Catholics) by statute 10 George IV. c. 7. But the last-mentioned act provides, that where any ecclesiastical patronage is connected with any office in the gift of the crown, which office is held by a Roman Catholic, the patronage, so long as the office is so held, shall be exercised by the archbishop of Canterbury. The clause in 3 Jac. I. c. 5, relating to patronage held by Roman Catholics, is saved in the act 7 & 8 Vict. c. 102, for repealing a number of penal enactments against the Roman Catholics. The church of Ireland being the same with that of England, the ecclesiastical polity of each is in its main principles the same. The same law of ecclesiastical patronage, the same classification of benefices, the same circumstances of lay impropriations, and, in short, the same ecclesiastical privileges and disabilities, may prevail in each country. But a most important alteration in the distribution of the revenues of the Irish church was effected by the 3 & 4 Will. IV. c. 37, amended by 4 & 5 Will. IV. c. 90. By this act certain ecclesiastical commissioners are established as a corporation for the augmenting of small livings out of the funds which come into their hands by virtue of the act, and for other ecclesiastical purposes. The funds in question are to arise partly from the revenues of certain bishoprics which are abolished, and the surplus revenues of the rest above certain limits fixed by the act; partly from the money paid by the tenants of lands held under bishops' leases renewable for ever, for a conversion of such leasehold interest into a perpetuity; and partly from a tax levied on all ecclesiastical dignities and benefices, according to a scale of taxation specified in a schedule to the act; in consideration of which tax all first-fruits are abolished. The commissioners are invested with extraordinary powers by the act. Thus, they have authority to disappropriate benefices united to dignities, and to unite them to vicarages in lieu thereof. They have also the power of suspending the appointment to benefices which are in the gift either of the crown, of archbishops, bishops, or other dignitaries, or of ecclesiastical corporations, where it appears that divine service has not been performed The law respecting benefices in the church of Scotland will be found under the head of SCOTCH CHURCH. We have already mentioned the attempts of the popes to acquire the right of patronage to all ecclesiastical benefices in Europe, and the successful measures that were taken in England for resisting their pretensions. After ineffectual attempts had been made at the councils of Constance and Basle, in 1414 and 1433, to check the papal encroachments, each of the principal European governments seems to have asserted in some measure its own ecclesiastical independence, either by entering into concordats with the pope, or assuming the right of controlling his pretensions by national legislation. [CoxCORDAT.] For the numerous abuses with respect to the patronage, acquisition, and transmission of benefices that prevailed in the Roman Catholic Church, especially in Italy, during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, see Father Paul's Treatise on Benefices,' cap. 44-46. The Council of Trent in 1547 attempted to reform some of these evils, as that of pluralities and commendams, hereditary succession to the benefices, and non-residence; but left the great abuse of papal reservations untouched. The consequence of this, according to Father Paul (cap. 50), was that in his time (at the beginning of the seventeenth century) the reservations were multiplied to such a degree, that the pope had five-sixths of the benefices in Italy at his disposal. The following Table is abstracted partly from a Parliamentary Return presented to the House of Commons in 1834, and partly from the Report of the Commissioners appointed to inquire into the Ecclesiastical Revenues of England and Wales, published June, 1835.* St. Asaph, 143 benefices, comprises- rioneth (part), Montgomery (part) 139 143 191,156 42,592 43 3,564 2 Bangor, 123 benefices, comprisesAnglesey, Carnarvon (part), Denbigh (part), Merioneth (part), Montgomery (part) Bath and Wells, 430 benefices, com- Carlisle, 124 benefices, comprises- Chester, 630 benefices, comprises- 179 192 163,712 35,064 61 4,928 (part), Denbigh (part), Flint (part) 530 631 1,883,958 169,495 267 23,239 4 Chichester, 267 benefices, comprises -Sussex (part)..... St. David, 409 bencfices, comprises-- 289 302 254,460 82,673 122 9,440 3. Radnor (part), Monmouth (part).. 525 561 358,451 60,653 207 11,464 7 It must be recollected that since the Report of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners in 1835, various alterations have been made in several Dioceses, and that the new Diocese of Ripon has been created; but no official return has yet been published showing the number of Benefices in each Diocese as now settled. A. Diocese and number of Benefices in each returned to the Commissioners, including sinecure Rectories, but exclusive of Benefices annexed to other Preferments. Total number of Benefices, 10,517. B. Aggregate Amount of the gross Incomes of Incumbents in each Diocese, exclusive as before mentioned. Total, 3,193,498. C. Number of Curates in each Diocese. Total, 5227. D. Amount of Stipends to Curates in each Diocese. Total, 424,5491. E. Number of Benefices in each Diocese not returned to the Commissioners. Total, 178. Ely, 150 benefices, comprises-Cam- £ 140 214 469,933 74,457 bridge (part), Norfolk (part) ..... 158 160 133,722 56,495 £ 98 8,550 2 681 711 75 6,583 2 Gloucester, 283 benefices, comprises -Gloucester (part), Wilts (part).. 296 330 315,512 81,552 143 11,405 3 Hereford (part), Monmouth (part), Montgomery (part). Radnor (part) 346 360 206,327 93,552 157 12,995 7 650 655 1,045,481 170,104 307 24,948 5 1370 1377 899,468 373,976 629 48,347 18 221 228 181,244 36,347 113 6,749 650 689 1,722,685 267,742 351 35,118 2 1178 1210 690,138 331,750 521 38,510 37 335 338 194,339 98,381 139 11,266 6 wick (part), Worcester (part)..... 230 260 271,687 73,255 111 9,002 3 Northumberland (part), Notts, York, E. Riding (part), Yor N. Riding (part), York, W. Riding.. 741 876 1,496,538 223,220 390 29,553 12 Total Number of Parishes, 11,067; of Churches and Chapels, 11,825; Population, 13,897,197. The Total Number of Benefices in England and Wales, including those not returned to the Commissioners, but exclusive of those annexed to other Preferments (24 in number), is 10,718. Of these Benefices 297 are under 501.; 1629 from 50%. to 1001.; 1602 from 1001. to 150.; 1354 from 1507. to 2007.; 1799 from 2007, to 3004.; 1326 from 3007. to 400; 830 from 400l. to 500/.; 954 from 500l. to 7501.: 323 from 750l. to 10007.: 134 from 1000l. to 1500.; 32 from 1500l. to 2000l.; 18 from 20001. and upwards. Of these last, one is the rectory of Stanhope in the diocese of Durham, of the net annual value of 48431.; and another is the rectory of Doddington in the diocese of Ely, of the net annual value of 73 61. The diocese of Sodor and Man is included in the total number of benefices. The Total Gross Income of the Benefices in England and Wales, including those not returned, and calculated upon the Average of those returned, is 3,251,15%.; and the Total Net Income of the same is 3,055,4511. If the amount of the Curates' Stipends, which is included in the Income of the Incumbents, is subtracted therefrom, the Net Income returned will be reduced to 2,579,9617., giving an Average of 2441. to each Incumbent. Table classing the Patronage of Benefices, and showing the number possessed by each Class The above classification comprises only the patronage returned to the Commissioners. There are 179 nou-returns, and 86 returned omitting the patronage. As the patronage is frequently divided between different classes of patrons, and is included under each, it is obvious that the aggregate total of the above numbers will not agree with the total number of benefices. This includes the patronage or nomination exercised by rectors and vicars. This number does not comprise the livings in the patronage of the dean and canons of Christ Church, which is included among the deans and chapters; and it is further to be observed, that united livings, and livings with chapels annexed, have in either case been treated as single benefices. These Benefices have been sold under the Municipal Corporations Act, 5 & 6 Wm. IV. c. 76, &c. and 2 Vict. c. 31. Table classing the Appropriations and Impropriations; showing the Number possessed by each Class, and the Number of Cases in each Diocese in which the Vicarage is partly or wholly endowed with the Great Tithes. The number of vicarages of which the impropriations have not been returned to the Commissioners is 223. |