PROCTOR, derived from the civil law term "procurator "—one that seeth after another man's affairs. It is the designation of those who in the Ecclesiastical and Admiralty courts (where the forms of the civil law prevail), conduct the business of their clients as attorneys and solicitors do in the courts of law and equity, but in order to enable them to act in the Ecclesiastical court, they must be formally autho rised by a " proxy " from their clients to do so (129 n. Canou). Proc tors also act as notaries public, in attesting acts and couducting proceedings in their own courts, but they do not possess the authority of notaries generally. In order to practise in the Ecclesiastical courts, they must bo admitted by the archbishops of the respective provinces, by application to their vicar-general or official principal. In the Admiralty court they ars admitted by the judge of the court.
The recent Acts of Parliament, however, the 20 & 21 Viet. c. 77 (the Act to amend the law relating to Probates and Letters of Ad ministration), and the 20 & 21 Viet. c. 85 (the Act to amend the law relating to Divorce and Matrimonial Causes), have transferred to the temporal courts the jurisdiction of the Ecclesiastical courts over wills, intestacies, and divorce, and in so doing, the practice is no longer con fined but is throe it open to barristers. attorneys, and solicitor& The 22 k'23 Viet. c. e., also empowers barri.tera, atterneys,
to practise in the court of Admiralty. Thus the practice In the testamentary and matrimonial Wainer. of the Ecclesiastical and that of the court of Admiralty is no longer confined to the advocate? and proctors of Doctors Commons Marriage licences are obtained through the medium of proctors: they prepare the affidavit containing the particulars required to enable parties to be married without the publication of banns. The 5 Goo. 11. c. 18, a. 2, pro hibits practising proctors from being justices of the peace. But they are exempt from serving on juries, or being made pariah officers, as churchwarden., &e. The term " proctor" is also applied to those of the clergy, who are selected by their brother clergy to represent them in convocation (Coavocastos]. For the practice of the Ecclesiastical courts, are COURTS, ECCLY.SIASTICAL.
The two proctors in the universities of Oxford and Cambridge are nominated by each college in rotation from among the reaident masters of arts. They hold office for a year; they each have two pro proctors. Their office is of great dignity and importance ; they rank after the vice-chancellor. Their duties are to preserve order and discipline among the under-graduates, and to aid the authorities in all their important functiona.