The authority of lord chancellor and lord keeper are made the same by the stat. 5 Eliz. c. 18: it is not now custo mary to appoint a lord keeper, and of course there cannot now be a lord chan cellor and lord keeper at the same time. The last lord keeper was Lord Henley,•n 1757. The great seal is however some times put into commission during the temporary vacancy of the office, or the sickness of the chancellor, the seal being intrusted to the chief commissioner. (1 Will. and M. c. 21.) The chancellor has also important poli tical functions: he has a seat in the cabi net, and usually takes an active part in public measures. He resigns office with the party to which he is attached.
By 3 & 4 Wm. IV. c. 111, § 3, in consideration that the Chancellor had lost the patronage of certain offices then abo lished, the king is empowered to grant an annuity of 5000/. a year to the Lord Chancellor or Lord Keeper on his resig nation of office. - The salary of the Lord Chancellor is 10,000/. a year, and is paid out of the Suitors' Fee Fund. Ile has besides a salary as Speaker of the House of Lords. There is also a Lord High Chancellor of Ireland, whose authority within his own jurisdiction is in most respects the same as that of the Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain. The salary of the Irish Chancellor, which is paid out of the Consolidated Fund, is 8000/. a year. His retiring pensioti is 3692/. a year. (Selden, (f. Ch. ; Black stone, Corn.; Story On Equity ; and the Books of Chancery Practice.) [CHAN CERY.] The Chancellor of a Diocese or of a Bishop is Vicar-general to the bishop, holds his courts, and directs and assists him in matters of ecclesiastical law. He has a freehold in his office, and he is not necessarily an ecclesiastic ; but if he is a layman, or married, he must be a Doctor of the Civil Law. (Blackstone, Com.; 37 H. VIII. c. 17.) The Chancellor of a Cathedral is an officer who superintends the regularity of the religious services.
The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lan caster presides either in person or by deputy in the court of the Duchy of Lan caster concerning all matters of equity relating to lands holden of th-‘ king, in right of the Duchy of Lancaster. His
salary is 20001. a year, and that of the Vice-Chancellor is 6001.: the fees, which amount to 30/. or 401. annually, are de ducted from the salary The Vice-Chan cellor holds courts both in Westminster and in Lancashire.
The Chancellors of the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge are elected by the respective corporate bodies of which they are the heads ; they exercise exclusive ju risdiction in all civil actions and suits where a member of the University or privileged person is one of the parties, ex cept in cases where the right to freehold is concerned. In both the English Uni versities the duties of the Chancellor are in nearly all cases discharged by a Vice Chancellor.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer is under-treasurer, and holds the seal of the Exchequer. The office of Lord High Treasurer is now executed by the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury. The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the prin cipal finance minister of the crown : the office is sometimes held by the Prime Minister when he is a member of the House of Commons. The legal functions of the Chancellor of the Exchequer are now merely formal. [ExcHEQuxn.] Bills in the Exchequer were addressed to him, and to the barons of that court, so long as the equity jurisdiction of the Exchequer existed. and on some occasions (as on his appointment) he sits in court ; but all the legal business is transacted by the barons. If the chief baron and barons are equally divided in opinion, the Chancellor of the Exchequer may be required to re-hear the cause with the barons, and give his decision. The last instance occurred in 1735, when Sir Robert Walpole gave his decision upon a question of considerable doubt and difficulty, which is said to have given great satisfaction. (Blackstone, Com. ; Fowler's Exchequer Practice.) The Chancellor of the Order of the Garter and other orders of knighthood seals and authenticates the formal instru ments of the chapter, and keeps the regis ter of the order. He exercises various functions at the installation of the knights, and during their meetings and proces sions.