Royal Peculiar
Encyclopedia
A Royal Peculiar is a place of worship that falls directly under the jurisdiction of the British monarch
, rather than under a bishop
. The concept dates from Anglo-Saxon times, when a church could ally itself with the monarch and therefore not be subject to the bishop
of the area. Later it reflected the relationship between the Norman
and Plantagenet kings and the English church
. Unlike many of the ecclesiastical foundations of the medieval period the royal peculiars were not abolished in the English Reformation
effected under the Tudors.
Edinburgh
Cambridge
Windsor
The following chapels of the Inns of Court
are extra-diocesan, and therefore peculiars, but not Royal:
British monarchy
The monarchy of the United Kingdom is the constitutional monarchy of the United Kingdom and its overseas territories. The present monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, has reigned since 6 February 1952. She and her immediate family undertake various official, ceremonial and representational duties...
, rather than under a bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
. The concept dates from Anglo-Saxon times, when a church could ally itself with the monarch and therefore not be subject to the bishop
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
of the area. Later it reflected the relationship between the Norman
Norman dynasty
Norman dynasty is the usual designation for the family that were the Dukes of Normandy and the English monarchs which immediately followed the Norman conquest and lasted until the Plantagenet dynasty came to power in 1154. It included Rollo and his descendants, and from William the Conqueror and...
and Plantagenet kings and the English church
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
. Unlike many of the ecclesiastical foundations of the medieval period the royal peculiars were not abolished in the English Reformation
English Reformation
The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
effected under the Tudors.
Royal Peculiars of the present day
London- The Collegiate Church of St Peter, WestminsterWestminster AbbeyThe Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
commonly known as Westminster Abbey, and containing Henry VII's chapelHenry VII Lady ChapelThe Henry VII Lady Chapel, now more often known just as the Henry VII Chapel, is a large Lady chapel at the far eastern end of Westminster Abbey, paid for by the will of Henry VII. It is separated from the rest of the abbey by brass gates and a flight of stairs.The structure of the chapel is a...
which is the chapel of the Order of the BathOrder of the BathThe Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
. - The chapels associated with the Chapel RoyalChapel RoyalA Chapel Royal is a body of priests and singers who serve the spiritual needs of their sovereign wherever they are called upon to do so.-Austria:...
, which refers not to a building but to an establishment in the Royal Household; a body of priests and singers to explicitly serve the spiritual needs of the sovereign- The Chapel Royal, St James's Palace
- The Queen's ChapelQueen's ChapelThe Queen's Chapel is a Christian chapel in central London, England that was designed by Inigo Jones and built between 1623 and 1625 as an adjunct to St. James's Palace...
, St James's Palace - The Chapel Royal, Hampton Court
- The Chapel of St John the EvangelistSt John's Chapel, LondonSt. John's Chapel is located in the Tower of London. Dating from 1080, this complete 11th-century church is the oldest church in London.A Romanesque chapel, St. John's is on the second floor of the White Tower, which was built in 1077–97 as a keep or citadel, the oldest part of William the...
in the Tower of LondonTower of LondonHer Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space... - The Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula in the Tower of LondonTower of LondonHer Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
- The Queen's Chapel of the SavoySavoy ChapelThe Savoy Chapel or the Queen's Chapel of the Savoy is a chapel off the Strand, London, dedicated to St John the Baptist. It was originally built in the medieval era off the main church of the Savoy Palace...
, exempt from any bishop's jurisdiction and a private chapelChapelA chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
of the sovereign in right of the Duchy of LancasterDuchy of LancasterThe Duchy of Lancaster is one of the two royal duchies in England, the other being the Duchy of Cornwall. It is held in trust for the Sovereign, and is used to provide income for the use of the British monarch...
. It is the chapel of The Royal Victorian OrderRoyal Victorian OrderThe Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
. The number of members of the order in recent years has outgrown the available space in the Savoy Chapel so the service for those who have received awards is now held in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle every four years. - The Chapel of St Mary Undercroft - the crypt of the former St Stephen's ChapelSt Stephen's ChapelSt Stephen's Chapel was a chapel in the old Palace of Westminster. It was largely lost in the fire of 1834, but the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft in the crypt survived...
in the Palace of WestminsterPalace of WestminsterThe Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...
is also a Royal Peculiar. The building is administered through the Lord Great ChamberlainLord Great ChamberlainThe Lord Great Chamberlain of England is the sixth of the Great Officers of State, ranking beneath the Lord Privy Seal and above the Lord High Constable...
and Black RodBlack RodThe Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, generally shortened to just Black Rod, is an official in the parliaments of several Commonwealth countries. The position originates in the House of Lords of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
and it has no dedicated clergy: by convention services were conducted by the RectorRectorThe word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of St Margaret's, Westminster, a member of the Chapter of Westminster Abbey. In 2010 the SpeakerSpeaker (politics)The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
of the House of Commons used his right of appointment to nominate an outsider, Revd. Rose Hudson-Wilkin. - The Royal Foundation of St KatharineSt Katharine's by the TowerSt Katharine's by the Tower--full name Royal Hospital and Collegiate Church of St. Katharine by the Tower--was a medieval church and hospital next to the Tower of London. The establishment was founded in 1148 and the buildings demolished in 1825 to build St Katharine Docks, which takes its name...
founded in 1148 by Queen Matilda as a religious community and medieval hospital for poor infirm people next to the Tower of London.
Edinburgh
- Chapel Royal, Holyrood PalaceHolyrood PalaceThe Palace of Holyroodhouse, commonly referred to as Holyrood Palace, is the official residence of the monarch in Scotland. The palace stands at the bottom of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, at the opposite end to Edinburgh Castle...
Cambridge
- The Church of St. Edward, King and Martyr, CambridgeSt Edward King and Martyr, CambridgeSt Edward King and Martyr is a church located on Peas Hill in central Cambridge, England. It is dedicated to Edward the Martyr, King of England from 975 until his murder in 978...
Windsor
- St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, the chapel of the Order of the GarterOrder of the GarterThe Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...
. - Royal Chapel of All Saints, Windsor (in the grounds of the Royal LodgeRoyal LodgeThe Royal Lodge is a house in the civil parish of Old Windsor, located in Windsor Great Park, half a mile north of Cumberland Lodge and south of Windsor Castle. It was the Windsor residence of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother from 1952 until her death there in 2002. Since 2004 it has been the...
)
Non-royal peculiars
- The Peculiar (or Peculier) of MashamMashamMasham is a small market town and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. It has a population of 1,235. Situated in Wensleydale on the western bank of the River Ure, the name derives from the Anglo-Saxon "Mæssa's Ham", the homestead belonging to Mæssa. The Romans had...
- St Mary-le-BowSt Mary-le-BowSt Mary-le-Bow is an historic church in the City of London, off Cheapside. According to tradition, a true Cockney must be born within earshot of the sound of the church's bells.-Bells:...
The following chapels of the Inns of Court
Inns of Court
The Inns of Court in London are the professional associations for barristers in England and Wales. All such barristers must belong to one such association. They have supervisory and disciplinary functions over their members. The Inns also provide libraries, dining facilities and professional...
are extra-diocesan, and therefore peculiars, but not Royal:
- The Peculiar of the Temple ChurchTemple ChurchThe Temple Church is a late-12th-century church in London located between Fleet Street and the River Thames, built for and by the Knights Templar as their English headquarters. In modern times, two Inns of Court both use the church. It is famous for its effigy tombs and for being a round church...
- The Peculiar of Lincoln's InnLincoln's InnThe Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn. Although Lincoln's Inn is able to trace its official records beyond...
- The Peculiar of Gray's InnGray's InnThe Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
Former Royal Peculiars
- Canons of Dover PrioryDover PrioryThe Priory of St. Mary the Virgin and St. Martin of the New Work, or Newark, commonly called Dover Priory, was a priory at Dover in southeast England...
until 1130 - Holy Trinity, MinoriesHoly Trinity, MinoriesHoly Trinity, Minories was a church outside the eastern boundaries of the City of London; but within the Liberties of the Tower of London. The liberty was incorporated in the Metropolitan Borough of Stepney in 1899, and today is within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.The district lay within the...
, London until 1730 - St. Mary and St. Alkeld, MiddlehamMiddlehamMiddleham is a small market town and civil parish in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England. It lies in Wensleydale, in the Yorkshire Dales, on the north-facing side of the valley just above the junction of the River Ure and River Cover. There has been a settlement there since Roman...
until 1845 - Wimborne Minster 1318 – 1846
- St. Peter's Collegiate Church, WolverhamptonSt. Peter's Collegiate Church, WolverhamptonSt. Peter's Collegiate Church is located on the highest and the oldest developed site in central Wolverhampton, England. For many centuries it was a chapel royal, and from 1480 a royal peculiar, independent of the Diocese of Lichfield and even the Province of Canterbury. The collegiate church was...
1479 – 1846 - The Deanery of St. Buryan comprising St Buryan's Church in St. Buryan, St. Sennen's Church, SennenSt. Sennen's Church, SennenSt. Sennen's Church, Sennen is a parish church in the Church of England located in Sennen, Cornwall.-History:The church of St. Sennen is medieval: it is known as the parish church of Lands End.The patron of the church is the Duke of Cornwall....
, and St. Levan's Church, St. LevanSt. Levan's Church, St. LevanSt Levan's Church, St Levan is a parish church in the Church of England located in St Levan, Cornwall, UK. Until 1864 the church was a chapelry of the Royal Peculiar of the Deanery of St Buryan. It is now part of the united benefice of St Buryan and St Sennen....
until 1850 - The Deanery of BridgnorthBridgnorthBridgnorth is a town in Shropshire, England, along the Severn Valley. It is split into Low Town and High Town, named on account of their elevations relative to the River Severn, which separates the upper town on the right bank from the lower on the left...
until 1856 - Dorchester Abbey 1536-1837
External links
- Diocese of London – Cathedral and Royal Peculiars
- Deanery of Westminster - extra-parochial places
- Report of Review Group on the Royal Peculiars 2001
- The British Monarchy – Royal Victorian Order
- Listing and description from Anglicans OnlineAnglicans onlineAnglicans Online is an unofficial weekly news magazine of the Anglican Communion. Its editorial staff is private and unaffiliated. A project of the Society of Archbishop Justus founded in 1994, AO includes more than 30,000 links and has more than 250,000 readers. calls it 'a kind voice in what...