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CHANCEL, a particular part of the 
fabric of a Christian church ; it is the rector’s 
Freehold and part of his glebe, and therefore 
he is obliged to repair it ; but where the 
rectory is impropriate, the impropriator must 
do it. 
CHANCELLOR, an officer supposed ori- 
ginally to have been a notary or scribe under 
the emperors; and named cancellarius, be- 
cause he sat behind a lattice, called in Latin 
[cancellus, to avoid being crowded by the 
people. The chancellor originally presided 
[over a political college of secretaries, for the 
[ writing of treaties, and other public business ; 
and the court of equity, under the old consti- 
tution, v, as held before the king and his coun- 
jcil, in the palace, where one supreme court 
for business of every kind was kept. At 
first the chancellor became a judge, to hear 
and determine petitions to the king, which 
were preferred to him; and in the end, as 
[Easiness increased, the people addressed their 
suit to the chancellor, and not to the king ; 
and thus the chancellor’s equitable power, 
by degrees, commenced by prescription. 
1 Lord high chancellor of Great Britain, 
or lord keeper of the great seal, is the high- 
est honour of the long robe ; being made so 
per traditionem magni sigilli per dominum 
rege n, and by taking the oaths: he is the 
first person of the realm next alter the king, 
land princes of the blood, in all civil affairs; 
and is the chief administrator of justice next 
it he sovereign, being the judge of the court 
jof chancery, which is styled a court of equity, 
finis equity consists in abating the rigour of 
tire common law, and giving a remedy in 
bases where no provision, or not sufficient 
provision, had been made by the ordinary 
course of law. The jurisdiction of this 
court is of vast extent. Almost all causes 
jof weight and moment, first or last, have their 
(determination here. In this court relief is 
given in the case of infants, married women, 
and others not capable of acting for them- 
selves. All frauds for w hich there is no re- 
medy at law are cognizable here ; as also all 
breaches of trust, and unreasonable or un- 
conscionable engagements, it will compel 
tnen to perform their agreements ; will re- 
prove mortgageors and obligors against pe- 
nalties and forfeiture, on payment of princi- 
pal, interest, and costs ; will rectify mistakes 
in conveyances; will grant injunctions to 
stay waste ; and restrain the proceedings of 
inferior courts, that they exceed not their au- 
thority and jurisdiction. 3 Black. 48. This 
court will not retain a suit for any thing under 
10 /. value, except in cases of charity, nor for 
lands under 405 . per annum, 
j The lord chancellor not only keeps the 
(ting’s great seal, but also all patents, com- 
missions, warrants, &c. from the king, are, 
Before they are signed, perused by him : he 
has the disposition of all ecclesiastical bene- 
fices in the gift of the crown under 20/. a 
year, in the king’s books ; and lie is speaker 
pf the house of lords. 
I Chancellor of a cathedra 1 ,, an officer 
hat hears lessons and lectures read in the 
fluirch, either by himself or Ins vicar ; to 
correct and set right the reader when he reads 
[miss; to inspect schools; to hear causes; 
Imply the seal ; write and dispatch the letters 
iff the chapter; keep the books; take care 
pat there are frequent preachings, both in 
the church and out of it ; and assign the office 
of preaching to whom he pleases. 
Chancellor of a dioce-se, a lay officer 
under a bishop, who is judge of his court. 
Chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster, 
an officer appointed chiefly to determine 
controversies between the king and his te- 
nants of the duchy-land, and otherwise to 
direct all the king’s" affairs belonging to that 
court. 
Chancellor of the exchequer, an officer 
who presides in that court, and takes care of 
the interest of the crown. lie is always 
in commission with the lord treasurer, for 
the letting of crown lands, &c. and lias power 
with others, to compound for forfeitures of 
lands, upon penal statutes : he lias also great 
authority in managing the royal revenues, 
and Rational finances. 
Chancellor of the 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 he who 
seals the diplomas, or letters of degrees, pro- 
vision, &c. given in the university. 
The chancellor of Oxford is usually one 
of the prime nobility, chosen by the members 
of the university in convocation. He is their 
chief magistrate: his office is durante vita, to 
govern the university, preserve and defend 
its rights and privileges, convoke assemblies, 
and do justice among the members under his 
jurisdiction. Under the chancellor is the 
vice-chancellor, who is chosen annually, being 
nominated by the chancellor, and elected by 
the university in convocation : he is always 
the head of some college, and in holy orders. 
His proper office is to execute the chancel- 
lor’s power, to govern the university accord- 
ing to her statutes, to see that officers and 
students do their duty, that courts be duly 
called, &c. When he enters upon his office, 
be chooses four pro-vicechancellors out of 
the heads of the colleges, to execute his 
power in his absence. 
The chancellor of Cambridge is also usu- 
ally one of the prime nobility, and in most 
respects the same as that of 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 record for all privileged persons 
and scholars under the degree of master of 
arts, where all causes are. tried and determin- 
ed by the civil and statute law, and by the 
custom of the university. The vice-chan- 
cellor of Cambridge is chosen annually, by 
the senate, out of two persons nominated 
by tire heads of the several colleges and 
hall. 
CHANCERY, apostolic, a court in the 
church of Rome, belonging to the pope. 
The pope’s datory and chancery courts were 
fo' uerly one and the same thing: but the 
multitude of affairs to be transacted therein, 
obliged him to divide it into two tribunals, 
which are so nearly related to one another, 
that the chancery cfoes no more than dispatch 
ail that has passed through the datory court. 
The officers belonging to this court are al e 
regent, preLi.es, and registers. There an 
also six mast ., in chancery, whose business 
it is to collect the bulls : each of these em 
ployments is purchased for six thousand 
crowns. These are subordinate to the master 
of the rolls, who keeps the registers of the bulls. 
CHANDELIER, in fortification, a kind 
of moveable parapet, consisting of a wooden 
frame, made of two upright stakes, about six 
feet high, with cross planks between them ; 
serving to support the fascines to cover the 
pioneers. r .l he chandeliers differ from blinds 
in this, that the former cover the men only 
before, whereas the latter cover them also 
above. They are used in approaches, gal- 
leries, and mines, to hinder the workmen 
from being driven from their stations. 
CHANNEL, in architecture, that part of 
the Ionic capital which is under the abacus. 
Channel of the larmier, the hollow soffit 
of a cornice which makes the pendant mods- 
chette. 
Channel of the volute, in the Ionic capi- 
tal, the face of the circumvolution inclosed 
by a listel. 
C HANTL ATE, in building, a piece of 
wood fastened near the end of the rafters, and 
projecting beyond the wall to support two 
or three rows of tiles, so placed as to pre- 
vent the rain-water from trickling down the 
sides of the walls. 
CHAOS, in zoology, a genus of insects be- 
longing to the order of zoophyta. The body 
has no shell or covering, and is capable of re- 
viving after appearing to be dead for a con- 
siderable time. It has no joints, or external 
organs of sensation. There are five species, 
mostly obtained by infusions of different ve- 
getables in water, and only discoverable by 
the microscope. 
CHAPEAU, in heraldry, an antient cap 
of dignity worn by dukes, being scarlet-co- 
loured velvet on the outside, and lined with 
a fur. 
CHAPEL, a place of divine worship, 
served by an incumbent under the denomi- 
nation of a chaplain. 
In England there are several sorts, 1 . Pa- 
rochial chapels, which, differing from parish 
churches only in the name, are generally 
small, as tiie inhabitants within the district 
are few. If there is a presentation ad eccle- 
siam instead of ad capellam, and an admission 
and institution upon it, it is no longer a chapel, 
but a church. 2. Chapels which adjoin to and 
are part of the church: such were formerly 
built by honourable persons as bin ying-places 
for themselves and their families. 3. Chapels - 
of ease, built in very large parishes for the con- 
venience of suc h as cannot repair to the parish 
church. These are served by inferior curates 
provided at the charge of the rector, and con- 
sequently renioveable at his pleasure. 4. 
Free chapels, such as were founded by the 
kings of England, free from all episcopal ju- 
risdiction, and to be visited only by the 
founder and his successors : the visitation is 
made by the lord chancellor. ’Hie king like-" 
wise may license any subject to build and en- 
dow a chapel, and by letters patent exempt 
it from the visitation of the ordinary. 5. 
Chapels in universities belonging to particular 
colleges, which, though consecrated, and 
though sacraments are administered there, 
are not liable to the visitation of the bishop. 
6. Domestic chapels, built by gentlemen for 
the private service of God in their own fa- 
milies. These may be erected without the 
leave of the bishop, and need not be conse- 
crated, though they were antiently: they 
are not subject to the visitation of the ordinary J .. 
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