PROCTOR, a variant of the word procurator (q.v.), very nearly equivalent in meaning to "agent" (q.v.). The title is used in England in three principal senses.
I. A practitioner in the ecclesiastical and admiralty courts. A proctor in this sense was formerly a qualified person licensed by the archbishop of Canterbury to undertake duties such as are per formed in other courts by solicitors. The king's proctor is the proctor or solicitor representing the crown in the courts of pro bate and divorce. His power of intervening is limited, by the Mat rimonial Causes act 186o, to cases of collusion only, but he may also, as one of the public, show cause against a decree nisi being made absolute (see DivoRcE). In the admiralty court a proctor or procurator was an officer who, in conjunction with the king's proctor, acted as the attorney or solicitor in all causes concerning the lord high admiral's affairs in the high court of admiralty and other courts. The king's proctor so acted in all causes concerning the king.
In the United States the term "proctor" is applied to practi tioners in the admiralty and probate courts.
2. A representative of the clergy in convocation. A proctor in this sense represents either the chapter of a cathedral or the bene ficed clergy of a diocese. In the province of Canterbury two proc tors represent the clergy of each diocese; in that of York there are two for each archdeaconry. In both alike each chapter is repre sented by one.
3. The name of certain important university officials. At Ox ford the proctors, with the vice-chancellor, supervise university business and appoint delegates for any particular affairs not other wise provided for by statute. They are ex-officio members of nearly all the important delegacies. They also act as the assessors of the chancellor or his commissary. They supervise the voting at public meetings of the university and announce the results. They have jointly, power of veto in convocation and congregation: no proposal can be passed into a statute or decree if twice vetoed by them. They are ex officio members of the hebdomadal council, the
governing council of the university, and they are the assessors of the vice-chancellor when he confers degrees. They are empowered to punish undergraduates, or graduates under the degree of bache lor of civil law and master of arts, by fine or by confinement to their colleges or lodgings (familiarly known as "gating"). They have to see that all examinations are properly conducted. They are responsible for the good order of the streets at night, so far as members of the university are concerned, and perambulate the streets nightly, accompanied by the university marshal and two sworn constables, familiarly known as "bulldogs." The proctors are elected by the heads, fellows and resident members of con vocation of each college in rotation.
At Cambridge the proctors are nominated annually by the col leges in rotation and elected (a formal proceeding) by the senate.
At present their functions are (I) taking part in all university ceremonials, (2) enforcing discipline in the case of members of the university who are in statu pupillari (i.e., undergraduates and bachelors of arts and law). (I) The proctors are ex officio mem bers of boards or syndicates such as those with which their duties are specially connected. But their presence is essential at all con gregations of the senate, at which the senior proctor reads all the "graces" (already approved by the council of the senate). If any grace is opposed by any member of the senate saying non placet the proctors take the votes of those present and announce the re sult, and on very important occasions many hundreds of non-resi dent members of the senate come up to record their votes. (2) The proctors have authority to impose certain fines for minor of fences. In the case of more serious offences the proctor generally reports the matter to the authorities of the offender's college to be dealt with by them, or brings the offender before the university court of discipline.