Arches, Court of

ARCHES, COURT OF: The court of appeal of the archbishop of Canterbury. Its name comes from the original place of the court in the vestry of the Church of St. Mary of the Arches, which was in the crypt. The judge was originally called the Official Principal of the Arches Court, but now is called the Dean of the Arches, because the functions of dean and principal have been united. The dean once was set over thirteen churches in London, which were exempt from the bishop of London’s jurisdiction, but now he has no such authority as the churches are no longer exempt. The office is only titular and the court itself has no regular place of meeting but sits in the library of Lambeth Palace or in the church house. The court is rarely convened. The judge is the only ecclesiastical judge authorized to sentence clergymen of the Church of England to deprivation. Appeals from the decision of the court are heard by the judicial committee of the Privy Council. The present judge (1906) is Sir Arthur Charles, appointed by the archbishop of Canterbury in 1899 and holding a life office.