Church Commissioners

The Church Commissioners is a body which administers the assets of the Church of England. It was established in 1948 and combined the assets of Queen Anne's Bounty, a fund dating from 1704 for the relief of poor clergy, and of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners formed in 1836. The Church Commissioners are a registered charity regulated by the Charity Commission for England and Wales, and are liable for the payment of pensions to retired clergy whose pensions were accrued before 1998 (subsequent pensions are the responsibility of the Church of England Pensions Board).

The secretary (and chief executive) of the Church Commissioners is John Worth.

History

The Church Building Act 1818 granted money and established the Church Building Commission to build churches in the cities of the Industrial Revolution. These churches became known variously as Commissioners' churches, Waterloo churches or Million Act churches. The Church Building Commission became the Ecclesiastical Commissioners in 1836.

An earlier Ecclesiastical Duties and Revenues Commission had been set up under the first brief administration of Sir Robert Peel in 1835 with a wide remit, "to consider the State of the Established Church in England and Wales, with reference to Ecclesiastical Duties and Revenues"^[1]; this body redistributed wealth between the dioceses and changed diocesan boundaries, and the permanent Ecclesiastical Commission was formed the following year.

The Church Commissioners were established in 1948 as a merger of Queen Anne's Bounty and the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, following the passage, by the National Assembly of the Church of England, of the ' (10 & 11 Geo. 6. No. 2).^[2][3]

In 1992 it was revealed that the Church Commissioners had lost £500m through over-commitment of the fund leading to poor investment decisions.^[4] This figure was later revised up to £800m, a third of their assets.

The value of the commissioners' assets was around £5.5 billion as at the end of 2012.^[5] By September 2016, it was valued at £7 billion.^[6] The income is used for the payment of pensions to retired clergy whose pensions were accrued before 1998 (subsequent pensions are the responsibility of the Church of England Pensions Board) and a range of other commitments including supporting the ministries of bishops and cathedrals and funding various diocesan and parish missions initiatives.^[7]

In June 2022, the Commissioners acknowledged early links of Queen Anne's Bounty to the Atlantic slave trade. They and Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, apologised.^[3] In January 2023 the Commissioners announced that they were setting up a fund of £100 million to be spent over the next nine years on addressing historic links with slavery.^[8]

The Commissioners also oversee pastoral reorganisation, the consent of the commissioners being required for establishing or dissolving team and group ministries, uniting, creating, or dissolving benefices and parishes, and the closing of consecrated church buildings and graveyards.

The Church Commissioners are now based at Church House, Westminster, London, having long occupied No. 1 Millbank.^[9] The Millbank building was sold in 2005 to the House of Lords for accommodation of members and staff; the commissioners completed the move to Church House in 2007.^[10] They used to be an exempt charity under English law, and is now a registered charity regulated by the Charity Commission for England and Wales.^[11][12]

The secretary (and chief executive) of the Church Commissioners is John Worth.^[13]

Responsibilities

The Church Commissioners have the following responsibilities:^[14]

• Funding mission in churches, dioceses and cathedrals.^[15]
• Pastoral reorganisation (including mergers of parishes and benefices); supported by the Pastoral Team.^[16]
• Clergy payroll ensuring clergy are paid their stipend.
• Managing the production of Crockford's Clerical Directory.
• Managing the Lambeth Palace Library and the Church of England Record Centre.

Portfolio

The CC portfolio in 2020 is extensive, worth around £9.2 billion^[17] and includes the Hyde Park Estate and a 10% stake in the MetroCentre shopping centre. The CC are the 13th largest landowner in the UK.^[18] The CC own a significant amount of rural land and sometimes promote this through Local Plan processes.^[19]

List of commissioners

There are 33 Church Commissioners, of whom 27 make up the board of governors as the main policy-making body, with a further 6 who are officers of state or Government ministers. Board members are either elected by the General Synod of the Church of England, or appointed by either the archbishops or the Crown.^[7] The board of governors is composed of all of the commissioners apart from the First Lord of the Treasury, the Lord President of the Council, the Lord Chancellor, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, the Speaker of the House of Commons, and the Lord Speaker.^[2]

Church Estates Commissioners

The Church Estates Commissioners are three lay people^{[citation needed]} who represent the Church Commissioners in the General Synod of the Church of England. The first and second commissioners are appointed by the British monarch, and the third commissioner is appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury.^[26] They are based at Church House, Westminster, having previously had offices at No. 1 Millbank, London.^[27]

First Church Estates Commissioners

The First Church Estates Commissioner is appointed by the British Monarch.

• 1850–1878: Henry Pelham, 3rd Earl of Chichester^[28]
• 1878–1905: Arthur Stanhope, 6th Earl Stanhope^[29]
• 1905–1931: Sir Lewis Dibdin^[30]
• 1931–1938: Sir George Middleton^[31]
• 1939–1954: Sir Philip Baker Wilbraham^[32]
• 1954–1969: Malcolm Trustram Eve, 1st Baron Silsoe^[33]
• 1969–1982: Sir Ronald Harris^[34]
• 1983–1993: Sir Douglas Lovelock^[35]
• 1993–1999: Sir Michael Colman, 3rd Baronet^[36]
• 1999–2001: John Sclater^[37]
• 2002–2017: Sir Andreas Whittam Smith^[38]
• 2017–2021: Loretta Minghella^[39]
• 2021–present: Alan Smith^[40]

Second Church Estates Commissioners

The Second Church Estates Commissioner is appointed by the Crown. They are now always a Member of Parliament from the party in government, and have additional duties as a link between the British Parliament and the Church.^[41]

• 1850–1858: Sir John Shaw Lefevre^[28]
• 1858–1859: Charles Shaw-Lefevre, 1st Viscount Eversley^[42]
• 1859–1865: Edward Pleydell Bouverie^[43]
• 1865–1866: Henry Austin Bruce^[44]
• 1866–1868: John Robert Mowbray^[45]
• 1869–1874: Sir Thomas Dyke Acland, 11th Baronet^[46]
• 1874–1879: George Cubitt^[47]
• 1879–1880: Thomas Salt^[48]
• 1880–1885: Evelyn Ashley^[49]
• 1885–1886: Sir Henry Selwin-Ibbetson^[50]
• 1886–1886: Thomas Dyke Acland^[51]
• 1886–1892: Sir Henry Selwin-Ibbetson^[52]
• 1892–1892: Charles Algernon Whitmore^[53]
• 1892–1895: George Leveson Gower^[54]
• 1895–1906: Sir Lees Knowles^[55]
• 1906–1906: Francis Stevenson^[56]
• 1906–1907: Charles Hobhouse^[57]
• 1907–1910: James Tomkinson^[58]
• 1910–1918: Sir Charles Nicholson^[59]
• 1919–1922: Sir William Mount, 1st Baronet^[60]
• 1923–1924: John Birchall^[61]
• 1924–1924: George Middleton^[62]
• 1924–1929: John Birchall^[63]
• 1929–1931: George Middleton^[64]
• 1931–1943: Richard Denman^[65]
• 1943–1945: Sir John Mills^[66]
• 1945–1950: Thomas Burden^[67]
• 1950–1951: Sir Richard Acland^[68]
• 1951–1957: Sir John Crowder^[69]
• 1957–1962: Sir Hubert Ashton^[70]
• 1962–1964: Sir John Arbuthnot, 1st Baronet^[69]
• 1964–1970: Lancelot Mallalieu^[69]
• 1970–1974: Sir Marcus Worsley, 5th Baronet^[71]
• 1974–1974: Edward Bishop^[72]
• 1974–1979: Terence Walker^[69]
• 1979–1987 Sir William van Straubenzee^[73]
• 1987–1997: Michael Alison
• 1997–2010: Sir Stuart Bell^[74]
• 2010–2015: Sir Tony Baldry
• 2015–2019: Dame Caroline Spelman^[75]
• 2020–2024: Andrew Selous^[76]
• 2024–: Marsha de Cordova^[21][77]

Third Church Estates Commissioners

The Third Church Estates Commissioner is appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

• 1850–1856: Henry Goulburn^[78]
• 1856–1858: Spencer Horatio Walpole^[79]
• 1858–1862: William Deedes^[80]
• 1862–1866: Spencer Horatio Walpole^[81]
• 1866–1871: Edward Howes^[45]
• 1871–1892: Sir John Mowbray, 1st Baronet^[82]
• 1892–1895: Sir Michael Hicks Beach, 9th Baronet^[83]
• 1895–1926: Charles Stuart-Wortley, 1st Baron Stuart of Wortley^[84]
• 1926–1948: Herbert Pease, 1st Baron Daryngton^[85]
• 1948–1952: John Tovey, 1st Baron Tovey^[86]
• 1952–1954: Sir Malcolm Eve, 1st Baronet^[33]
• 1954–1962: Sir James Brown^[87]
• 1962–1972: Sir Hubert Ashton^[70]
• 1972–1981: Dame Betty Ridley^[88]
• 1981–1989: Betsy Howarth
• 1989–1999: Margaret Heather Laird^[89]
• 1999–2005: Gillian Joynson-Hicks, Viscountess Brentford^[90]
• 2006–2012: Timothy Walker^[91]
• 2013–2018: Andrew Mackie^[92]
• 2018–2022: Eve Poole^[93]
• 2022–2024: Canon Flora Winfield^[94]
• 2025–: Sir Robert Buckland

See also

• Allchurches Trust
• Churches Conservation Trust

Notes

1. ^ At least one of the three persons nominated by the Crown and the six persons nominated by the Archbishops jointly must be or have been Counsel to His Majesty.

References

1. ^ Minutes of the Commission, 9 February 1835
2. ^ "Church Commissioners Measure 1947". www.legislation.gov.uk
3. ^ Williams, Hattie (16 June 2022). "Church Commissioners acknowledge that slave trade boosted early funds". Church Times. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
4. ^ Plender, John: "Unholy Saga of the Church’s Missing Millions", Financial Times, 11 July 1992.
5. ^ "Church Commissioners - The Church of England". www.cofe.anglican.org. Archived from the original on 2008-02-23. Retrieved 2008-03-19.
6. ^ "Sir Andreas Whittam Smith to step down from Church Commissioners". Media Centre. Church of England. 29 September 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
7. ^ "How we are governed | The Church of England". The Church of England. Retrieved 2018-10-24.
8. ^ "Church of England announces £100m fund after slavery links". BBC. 10 January 2023.
9. ^
10. ^ "Church Commissioners complete sale of Millbank site". www.churchofengland.org. The Church of England. 29 March 2005. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
11. ^ "Exempt charities". GOV.UK
12. ^
13. ^ "About the Church Commissioners: Staff". Church of England. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
14. ^ "Support | The Church of England". The Church of England. Retrieved 2018-10-24.
15. ^ "What we fund | The Church of England". The Church of England. Retrieved 2018-10-24.
16. ^ "Parish reorganisation | The Church of England". The Church of England. Retrieved 2018-10-24.
17. ^ "The Church Commissioners for England Annual Report 2020". Church of England. 7 April 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
18. ^ Hemming, Gary. "Who really owns the UK?". ABC Finance. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
19. ^ Church Commissioners for England. "Our approach to strategic land". Retrieved 30 November 2020.
20. ^ "Alan Smith announced as next First Church Estates Commissioner". churchofengland.org. 2021-07-27. Retrieved 2023-11-05.
21. ^ "Appointment of Second Church Estates Commissioner: 7 October 2024". GOV.UK. Retrieved 2024-10-07.
22. ^ Church Commissioners Measure 1947, pp. Schedule I, Paragraph 1 (b).
23. ^ Church Commissioners Measure 1947, pp. Section 5, Paragraph 2.
24. ^ Church Commissioners Measure 1947, pp. Schedule I, Paragraph 1.
25. ^ "Trustees - Church Commissioners". www.churchofengland.org. Retrieved 2026-05-19.
26. ^ "Commissioners". Church of England. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
27. ^ "History". Church of England. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
28. ^ No. 21130. 27 August 1850. p. 2327.
29. ^ No. 24652. 3 December 1878. p. 6913.
30. ^ No. 27764. 14 February 1905. p. 1116.
31. ^ No. 33676. 2 January 1931. p. 56.
32. ^ "WILBRAHAM, Sir Philip Wilbraham Baker". Who Was Who. Oxford University Press. April 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
33. ^
34. ^ "HARRIS, Sir Ronald (Montague Joseph)". Who Was Who. Oxford University Press. April 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
35. ^ "LOVELOCK, Sir Douglas (Arthur)". Who Was Who. Oxford University Press. April 2016. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
36. ^ "COLMAN, Sir Michael (Jeremiah)". Who's Who 2017. Oxford University Press. November 2016. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
37. ^ "Warrants Under the Royal Sign Manual". thegazette.co.uk. The London Gazette. 9 January 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
38. ^ "Sir Andreas Whittam Smith to step down from Church Commissioners". Top News Releases. Church of England. 29 September 2016. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
39. ^ "Church Commissioner Appointment: Loretta Minghella". GOV.UK. Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street. 28 June 2017. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
40. ^ "Appointment of First Church Estates Commissioner: 27 July 2021". GOV.UK. Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street. 27 July 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
41. ^ "Second Church Estates Commissioner". Church of England. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
42. ^ No. 22096. 12 February 1858. p. 720.
43. ^ No. 22299. 19 August 1859. p. 3142.
44. ^ No. 23040. 21 November 1865. p. 5509.
45. ^ No. 23148. 7 August 1866. p. 4401.
46. ^ No. 23464. 2 February 1869. p. 523.
47. ^ No. 24075. 13 March 1874. p. 1644.
48. ^ No. 24697. 18 March 1879. p. 2240.
49. ^ No. 24858. 25 June 1880. p. 2646.
50. ^
51. ^ No. 25567. 12 March 1886. p. 1206.
52. ^ No. 25624. 10 September 1886. p. 4377.
53. ^ No. 26299. 21 June 1892. p. 3588.
54. ^ No. 26343. 8 November 1892. p. 6235.
55. ^ No. 26666. 27 September 1895. p. 5354.
56. ^ No. 27889. 23 February 1906. p. 1351.
57. ^ No. 27900. 3 April 1906. p. 2325.
58. ^ No. 28006. 22 March 1907. p. 2002.
59. ^ No. 28362. 3 May 1910. p. 3063.
60. ^ No. 31223. 11 March 1919. p. 3291.
61. ^ No. 32801. 2 March 1923. p. 1480.
62. ^ No. 32914. 29 February 1924. p. 1822.
63. ^ No. 33000. 9 December 1924. p. 8977.
64. ^ No. 33515. 9 July 1929. p. 4539.
65. ^ No. 33684. 27 January 1931. p. 603.
66. ^ "MILLS, Col Sir John (Digby)". Who Was Who. Oxford University Press. April 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
67. ^ "BURDEN, 1st Baron". Who Was Who. Oxford University Press. April 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
68. ^ "ACLAND, Sir Richard Thomas Dyke". Who Was Who. Oxford University Press. April 2015. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
69. ^ David Butler and Gareth Butler, Twentieth Century British Political Facts 1900–2000, eighth edition (Macmillan, 2000) p. 70.
70. ^ "ASHTON, Sir Hubert". Who Was Who. Oxford University Press. April 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
71. ^ "WORSLEY, Sir (William) Marcus (John)". Who Was Who. Oxford University Press. April 2016. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
72. ^
73. ^ "van STRAUBENZEE, Sir William (Radcliffe)". Who Was Who. Oxford University Press. April 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
74. ^
75. ^
76. ^
77. ^ No. 64545. 21 October 2024. p. 20702.
78. ^ Michael Stenton ed., Who's Who of British Members of Parliament, Volume I 1832–1885 (Harvester, 1976) p. 162.
79. ^ No. 21846. 5 February 1856. p. 427.
80. ^ No. 22132. 30 April 1858. p. 2094.
81. ^ No. 22690. 16 December 1862. p. 6366.
82. ^ No. 23733. 2 May 1871. p. 2122.
83. ^ No. 26352. 9 December 1892. p. 7218.
84. ^ No. 26672. 18 October 1895. p. 5696.
85. ^ No. 33161. 11 May 1926. p. 3149.
86. ^ "TOVEY, 1st Baron". Who Was Who. Oxford University Press. April 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
87. ^ "BROWN, Sir James (Raitt)". Who Was Who. Oxford University Press. April 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
88. ^
89. ^ "LAIRD, Margaret Heather". Who Was Who. Oxford University Press. April 2016. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
90. ^ "BRENTFORD, Viscountess". Who's Who 2017. Oxford University Press. November 2016. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
91. ^ "WALKER, Timothy Edward Hanson". Who's Who 2017. Oxford University Press. November 2016. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
92. ^ "Appointment of Third Church Estates Commissioner". Top News Releases. Church of England. 27 December 2012. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
93. ^ "Appointment of Third Church Estates Commissioner". The Church of England. 6 March 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
94. ^ "The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has announced the appointment of the Rev'd Canon Dr Flora Winfield as Third Church Estates Commissioner". The Church of England. 11 January 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2024.

Sources

• "Church Commissioners Measure 1947". legislation.gov.uk. 2021-07-28. Retrieved 2026-05-19.

External links

• The Church Commissioners
• Church Commissioners Measure 1947 at the UK Statute Law Database
• Church Commissioners Measure 1970 at the UK Statute Law Database