Draft Royal Warrant [?] - For the Royal License and Authority for the Convocation of Canterbury [1954-04]

ELIZABETH THE SECOND BY THE GRACE OF GOD of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Our other Realms and Territories Queen Head of the Commonwealth Defender of the Faith TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME GREETING.

WHEREAS in and by an Act of Parliament made at Westminster in the five and twentieth year of the reign of King Henry the Eighth it was enacted that neither the Clergy nor any of them from thenceforth should enact promulge or execute any Canons Constitutions or Ordinances Provincial by whatsoever name or names they might be called in their Convocations in time coming which always should be assembled by authority of the King’s Writ unless the same Clergy might have the King’s Most Royal Assent and License to make promulge and execute such Canons Constitutions and Ordinances Provincial or Synodal

AND FURTHER by the said Act it is provided that no Canons Constitutions or Ordinances should be made or put into execution within this Realm by authority of the Convocation of the Clergy which shall be contrariant or repugnant to the King’s Prerogative Royal or the Customs Laws or Statutes of this Realm anything contained in the said Act to the contrary notwithstanding.

KNOW YE that whereas Our faithful subjects the Archbishop Bishops and Clergy of the Province of Canterbury in Convocation for this present Parliament assembled in obedience to the Royal Writ of Our Father King George the Sixth of glorious memory having considered certain difficult and urgent affairs concerning US the Security and Defence of the Church of England and the Peace and Tranquillity public good and defence of Our Kingdom and Our subjects of the same and more particularly the Constitutions and Canons Ecclesiastical of the Church of England now existing have PETITIONED US humbly representing that it appeareth to them as well as of their own experience

as by the testimony of devout and learned persons as well of the Laity as of the Clergy as from the said Petition doth more fully appear that by reason of the effluxion of time and divers changes of circumstances the Constitutions and Canons Ecclesiastical of the Church of England now existing are neither so well known nor so well observed and held in reverence as is meet and that some things therein are in these later times neither necessary nor convenient whereby many doubts have arisen and do arise to the hindrance of the work of the Church of England and no remedy for such doubts can be had unless they might have Our Most Royal License to confer together agree upon and subject to Our Most Royal Assent thereto thereafter given make promulge and execute new and amended Canons and to amend and repeal those of the existing Canons as may be necessary for the removal of the said doubts and that moreover as divers matters concerning the rites and ceremonies of the Church of England and the government thereof are at this present time provided for by certain Statutes and by rules of the Common Law of this Realm it appeareth to them the said Archbishop Bishops and Clergy of the said Province in Convocation for this present Parliament assembled that it may be that no such complete remedy for the doubts aforesaid as were to be desired can be had unless by and with the advice and consent of Our High Court of Parliament and by the authority of the same WE should be graciously Pleased to enact some amendments of the Statutes or Common Law of this Realm and moreover their humble opinions and desires touching and concerning all the matters aforesaid cannot be so certainly and fully known unto US or to Our High Court of Parliament concerning the altering amending or repealing of any Statute or Statutes or rules of the Common Law of this Realm as seemeth to them the said Archbishop Bishops and Clergy of the

said Province in Convocation for the present Parliament assembled most fit meet and to be desired unless they might first have Our Most Royal License to confer together and agree of and upon all such new or altered Canons as might seem to them to be necessary fit and convenient in the course to be made and executed subject always to Our Most Royal Assent thereunto and to set the same down in writing in such manner and form as hath heretofore been accustomed wherefore they have humbly Petitioned US that they may have Our Most Royal License to confer together and agree upon all such new and altered Canons as may seem to them necessary and convenient and to exhibit the same in writing unto US to the end that if thereafter WE shall be graciously Pleased to grant Our Most Royal Assent thereto such new or altered and amended Canons may thereupon be made promulged and executed provided always that they the said Archbishop Bishops and Clergy of the said Province in Convocation assembled presume not at any time to exhibit unto US any new or altered and amended Canons in any wise contrary to the Statutes and Common Law of this Realm

WE THEREFORE having taken the said Petition into Our Royal consideration and for divers urgent and weighty causes and considerations thereunto specially moving US of Our Prerogative Royal and Supreme authority in Causes Ecclesiastical have given and granted and by these presents do give and grant full free and lawful liberty license power and authority unto the Most Reverend Father in God Our Right Trusty and Well Beloved Counsellor Geoffrey Francis Archbishop of Canterbury President of this present Convocation of the Clergy of the Province of Canterbury for this present Parliament now assembled and to the Bishops of the said Province and to all Deans of the Cathedral and Collegiate Churches Archdeacons Chapters and Colleges and the whole of the Clergy of every diocese within

the said Province That they the said Archbishop of Canterbury President of the said Convocation and the Bishops of the said Province or the greater number of them Whereof the said President of the said Convocation to be one and the Clergy of this present Convocation within the said Province of Canterbury or the greater part of them shall and may from time to time during this present Parliament confer together and agree upon such new or altered and amended Canons as they the said Archbishop President of this present Convocation of Clergy of the said Province for this present Parliament now assembled and the Bishops of the said Province and the Clergy of this present Convocation within the said Province shall think necessary and convenient for the removal of the said doubts and for the honour and service of Almighty God the good and quiet of the Church and the better Government thereof and to set the same down in writing in such manner and form as hath heretofore been accustomed and WE do also by these presents give and grant unto the said Archbishop of Canterbury President of the said Convocation and to the Bishops of the Province of Canterbury and unto all Deans of Cathedral and Collegiate Churches Archdeacons Chapters and Colleges and the whole Clergy of the several Dioceses within the said Province in Convocation for this present Parliament assembled full free and lawful liberty license power and authority to exhibit and deliver or cause to be exhibited and delivered the same so set down unto US to the end that WE upon mature consideration by US to be taken thereupon may allow approve confirm and ratify or otherwise disallow annihilate and make void the whole or any part of the said Canons so set down and exhibited and delivered unto US as WE shall think it requisite and convenient.

PROVIDED ALWAYS AND Our express will and pleasure and command is that none of the said new or altered and amended

Canons so set down in writing and exhibited and delivered unto US as aforesaid shall be of any force effect or validity in the law but only so much thereof and after such time as WE by Our Letters Patent under Our Great Seal shall hereafter allow approve and confirm the same anything before in these presents contained to the contrary thereof in any wise notwithstanding PROVIDED ALSO and Our express will pleasure and command is that no such new or altered and amended Canons shall be exhibited and delivered unto US which are in any wise contrary to the Statutes or Common Law of this Realm anything before in these presents contained to the contrary thereof notwithstanding.

(pencil: In) WITNESS (pencil: &c WITNESS &c)
OURSELVES at             this             day of             
19     and in the             year of Our Reign.

— grant Your Majesty’s Royal Licence and Authority to the Archbishop Bishops and Clergy of the Province of Canterbury in Convocation assembled to confer together and agree upon such new or altered Canons as they shall think necessary for the furtherance of the work of the Church of England.

Secretary Sir David Maxwell
Fyfe