A sinecure ( or ; from the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

, 'without', and , 'care') is a position with a salary or otherwise generating income that requires or involves little or no responsibility, labour, or active service. The term originated in the

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

church, where it signified a post without any responsibility for the " cure areof souls", the regular liturgical and pastoral functions of a cleric, but came to be applied to any post, secular or ecclesiastical, that involved little or no actual work. Sinecures have historically provided a potent tool for governments or monarchs to distribute

patronage Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, art patronage refers to the support that princes, popes, and other wealthy and influential people ...

, while recipients are able to store up titles and easy salaries. A sinecure can also be given to an individual whose primary job is in another office, but requires a sinecure title to perform that job. For example, the Government House Leader in Canada is often given a sinecure ministry position so that they may become a member of the Cabinet. Similar examples are the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal and the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, whose holders are ''ex officio'' members of the Privy Council and may therefore be admitted to the Cabinet of the United Kingdom (which is formally the executive committee of the Privy Council). The

minister without portfolio A minister without portfolio is a government minister without specific responsibility as head of a government department. The sinecure is particularly common in countries ruled by coalition governments and a cabinet with decision-making authorit ...

is a frequent example of this sinecure, often employed to give cabinet-level positions to enough members of all partners in a

coalition government A coalition government, or coalition cabinet, is a government by political parties that enter into a power-sharing arrangement of the executive. Coalition governments usually occur when no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an ...

. Other sinecures operate as

legal fiction A legal fiction is a construct used in the law where a thing is taken to be true, which is not in fact true, in order to achieve an outcome. Legal fictions can be employed by the courts or found in legislation. Legal fictions are different from ...

s, such as the British office of Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Chiltern Hundreds, used as a legal excuse for resigning from Parliament.

History

''Sinecure'', properly a term of

ecclesiastical law Canon law (from , , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical jurisdiction, ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its membe ...

for a

benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...

without the cure of souls, arose in the English Church when the rector had no cure of souls nor resided in the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

, the work of the incumbent being performed by a vicar. Such sinecure rectories were expressly granted by the patron. They were abolished by

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

under the Ecclesiastical Commissioners Act 1840. Other ecclesiastical sinecures were certain

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

dignities to which no spiritual functions attached or incumbencies where by reason of depopulation and the like, the parishioners disappeared or the parish church was allowed to decay. Such cases eventually ceased to exist. The term is also used of any office or place to which salary, emoluments, or

dignity Dignity is a human's contentment attained by satisfying physiological needs and a need in development. The content of contemporary dignity is derived in the new natural law theory as a distinct human good. As an extension of the Enlightenment- ...

, but no duties, are attached. The British civil service and the royal household, for example, were loaded with innumerable offices which, by lapse of time, had become sinecures and were only kept as the reward of political services or to secure voting power in Parliament. They were prevalent in the 18th century, but were gradually abolished by statutes during that and the following centuries.

Current usage

Below is a list of extant sinecures by country.As extracted from Lord Mackay of Clashfern (ed.) (2002) ''Halsbury's Laws of England'', 4th ed. Vol.14.

United Kingdom

Positions associated with membership of the Privy Council/Cabinet

* Lord President of the Council * Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal * First Secretary of State * Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster *

Paymaster General His Majesty's Paymaster General or HM Paymaster General is a ministerial position in the Cabinet Office of the United Kingdom. The position is currently held by Nick Thomas-Symonds of the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party. History The post was ...

Positions used to effect resignation from the House of Commons

* Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Chiltern Hundreds * Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead

Positions associated with the Whips' Office

* Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury – held by the Chief Whip in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

* Treasurer of the Household – held by the Deputy Chief Whip in the Commons * Comptroller of the Household – held by a senior Commons Whip * Vice-Chamberlain of the Household – held by a senior Commons Whip * Lords of the Treasury – held by the several junior Commons Whips * Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms – held by the Chief Whip in the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

* Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard – held by the Deputy Chief Whip in the Lords * Lords in Waiting – held by the several junior Lords Whips

Ceremonial and honorary positions

* Lord Clerk Register *

Lord Steward of the Household The Lord Steward or Lord Steward of the Household is one of the three Great Officers of the Royal Households of the United Kingdom, Household of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, British monarch. He is, by tradition, the first great officer of ...

* Master of the Horse * Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports * Constable of the Tower of London * Constable and Governor of Windsor Castle

Canada

* Deputy Prime Minister of Canada * President of the Privy Council (given to the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs)

Australia

* Vice-President of the Executive Council

United States

* Lieutenant governor (most states)

References

Bibliography

*Lord Mackay of Clashfern (ed.) (2002) ''Halsbury's Laws of England'', 4th ed. Vol.14, "Ecclesiastical Law", (see also current updates) *
Definition on ''Enciclopedia Treccani''
*Maurilio Guasco, ''Storia del clero'', Bari:Laterza (1997), p. 20 {{DEFAULTSORT:Sinecure Canon law of the Anglican Communion Common law