Definition

Noun: - The right in English law of presenting a nominee to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice: An advowson is a legal right, historically significant in English ecclesiastical law, belonging to a patron (often a landowner, institution, or individual) to nominate a candidate to fill a vacant parish or church position (a "benefice," such as a rectory or vicarage).

Usage

• The term is used in specific historical and legal contexts related to the Church of England and property law.
• It refers to a form of property right that could be bought, sold, or inherited.

Examples

• The lord of the manor held the advowson for the local parish church.
• Disputes over the advowson could lead to lengthy legal cases.
• When the vicar retired, the college exercised its advowson by presenting a new candidate to the bishop.

Advanced Usage

• "Advowson appendant": An advowson that is attached to a manor or piece of land and passes with it when the land is sold.
• "Advowson in gross": An advowson that is held separately from any ownership of land.
• "Collation": The bishop's act of appointing a cleric when the advowson belongs to the bishopric itself or when the patron's right has lapsed.

Variants and Related Words

• Patronage: A broader term for the support, power, or right of appointing to a position, often used synonymously with advowson in an ecclesiastical context.
• Presentation: The formal act of presenting the nominee to the bishop for institution into the benefice.
• Benefice: The church office or position to which someone is presented, typically providing a income or "living."

Synonyms

• Right of presentation: The most direct synonym, describing the core function of an advowson.
• Ecclesiastical patronage: A close synonym emphasizing the patron's role.

Notes on Meaning

This word has a single, highly specific legal and historical meaning. It is not used in general modern English outside discussions of historical law, church history, or certain property deeds.

Noun

1. the right in English law of presenting a nominee to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice