FACULTY PAPERS

This series contains faculty papers supporting the grant of faculties in the bishop's Consistory Court.

A faculty is the permission for the performance an act or function. Faculty papers are licences granted by the bishop's official for the alteration to church fabric, church buildings and churchyards and were created as part of the responsibility of the bishop to ensure the preservation of the buildings and lands belonging to individual benefices (endowed church offices that provide a living) in the diocese. The documents which were filed include:

Petitions by those seeking the faculty explaining the case and situation in detail;

Citations or intimations addressed to those objecting to the grant; and

The written consent of the patron of the living and of the bishop of the diocese.

The involvement of surveyors and architects in the building faculties added a variety of supporting documentation including bonds for the performance of the work, plans and estimates for work which were presented to the court, and due to the activities of diocesan faculty advisory committees, examples of sales literature, specifications and material samples were retained.

Examples:

Christ Church, Clapham (1949):

Petition made by the church for a grant of faculty for new stained glass window 'Visitation of the Magi', a plaster statue of Madonna and Child and electrical lighting scheme. Includes photograph of the statue, coloured tracings of the proposed stained glass design by William Morris and Company (Westminster) Limited, and related correspondence (DS/F/1949/034).

Church of the Ascension, Dartmouth Row, Blackheath (1913):

Petition made by Rosa Ann Billinghurst of 7 Oak Croft Road, Blackheath, for depositing the remains of Henry Farncombe Billinghurst (1832 - 1912) in the wall of the church. Papers include a tracing of the inscription, plan of positioning within the church, copy of the register entry of Farncombe's cremation at Golder's Green Crematorium, and correspondence from W J Cleves and Son, Cemetery Masons (DS/F/1913/001).

Morden Cemetery (1932):

Petition made by Martha Russell, widow, of 8 Diamond Street, Portsmouth, Hampshire, for the removal of the remains of George Edward Russell alias John Pink Corderoy alias John May (died 1930), husband of Martha, 'who wandered from his home through loss of memory in November 1925', from Morden to Kingston Cemetery, Portsmouth. Papers include copies of death certificate and correspondence (DS/1932).

The records are arranged in two sections:

Faculties (mainly 1905 - 1964) arranged chronologically (ordered alphabetically within the year by Metropolitan Borough, and then the parish) (reference DS/F/1905-1964)

Faculties arranged in alphabetical groups by benefice name (reference DS/F/0001-) Each new alphabetical group denotes a new accession from the diocesan registry.

<p>Faculties 1905 - 1927 are entered in the Muniment Books (DS/OB). See also General Faculties 1905 - 1994 (DS/FO) and Faculty Registers 1928 - 1984 (DS/FR).</p>

Access by permission of diocesan registrar for files less than fifty years old. Faculties dating from 1930 - 1948 and 1950 - 1964 (DS/F/1930-1948 and DS/F/1950-1964) are uncatalogued as of July 2003. Please contact the London Metropolitan Archives for further information.

AC/63/50, AC/64/02, AC/65/6, AC/66/21, AC/70/62, AC/75/109, ACC/2328, ACC/2676, ACC/2713, B98/090, B01/025.