CHA 
an officer appointed chiefly to determine 
controversies between the king and his te- 
nants of the ducliy 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 intei'est 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 com- 
pound for forfeitures of lands, upon penal 
statutes ; he has also great authority in ma- 
naging the royal revenues, and in matters 
relating to the first fruits. 
Chancellor of the order of the garter, 
and other military orders, is an oflicer who 
seals the commissions and mandates of the 
chapter and assembly of the knights, keeps 
the register of their proceedings, and deli- 
vers acts thereof under the seal of their or- 
der. 
Chancellor of an university, is he 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 students 
themselves in convocation. He is their 
chief magistrate ; his office is durante vAta, 
to govern the university, preserve and de- 
fend its rights and privileges,' convoke as- 
semblies, and do justice among the mem- 
bers under his jurisdiction. Under tlie 
Chancellor is the Vice-Chancellor, who is 
chosen annually, being nominated by the 
Chancellor, and elected by tlie university 
in convocation : he is always the head of 
some college, and in holy orders. His pro- 
per office is to execute the Chancellor’s 
power, to govern the university according 
to her statutes, to see tliat officers and stu- 
dents do their duty, that courts be duly 
called, &c. AVhen he enters upon his of- 
fice, 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 Chan- 
cellor 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 deter- 
mined by the eivil and statute law, and by 
the custom of the university. The Vice- 
Chancellor of Cambridge is chosen an- 
nually by the senate, out of two persons no- 
minated by the heads of the several cob 
leges and halls. 
CHANCERY, the grand court of equity 
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 equity. 
The ordinary or common law court, is a 
court of record. Its jurisdiction is to hold 
plea upon a sdre facias, to repeal and can- 
cel the King’s letters patent, when made 
against law, or upon untrue , suggestions ; 
and to hold plea on all personal actions, 
where any officer of this court is a party ; 
and of executions on statutes, or of recog- 
nizances in nature of statutes ; and by se- 
veral acts of Parliament, of diverse 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 judg- 
ment is given in this common law part of 
Chanceiy upon demurrer, or tlie like, a 
writ of error is returnable into the King’s 
Bench ; but this hath not been practised 
for many years. From this court also pro- 
ceed all original writs, commissions of cha- 
ritable uses, bankrupts, sewers, idiots, luna- 
tics, and the tike : and for these ends this 
court is ativays open. 
The extraordinaiy com-t is a court of 
equity, and proceeds by the rules of equity 
and good imnscieuce. This equity consists 
in abating the rigour of the common law, 
and giving a remedy in cases where no pro- 
vision, 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 of w’eight 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 ca- 
pable of acting for themselves. All frauds 
for which there is no remedy at law, are 
cognizable here ; as also all breaches of 
trust, and unreasonable or unconscionable 
engagements. It will compel men to per- 
form their agreements ; will remove mort- 
gageors and obligors againot penalties and 
forfeiture, on payment of principal, interest, 
and costs ; will rectify mistakes in convey'- 
ances ; will grant injunctions to stay waste ; 
and restrain the proceedings of inferior 
courts, that they exceed not their authority 
and jurisdiction. This court will not re- 
tain a suit for any thing under lOl. value, 
