not match the original.

Original would've likely had the Wafer Seal.

Files

Citation

King Edward VIII, “Letters Patent - Royal Assent and License [1936-05-06],” Corpus of British Administrative Instruments, accessed October 20, 2026, https://cbaionline.org/corpus/items/show/107.

Output Formats