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Simple English definitions for legal terms
Court of Arches
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A quick definition of Court of Arches:
The Court of Arches is a type of court in the Church of England. It is responsible for hearing appeals from other church courts in the Canterbury province. The court used to be heard by the Pope, but now it is heard by a judge called the Dean of the Arches. The court gets its name from the fact that it was originally held in a church with arches in its steeple. Nowadays, certain appeals from the Court of Arches are heard by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.
A more thorough explanation:
The Court of Arches is an ecclesiastical court in the province of Canterbury that handles appeals from provincial diocesan courts. It was originally held in the Church of St. Mary-le-Bow, which has a steeple raised on stone pillars formed archwise like bent bows.
The Pope used to hear appeals from the Court of Arches until the break with Rome, which led to the transfer of the appellate jurisdiction to the Court of Delegates. Nowadays, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council hears certain appeals from the Court of Arches.
For example, if someone is unhappy with a decision made by a diocesan court in the province of Canterbury, they can appeal to the Court of Arches. If they are still unhappy with the decision made by the Court of Arches, they may be able to appeal to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.
Another example is that the Court of Arches used to have an important role in dealing with testamentary cases in the Ecclesiastical Courts.