26 March 2025, 18:45 - 19:45
The Temple Church
Temple Church, Fleet Street, London EC4Y 7BB

Following a celebration of Choral Evensong at Temple Church commencing at 6 pm, the Historical Societies of Inner Temple and Middle Temple will host a lecture on the Arches Court. The ELS is delighted to advertise this event.
Prof. Norman Doe, KC (Hon), Director of the Centre for Law and Religion at Cardiff Law School, [Academic Bencher, Inner Temple] will deliver a twenty-five (25) minute lecture on the history of the Arches Court. Prof. Doe’s lecture will trace its development and the expansion of its jurisdiction in light of the Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction Act 1532 and Ecclesiastical Appeals Act 1533; the role played by the court in such matters as the dissolution of marriage until its jurisdiction was transferred to the secular courts by the Matrimonial Causes Act 1857; and the evolution of its personnel, its procedures, and its landmark decisions and their concomitant impact on English law.
The Rt Worshipful Morag Ellis, KC, Dean of the Arches Court, [Bencher, Gray’s Inn] will deliver a twenty-five (25) minute lecture outlining the statutory basis that begets the present-day judicial authority of the Court by reference to Public General Acts and Statutory Instruments passed by the Houses of Parliament, and the rule-making authority of the General Synod of the Church of England that underpins its jurisdiction. Ms. Ellis will then outline the procedures of the court by reference to the role of Canon Law; advocacy before the court; the rules of evidence; the limits of its jurisdiction; the role of ecclesiastical/common law precedent(s); its power to sanction; judgment-giving and the enforcement of the same.
Choral Evensong Commences: 6 pm in Temple Church, London, EC4Y 7BB
Lecture Commences: 6.45 pm in Temple Church.
The lecture will be followed by a wine reception and canapés in the narthex of Temple Church, which has been generously sponsored by Francis Taylor Building.
Booking is via the website of Inner Temple: https://www.innertemple.org.uk/events/?id=EVT01774 If you are not an Inner Temple member, please scroll below the members’ login box and click Add Ticket. Note that as this lecture is not being organized by the Ecclesiastical Law Society, ELS officers cannot assist with bookings. If you experience any difficulties with booking please email members@innertemple.org.uk.
Photo by John Salmon CC BY-SA 2.0
Online bookings are not available for this event.