A Surrogate (from Lat. ''surrogare'', to substitute for), is the deputy of a

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

or an

ecclesiastical judge Within the Catholic Church, an ecclesiastical judge (, or ) is an ecclesiastical person who possesses ecclesiastical jurisdiction either in general or in the strict sense. The judge presides over all baptized persons within their jurisdiction. Ec ...

, acting in the absence of his principal and strictly bound by the authority of the latter. It is particularly common as a term for clergy deputising for the diocesan judge in dioceses of the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

History

Canon 128 of the 1603 canons of the Church of England lays down the qualifications necessary for the office of surrogate, and canon 123 specifies the regulations for appointment to the office.

Current use

At present the chief duty of a surrogate in England is the granting of marriage licences, so that although often nominated by the bishop, the person appointed is in fact a surrogate to the

Chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

(chief judge) of the diocese. Surrogates may have more extensive delegated powers, and judgments of the

Arches Court The Arches Court or Court of Arches, presided over by the Dean of Arches, is an ecclesiastical court of the Church of England covering the Province of Canterbury. Its equivalent in the Province of York is the Chancery Court. It takes its name fr ...

of Canterbury have been delivered by a surrogate in the absence of the official principal. Surrogates are appointed by means of a legal commission issued by the Chancellor, which takes force after the new surrogate has sworn an oath. Upon appointment to the office "surrogate" becomes part of the holder's formal title. Thus the Rector of Sherborne (for example) upon taking up the office becomes known as Rector of Sherborne and Surrogate.

References

{{Reflist Ecclesiastical titles Christian religious occupations

History

Current use

See also

References