CHAPTER I

GENERAL LEGAL POSITION

1. Spiritual, ecclesiastical, and civil status of the clergy. 2. Sources of Church law. 3. Written and unwritten law--Foreign Canon law--Pre-Reformation Canons--Acts of Parliament--Canons of 1603--Canons of 1640--Other canons. 4. Decisions of Church courts--Distinction between judicial and legislative action. 5. Legal status of the ancient Parish--Rector or Parson--Patronage or Advowson--Vicar--Perpetual curate. 6. Dissolution of the Monasteries--Impropriate rectories--New churches and ecclesiastical parishes--Assistant parochial clergy--Titular vicars--Incumbent--Curate. 7. Minister in charge--Lecturer. 8. Status of clergy ordained elsewhere than in England or Ireland, or ordained for service in the colonies or foreign countries--Scottish clergy. 9. Benefices--Beneficed and unbeneficed clergy. 10. Bishops, their relation to the clergy--Suffragan bishops--Chancellors. 11. Archdeacons. 12. Rural Deans. 13. Judicial procedure--Church Discipline Act, 1840--Public Worship Regulation Act, 1874--Clergy Discipline Act, 1892. 14. Abstinence of Clergy from secular pursuits. 15. Civil exemptions--Municipal and Parliamentary qualifications and disqualifications. 16. Restrictions as to labour, business, and trade--Lawful exceptions--Penalties for unlawful trading. 17. Protection in performance of religious rites--Act against brawling. 18. Indelibility of Orders--Relinquishment of clerical status pages 1-24