Royal peculiar

The church parish system dates from Saxon times when most early churches were provided by the lord whose estate land coincided with that of the parish. A donative parish (or "peculiar") was one that was exempt from diocesan jurisdiction.[1] There are several reasons for peculiars but usually they were held by a senior churchman from another district, parish or diocese. They could include the separate or "peculiar" jurisdiction of the monarch, another archbishop or bishop, or the dean and chapter of a cathedral (also, the Knights Templar and the Knights Hospitaller).[2] An archbishop's peculiar is subject to the direct jurisdiction of an archbishop and a royal peculiar is subject to the direct jurisdiction of the monarch.[3]

Most peculiars survived the Reformation but, with the exception of royal peculiars, were finally abolished during the 19th century by various Acts of Parliament and became subject to the jurisdiction of the diocese in which they lay, although a few non-royal peculiars still exist.[2][3] The majority of royal peculiars that remain are within the Diocese of London.[4]

• St Michael's Collegiate Church, Penkridge near Wolverhampton[13]
• St Michael and All Angels' Church, Tettenhall, Wolverhampton 1247–1548[14]
• Canons of Dover Priory, until 1130[15]
• Holy Trinity, Minories, London, until 1730[16]
• St Mary and St Alkelda, Middleham, North Yorkshire, until 1856[17]
• Wimborne Minster, Dorset, 1318–1846[18]
• St Peter's Collegiate Church, Wolverhampton, 1479–1846[19]
• The Deanery of St Buryan, Cornwall, comprising St Buryan's Church in St Buryan, St Sennen's Church, Sennen, and St Levan's Church, St Levan, until 1850,[20] and was a peculiar under the jurisdiction of the Duchy of Cornwall with the dean appointed by the duke.[21]
• The Deanery of Bridgnorth, Shropshire, until 1856[22]
• Dorchester Abbey in Dorchester on Thames, Oxfordshire, 1536–1837[23]
• The Collegiate Church and Royal Free Chapel of St Mary the Virgin, St Mary's Church, Shrewsbury, until 1856[24]
• St Mary's Church, Stafford[25]

• St Mary-le-Bow, City of London[26] (until 1850)
• The Parish of Hawarden, Flintshire, Wales[27]
• The Parish of Southwick, Hampshire (St James, Southwick and St Nicholas, Boarhunt)[lower-alpha 1][29]
• Charterhouse chapel, Islington, London[30]
• The Peculiar (or Peculier) of Masham, North Yorkshire[31]
• Church of St Mary the Virgin, Hornby, North Yorkshire[32]
• Christ Church, Oxford[lower-alpha 2][33]
• All college chapels of the University of Oxford
• Christ Church, Bath, Somerset[34]
• Chapel of St Lawrence, Warminster, Wiltshire; bought by the townspeople in 1574, administered by feoffees.[35][36]

The following chapels of the Inns of Court are extra-diocesan, and therefore peculiars, but not royal:

• Lincoln's Inn Chapel[37]
• Gray's Inn Chapel[37]

• Exemption (Catholic canon law)
• Extra-parochial area
• Proprietary chapel

• 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 Online