CHA 



CIIA 



lie is the general guardian of all infants, 

 idiots and lunatics; and has the general 

 superintendence of all charitable uses in 

 the kingdom. 



CHANCELLOR of a cathedral, an officer 

 that hears lessons and lectures read in the 

 church, either by himself or his vicar; to 

 correct and set right the reader when he 

 reads amiss ; to inspect schools; to hear 

 causes; apply the seal; write and dis- 

 patch the letters of the chapter; keep 

 the books; take care that there be fre- 

 quent preach ings both in the church and 

 out of it; and assign the office of preach- 

 ing to whom he pleases. 



CHANCELLOR of the duchy of Lancaster, 

 an officer appointed chiefly to determine 

 controversies between the king and his 

 tenants of the duchy land, and otherwise 

 to direct all the King's affairs belonging 

 to that court. 



CHANCELLOR of the Exchequer, an offi- 

 cer who presides in that court, and takes 

 care of the interest of the crown. 



He is always in commission with the 

 Lord Treasurer, for the letting of crown- 

 lands, &c. and has power, with others, to 

 compound for forfeitures of lands upon 

 penal statutes : he has also great autho- 

 rity in managing the royal revenues, and 

 in matters relating to the first fruits. 



CHANCELLOR of tlue order of the garter, 

 and other military orders, is an officer who 

 seals -the commissions and mandates of 

 the chapter and assembly of the knights, 

 keeps the register of their proceedings, 

 and delivers acts thereof under the seal 

 of their order. 



CHANCELLOR of an university, is lie who 

 seals the diplomas, or letters of degrees, 

 provision, &c. given in the university. 

 The Chancellor of Oxford is usually one 

 of the prime nobility, chosen by the stu- 

 dents themselves in convocation. He is 

 their chief magistrate ; his office is du- 

 rante vita, to govern the university, pre- 

 serve anddefend its rights and privileges, 

 convoke assemblies, and do justice among 

 the members under his jurisdiction Un- 

 der the Chancellor is the Vice-Chancellor, 

 who is chosen annually, being nominated 

 by the Chancellor, and elected by the uni- 

 versity in convocation : he is always the 

 head of some college, and in holy orders. 

 His proper office is, to execute the Chan- 

 cellor's power, to govern the university 

 according to her statutes, to see that offi- 

 cers and students do their duty, that 

 courts be duly called, &.c. When he 

 enters upon his office, he chooses four 

 Pro-Vice-Chancellors out of the heads of 

 the colleges, to execute his power in his 



Absence. The Chancellor of Cambridge 

 is also usually one of the prime nobility, 

 and in most respects the same as that in 

 Oxford, only he does not hold his office 

 durante vita, but may be elected every 

 three years. Under the chancellor there 

 is a Commissary, who holds a court of re- 

 cord for all privileged persons and scho- 

 lars under the degree of Master of Arts, 

 where all causes are tried and determined 

 by the civil and statute law, and by the 

 custom of the university. The Vice- 

 Chancellor of Cambridge is chosen annu- 

 ally by the Senate, out of two persons no- 

 minated by the heads of the several col- 

 leges and halls. 



CHANCERY, the grartd court of equi- 

 ty and conscience, instituted to moderate 

 the rigour of the other courts that 

 are bound to the strict letter of the 

 law. 



In Chancery are two courts; one ordi- 

 nary, being a court of common law ; the 

 other extraordinary, being a court of equi- 

 ty. The ordinary or common law court 

 is a court of record. Its jurisdiction is to 

 hold plea upon a scire facias, to repeal 

 and cancel the King's letters patent, 

 when made against law, or upon untriu 

 suggestions; and to hold plea on all per- 

 sonal actions, where any officer of this 

 court is a party; and of executions on 

 statutes, or of recognizances in nature of 

 statutes; and by several acts of Parlia- 

 ment, of divers other offences and causes; 

 but this court cannot try a cause by a 

 jury, but the record is to be delivered by 

 the Lord Chancellor into the King's 

 Bench, to be tried there, and judgment 

 given thereon. And when judgment is 

 given in this common law part of Chance- 

 ry upon demurrer, or the like, a writ of 

 error is returnable into the King's Bench; 

 but this hath not been practisedfor many 

 years. From this court also proceed all 

 original writs, commissions of charitable 

 uses, bankrupts, sewers, idiots, lunatics, 

 and the like : and for these ends this 

 court is always open. 



The extraordinary court is a court of 

 equity, and proceeds by the rules of equi- 

 ty and good conscience. This equity con- 

 sists in abating the rigour of the common 

 law, and giving a remedy in cases where 

 no provision, or not sufficient provision, 

 had been madS by the ordinary course of 

 law. The jurisdiction of this court is of 

 vast extent. Almost all causes of weight 

 and moment, first or last, have their deter- 

 mination here. In this court relief is given 

 in the case of infants, married women, and 

 others not capable of acting for them- 



