Extract from the Letters Patent of Her Majesty, under the Great Seal, Appointing the Lord
Bishop of Montreal and his successors in that See, Metropolitans of the Church of England in
Canada
VICTORIA, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Queen,
Defender of the Faith;
To all to whom these Presents shall come, Greeting:
… And whereas the numbers, both of Bishops, and Clergy, and Laity, of the United Church of
England and Ireland, in our Province of Canada, have of late years greatly increased, and are
increasing:
And whereas there are four separate Sees, Dioceses and Bishoprics duly erected and constituted
in the said Province – that is to say the Bishopric of Quebec, the Bishopric of Toronto, the
Bishopric of Montreal, and the Bishopric of Huron – whereof one is the said Diocese and
Bishopric of Montreal:
And whereas we have been graciously pleased to give our royal assent (which was duly
proclaimed in Canada on the twenty-eighth day of May, in the year of our Lord one thousand
eight hundred and fifty-seven) to an Act passed as aforesaid in the session of the Provincial
Parliament of Canada, holden in the nineteenth and twentieth years of our reign, intituled “An
Act to enable the members of the United Church of England and Ireland in Canada to meet in
Synod:”
… in which (amongst other things) provision is made for the meeting of the Bishops, Clergy and
Laity, of the said United Church of England and Ireland, in their several Dioceses, for certain
purposes therein mentioned, and also for the meeting of the Bishops, Clergy, and Laity,
members of the said United Church of England and Ireland, of the said Province, in General
Assembly, within the said Province by such representatives as shall be determined and declared
by them, and for their framing in such General Assembly a constitution and regulations for the
general management and good government of the said Church in the said Province, as by the
said Act, reference being thereto had, will more fully appear:
And whereas we have received three several petitions from the Bishops, Clergy and Laity, in
Synod assembled, of the several Dioceses of Quebec, Montreal and Toronto, praying that in
order to enable the Bishops, Clergy, and Laity of the said Church in Canada to have the full
benefit of the provisions of the said Act, we will be graciously pleased, to take such measures,
or cause such measures to be taken, as may be necessary in order to appoint one of the Bishops
of the said Church in the said Province to be the Metropolitan, that so the necessary powers may
be vested in him for holding and presiding over the said General Assembly of the Church in the
said Province:
And whereas we, having fully considered the premises, are graciously pleased to comply with
the prayer of the said Petitions in this behalf, and, in accordance therewith, to appoint the Lord
Bishop of Montreal and his successors to be Metropolitan Bishop and Metropolitan Bishops in
and over the said Province, subject as to the succession to the proviso hereinafter mentioned:
Now, therefore, we will and ordain that the Right Reverend Father in God, Francis Fulford,
Doctor in Divinity, now LORD BISHOP OF MONTREAL, and his successors, the Bishops
thereof for the time being, shall be and be deemed and taken to be Metropolitan Bishop in our
said Province, of Canada; subject, nevertheless, as to the succession to the Metropolitical See, to
such rules, regulations and canons as shall and may be made in respect thereof by the Bishops,
Clergy and Laity, members of the United Church of England and Ireland of the said Province in
their General Assemblies, under the said recited act, and to the general superintendence and
revision of the Archbishop of Canterbury for the time being, and subordinate to the
Archiepiscopal See of the Province of Canterbury.
And we will and ordain that the said Bishops of Quebec, Toronto and Huron, and the Bishops of
any other Sees that may hereafter be created in Canada respectively, shall be suffragan Bishops
to the said Lord Bishop of Montreal and his successors:
And we will and grant to the said Lord Bishop of Montreal, and his successors, full power and
authority, as Metropolitan of Canada, to perform all functions peculiar and appropriate to the
office of Metropolitan, within the limits of the said Sees of Quebec, Toronto and Huron, and any
other Sees that may hereafter be erected in Canada, and to exercise Metropolitan Jurisdiction
over the Bishops of the said Sees and their successors, and over all Archdeacons, Dignitaries,
and all other Chaplains, Ministers, Priests and Deacons in Holy Orders, of the United Church of
England and Ireland, within the limits of the said Dioceses:
And we do by these presents give and grant unto the said Lord Bishop of Montreal and his
successors, full power and authority to visit once in five years, or oftener if occasion shall
require, as well the said several Bishops and their successors, as all Archdeacons and
Dignitaries, and all other Chaplains, Ministers, Priests and Deacons in Holy Orders, of the
United Church of England and Ireland, resident in the said Dioceses, for correcting and
supplying the defects of the said Bishops and their successors with all and all manner of
visitorial jurisdiction, power and coercion:
And we do hereby authorise and empower the said Lord Bishop of Montreal, and his successors,
to inhibit, during any such visitation of the said Dioceses, the exercise of all or of such part or
parts of the ordinary jurisdiction of the said Bishops or their successors, as to him, the said Lord
Bishop of Montreal, or his successors, shall seem expedient; and during the time of such
visitation to exercise by himself or themselves, or his or their commissaries, such powers,
functions and jurisdictions in and over the said Dioceses, as the Bishops thereof might have
exercised if they had not been inhibited from exercising the same:
And we do further ordain and declare, that if any person against whom a sentence, judgment or
decree shall be pronounced by the said Bishops, or their successors, or their commissary or
commissaries, shall conceive himself to be aggrieved by such sentence, judgment or decree, it
shall be lawful for such person to appeal to the said Lord Bishop of Montreal, or his successors,
provided such appeal be entered within fifteen days after such sentence, judgment or decree
shall have been pronounced:
And we do give and grant to the said Lord Bishop of Montreal, and his successors, full power and authority finally to decide and determine the said appeals:
And we do further will and ordain that in case any proceedings should be instituted against any
of the said Bishops of Quebec, Toronto and Huron, or any other Diocese that may hereafter be
erected, (when placed under the said Metropolitical See of Montreal) such proceedings shall
originate and be carried on before the Lord Bishop of Montreal for the time being, whom we
hereby authorize and direct to take cognizance of the same:
And we do further will and declare, that it shall be lawful for the said Lord Bishop of Montreal,
as such Metropolitan, and for his successors from time to time, at their discretion, until and
unless otherwise provided by the General Assembly and General Assemblies in the said
Province of Canada; and in all other matters and for all other intents and purposes whatsoever,
save and except as is hereinbefore expressed, we do hereby confirm, and declare valid and
subsisting the hereinbefore partly recited Letters Patent, dated the eighteenth day of July, in the
year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and fifty, and in the fourteenth year of our reign:
And we do further will and declare, that the said several powers and authorities, hereby
conferred on the said Lord Bishop of Montreal, and his successors, are subject to the rules,
regulations and canons, that the said General Assembly may, from time to time, make in respect
thereof, under and by virtue of the said recited Act:
And, lastly, to the intent that all things aforesaid may be firmly holden and done, we will and
grant to the aforesaid Francis Fulford, Doctor in Divinity, that he shall have our Letters Patent,
under our Great Seal of Our United Kingdom, duly made and sealed:
IN WITNESS WHEREOF we have caused these our Letters to be made patent.
Witness ourself at Westminster, the twelfth day of February, in the twenty-fifth year of our
reign.
By Warrant under the Queen’s Sign Manual.
C. ROMILLY
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official printed version, the latter shall prevail.