The act 3 & 4 Viet c. 119, enacted that henceforth all the members of chapter, except the dean, in every collegiate church in England, and in the cathedral churches of St David and Llandaff, should be styled canons. By this act the term canon is to be applied to every residentiary member of chapter except the dean, heretofore styled either prebendary, canon, canon residentiary, or residentiary ; and the term "minor canon" includes every vicar, vicar-choral, priest-vicar, and senior vicar, being a member of the choir in any ca thedral or collegiate church. A canonry, except it is attached to any university office, cannot be held by a person who has not been six years in priest's orders. The term of residence fixed by the act for each canon is three months in the year at the least The act suspends a great number of canonries, and limits the num ber to be held in future. The number suspended in the chapters of Canterbury, Durham, Worcester, anti Westminster, is six each ; Windsor, eight ; Winchester, seven ; Exeter, three ; Hereford, one ; and two each in the other cathedral chap ters. The profits of the suspended ca nonries are vested in the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. The suspension of a ca nonry may be removed under special cir cumstances, and in the manner provided by the act The future number of canonries is fixed at six each for the chapters of Canterbury, Durham, Ely, and West minster; five each for Winchester and Exeter; and four each for the other ca thedral or collegiate churches of England; and two each for St. David's and Llan daff. The act increased the canonries of the chapters of Lincoln, and St Paul's, London, to four. The number of minor canonries is not to exceed four, nor be less than two, for each cathedral or col legiate church, and the salaries are to be not less than 150/. Minor canons are not to hold any benefice beyond six miles from their cathedral church. The ca nonries are in the gift of the archbishops and bishops respectively, but the three canons of St Paul's, London, are ap pointed by the crown. The minor canons
are appointed by the respective chapters. In some cases it is provided that arch deaconries shall be annexed to canonries. The act also provided for the annexing of two canonries of Christchurch, Oxford, to two new professorships in the uni versity ; for annexing two of the canon ries of Ely to the regius professorships of Hebrew and Greek at Cambridge ; for annexing two canonries of Westminster to the rectories of St. Margaret's and St John's, in the city of Westminster ; and for founding honorary canonries in every cathedral church in England, in which there were not already founded any non residentiary prebends, dignities, or offices. The honorary canons are entitled to stalls, and their number in each cathedral church is limited to twenty-four, who are appointed by the archbishops and bishops respectively. This honorary preferment may be held with two benefices. Doubts having been entertained as to the cathe dral churches in which honorary canon ries were to be founded, it was enacted in 4 & 5 Viet. c. 39, that such cathedral churches were to be those of Canterbury, Bristol, Carlisle, Chester, Durham, Ely, Gloucester, Norwich, Oxford, Peterbo rough, Ripon, Rochester, Winchester, and Worcester; and the collegiate church of Manchester, so soon as the same should become a cathedral church. The hono rary canons have no emolument, nor any place in the chapter ; but the patronage of chapters is restricted, and the canons, minor canons, and honorary canons are included amongst the persons to whom vacant benefices in the gift of the chapter must be presented.
From canon is formea canonical, which occurs in many ecclesiastical terms, as canonical hours, canonical sins, canonical punishment, canonical letters, canonical obedience, and canonical scriptures. The canonical scriptures are the usually re ceived books of the Old and New Testa ment.