1542: 33 Henry 8 c.31: An Act, dissevering the Bishoprick of Chester, and of the Isle of Man, from the Jurisdiction of Canterbury, to the Jurisdiction of York.

Whereas the King’s Highness, of his most gracious goodness, as well for the advancement of Christ’s religion, as for the better instruction of his subjects in the laws of God, hath, by his Letters Patent, bearing date the sixteenth day of July, in the thirty-third year of his noble reign, erected, founded, and established, in the late monastery of St. Werberge, in his city of Chester. a Cathedral Church, or Bishop’s See; willing the same to be named and called the Bishoprick, or Bishop’s See of Chester; and to the same hath appointed limits and bounds of one perfect and entire Diocese, ordained, and willing the same to be named and called the Diocese of Chester. And amongst other things. hth appropried. united, and annexed, to the said Diocese of Chester, that Archdeaconry of Richmond, and all the jurisdictions thereof, which Archdeaconry was late parcel of the Diocese of York; and, moreover, hath the same whole and entire Diocese of Chester, with all the limits and bounds, and all things, annexed, appropried, and united, to the same, decreed, ordained, and established, to be of the Province of the Archbishop of Canterbury, and under the jurisdiction metropolitical of the same, as in the same Letters Patent doth more largely appear. Forasmuch, as his said Highness graciously considereth, that the said Archbishop of Canterbury hath a sufficient number of Dioceses and Suffragans under him, and in his province, and that the Archbishop of York hath, within the realm of England, only two Suffragans : And, moreover, that if the said Diocese should remain under the said Archbishop of Canterbury, that then, all his Highnesses subjects of all that Diocese of Chester, and so of the Archdeaconry of Richmond, should be constrained for appeals to resort to the audience of Canterbury; which thing, to many of the said Diocese, and specially to them of the Archdeaconry of Richmond, should be, by reason of long journey of almost three hundred miles from some places thereof, intolerable fatiguation, and insupportable charges. Aud, therefore tenderly, like a most gracious Prince, studying and caring for his said subjects, most commodity. quietness, and ease, and, upon further deliberation, hath, with the advice of his most honourable Council, determined and ordained to remove, and dissever, the said Bishoprick and Diocese of Chester, from the said province, and Archbishoprick of Canterbury, and to unite and annex the same to the province and Archbishoprick of York, as a Diocese, Member, and Bishoprick of the same.

Be it therefore ordained, enacted, and established, by the King’s Highness, and by the consent of the Lords spiritual and temporal, and the Commons in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, that the said whole and entire Diocese, or Bishoprick of Chester, and every parcel and member thereof, be from henceforth united and annexed to the Province and Archbishoprick of York, as a Diocese and Bishoprick of the same; and that from henceforth the said Diocese of Chester, and every parcel thereof, exempt as well as not exempt, be, and be taken, named, and reputed to be, of the Province and Archbishoprick of York, and of the metropolitical jurisdiction of the same, to every effect and purpose, according to the ecclesiastical laws in this realm; and that the Bishop of the same, that now is, and all other his successors, shall be Suffragans to the Archbishop of York, that now is, and his successors, and to the same shall owe their obedience, and be under the jurisdiction metropolitical of the same, as well they as the Dean and Chapter of Chester, and all the Archdeacons, and the whole Clergy, and all other the King’s subjects, being within the limits and bounds of the said Diocese; any thing comprised in the said Letters Patent of the erection of the said Diocese and Bishoprick of Chester, notwithstanding. And from henceforward, neither the said Bishop of Chester, neither the Clergy, nor any other the King’s subjects, being of the said Diocese of Chester, shall recognize the Archbishop of Canterbury as their Metropolitan, but only the Archbishop of York, and his successors, and the same shall obey in all things, according to the laws, as well temporal as ecclesiastical, in this realm.

Be it also further enacted and established by the King’s Highness, with the assent of the Lord’s spiritual and temporal, and the Commons in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, that the Bishoprick and Diocese of Man, in the Isle of Man, be also annexed, adjoined, and united to the said Province, and metropolitical jurisdiction of York, in all points, and to all purposes and effects, as the said Bishoprick of Chester is annexed, adjoined, and united to the same.

Provided always, and be it enacted by our Sovereign Lord the King, with the assent of the Lords spiritual and temporal, and the Commons in this present Parliament assembled, and by authority of the same, that this Act be not prejudicial to the Archbishop of Canterbury now being, nor to his successors, nor to the Dean and Chapter of the same, nor to any other Bishop or Chapter of this realm; but that all places, lands, promotions, possessions, as well spiritual as temporal, being and lying without the bounds and limits of the Archdeaconies of Richmond and Chester, and without the bounds and limits of the city of Chester, and the county of the same, and the counties of Lancaster and Chester, or any of then, shall be still of the province of Canterbury, and of such Diocese and Dioceses as they were of before the erection of the Bishoprick of Chester, and of the jurisdiction of the same, and not of the province of York, nor shall be accounted to be any parcel of the said Diocese of Chester; any thing in this present act, or in the book of erection of the said Bishoprick of Chester, notwithstanding.

Saving to the Bishop of Chester, and his successors, that his house at Weston, being within the Diocese of Coventry and Lichfield, shall be accounted and taken to be of his Diocese, and that he being resident in the same, shall be taken and accounted as resident in his own Diocese; and for the time of his abode there, shall have jurisdiction in the same, likewise, as all other Bishops have in the houses belonging to their Sees, wheresoever they lie, in any other Bishoprick within this realm, for the time of their abode in the same. Any thing in this present act, and provision to the contrary thereof, in any wise notwithstanding.

Source: Sherwood, ed., The Constitution of the Isle of Man, 1882.

See also: Statutes of the Realm, volume 3.

Further reading: Wikipedia.