Dean of the Chapel Royal
Encyclopedia
Dean of the Chapel Royal, in any kingdom, can be the title of an official charged with oversight of that kingdom's Chapel Royal
, the ecclesiastical establishment
which is part of the Royal Household
and ministers to it.
since 1748. In practice, the chapel, its choir, and the various chapel buildings associated with it come under the oversight of the Sub-Dean, who is the Queen's residential chaplain.
. In 1501 James IV
founded a new Chapel Royal in Stirling Castle
, but from 1504 onwards the deanery was held by successive Bishops of Galloway
with the title of Bishop of the Chapel Royal
and authority over all the royal palaces within Scotland. The deanery was annexed to the bishopric of Dunblane
in 1621, and the Chapel Royal was removed to Holyrood
.
The office of Dean was suppressed with the abolition of prelacy in 1689, and the revenues of the Chapel Royal reverted to the Crown
. Grants from these revenues were made to individual Church of Scotland
ministers and from 1727 onwards part was allocated to three royal chaplains, known collectively as the Deans of the Chapel Royal. Replacement of these chaplains by professors of the Divinity Faculties in the University of Glasgow
, the University of Aberdeen
, Edinburgh University and the University of St Andrews
took place between 1860 and 1868. In 1886 the office of Dean was revived and united by royal warrant to that of Dean of the Thistle
, eventually being separated in 1969.
Chapel Royal
A 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:...
, the ecclesiastical establishment
Ecclesiastical Household
The Ecclesiastical Household is a part of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. Reflecting the different constitutions of the Churches of England and of Scotland, there are separate Ecclesiastical Households in each nation.-England:...
which is part of the Royal Household
Royal Household
A Royal Household in ancient and medieval monarchies formed the basis for the general government of the country as well as providing for the needs of the sovereign and his relations....
and ministers to it.
England
In England, the office of Dean of the Chapel Royal (dating from 1312) has been by custom held by the Bishop of LondonBishop of London
The Bishop of London is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of London in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers 458 km² of 17 boroughs of Greater London north of the River Thames and a small part of the County of Surrey...
since 1748. In practice, the chapel, its choir, and the various chapel buildings associated with it come under the oversight of the Sub-Dean, who is the Queen's residential chaplain.
Scotland
In Scotland, the title first appears in the fifteenth century, when it may have referred to a prebend in the church of St Mary on the Rock, St AndrewsSt Andrews
St Andrews is a university town and former royal burgh on the east coast of Fife in Scotland. The town is named after Saint Andrew the Apostle.St Andrews has a population of 16,680, making this the fifth largest settlement in Fife....
. In 1501 James IV
James IV of Scotland
James IV was King of Scots from 11 June 1488 to his death. He is generally regarded as the most successful of the Stewart monarchs of Scotland, but his reign ended with the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Flodden Field, where he became the last monarch from not only Scotland, but also from all...
founded a new Chapel Royal in Stirling Castle
Stirling Castle
Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most important castles, both historically and architecturally, in Scotland. The castle sits atop Castle Hill, an intrusive crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill geological formation. It is surrounded on three sides by steep...
, but from 1504 onwards the deanery was held by successive Bishops of Galloway
Bishop of Galloway
The Bishop of Galloway, also called the Bishop of Whithorn, was the eccesiastical head of the Diocese of Galloway, said to have been founded by Saint Ninian in the mid-5th century. The subsequent Anglo-Saxon bishopric was founded in the late 7th century or early 8th century, and the first known...
with the title of Bishop of the Chapel Royal
Chapel Royal
A 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:...
and authority over all the royal palaces within Scotland. The deanery was annexed to the bishopric of Dunblane
Dunblane
Dunblane is a small cathedral city and former burgh north of Stirling in the Stirling council area of Scotland. The town is situated off the A9 road, on the way north to Perth. Its main landmark is Dunblane Cathedral and the Allan Water runs through the town centre, with the Cathedral and the High...
in 1621, and the Chapel Royal was removed to Holyrood
Holyrood, Edinburgh
Holyrood is an area in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Lying east of the city centre, at the end of the Royal Mile, Holyrood was once in the separate burgh of Canongate before the expansion of Edinburgh in 1856...
.
The office of Dean was suppressed with the abolition of prelacy in 1689, and the revenues of the Chapel Royal reverted to the Crown
The Crown
The Crown is a corporation sole that in the Commonwealth realms and any provincial or state sub-divisions thereof represents the legal embodiment of governance, whether executive, legislative, or judicial...
. Grants from these revenues were made to individual Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
ministers and from 1727 onwards part was allocated to three royal chaplains, known collectively as the Deans of the Chapel Royal. Replacement of these chaplains by professors of the Divinity Faculties in the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
, the University of Aberdeen
University of Aberdeen
The University of Aberdeen, an ancient university founded in 1495, in Aberdeen, Scotland, is a British university. It is the third oldest university in Scotland, and the fifth oldest in the United Kingdom and wider English-speaking world...
, Edinburgh University and the University of St Andrews
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...
took place between 1860 and 1868. In 1886 the office of Dean was revived and united by royal warrant to that of Dean of the Thistle
Dean of the Thistle
The Dean of the Thistle is an office of the Order of the Thistle, re-established in 1687. The office is normally held by a minister of the Church of Scotland, and forms part of the Royal Household in Scotland....
, eventually being separated in 1969.
Office-holders since revival
- 1887-1910: The Very Revd James Cameron LeesJames Cameron LeesJames Cameron Lees KCVO, was a Church of Scotland minister and author at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th.Lees was born in London on 24 July 1834 and educated at London University. He was the incumbent at Carnach,Abbey of Paisley and St Giles' Cathedral Edinburgh. He was...
- 1910-1926: The Rt Revd Andrew Wallace WilliamsonAndrew Wallace WilliamsonAndrew Wallace Williamson KCVO was a Church of Scotland minister in the 20th century.Born in Thornhill, Dumfriesshire on 29 December 1856, he was educated at Wallace Hall Academy and the University of Edinburgh. He was Assistant Minister at North Leith Parish Church and then Minister at St...
- 1926-1969: The Very Revd Charles Laing WarrCharles Laing WarrCharles Laing Warr GCVO was a Church of Scotland minister and author in the 20th century.Warr was born into an ecclesiastical family on 24 July 1892 and educated at Glasgow Academy and the University of Edinburgh. He was commissioned into the 9th Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in 1914 and...
- 1969-1973: The Very Revd James Boyd LongmuirJames Boyd LongmuirThe Very Rev James Boyd Longmuir CBE, DD, TD was an eminent Church of Scotland minister in the 20th century.He was born on 26 April 1907 and educated at Dalziel High School and the University of Glasgow. He was ordained to Swinton Parish in 1934 where he served until 1952, including World...
- 1974-1981: The Very Revd Hugh Osborne DouglasHugh Osborne DouglasThe Very Rev Hugh Osborne Douglas KCVO, CBE, DD, TD, LLD was an eminentChurch of Scotland minister in the 20th century.He was born into an ecclesiastical family in Glasgow on 11 September 1911 and educated at Glasgow Academy and the University of Glasgow. Licensed to preach by the...
- 1981-1991: The Very Revd Robert Alexander Stewart BarbourRobert Alexander Stewart BarbourRobert Alexander Stewart Barbour KCVO MC was a Church of Scotland minister and an author.Barbour was born on 11 May 1921 and educated at Rugby and Balliol. He served in World War II with The Scottish Horse...
- 1991-1996: The Very Revd William James MorrisWilliam James MorrisWilliam James Morris KCVO, JP was a Church of Scotland minister and an author.He was born in Cardiff on 22 August 1925 and educated at Cardiff High School and the University of Edinburgh. He was Assistant Minister at Canongate Kirk and then Minister at the Presbyterian Church of Wales at Cadoxton...
- 1996-2006: The Very Revd James Harkness, KCVORoyal 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...
CBOrder 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...
OBEOrder of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions... - 2006–present: The Very Revd John B. CairnsJohn B. CairnsJohn Ballantyne Cairns is a retired minister of the Church of Scotland.Following a career as a solicitor, he studied theology and was ordained in 1974. His first charge was as minister at the parishes of Langholm, Ewes and Westerkirk. He then became minister at Riverside Parish Church, Dumbarton...
See also
- Religion in the United KingdomReligion in the United KingdomReligion in the United Kingdom and the states that pre-dated the UK, was dominated by forms of Christianity for over 1,400 years. Although a majority of citizens still identify with Christianity in many surveys, regular church attendance has fallen dramatically since the middle of the 20th century,...
- 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:...
- Clerk of the ClosetClerk of the ClosetThe College of Chaplains of the Ecclesiastical Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom is under the Clerk of the Closet, an office dating from 1437. It is normally held by a diocesan bishop, who may however remain in office after leaving his see...
- Ecclesiastical HouseholdEcclesiastical HouseholdThe Ecclesiastical Household is a part of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. Reflecting the different constitutions of the Churches of England and of Scotland, there are separate Ecclesiastical Households in each nation.-England:...