§ THE LORD ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY moved to resolve, That in accordance with the Church of England Assembly (Powers) Act, 1919, this House do direct that the Diocese of Southwell (Transfer) Measure, 1935, be presented to His Majesty for the Royal Assent. The most reverend Primate said: My Lords, it is my duty to transfer your Lordships to a very different sphere from that which has just been engaging our attention. I have to present two Measures of some interest and certainly of some importance, but neither of these need detain your Lordships for any length of time, as they are happily entirely uncontroversial. One of them deals with a very ancient diocese, and the other with a very ancient and beautiful building.
§ The purpose of the first Measure, my Lords, is to transfer the present diocese of Southwell from the Province of Canterbury to the Province of York. That may seem a comparatively unimportant matter, but it goes down to the very roots of our history and the long association between the Church and the history of this country. Certainly for at least eight hundred years the archdeaconry and County of Nottingham were part of the Province and diocese of York, but unfortunately one hundred years ago, when people paid very little heed to the claims of tradition or history, when the vast diocese of York was divided, the arch- 774 deaconry and County of Nottingham were transferred to the diocese of Lincoln, and so it remained until 1884, when the diocese of Southwell was created, including the two Counties of Derby and Nottingham; but as Nottingham had already been transferred to the Province of Canterbury, and the County of Derby was already within that Province, no question was raised as to the transfer of that new diocese to the Province of York. Then, in 1923, the diocese of Derby was created, and therefore the diocese of Southwell was left alone, uncomplicated by association with Derby, and free to return to its ancient allegiance to the Province of York.
§ I shall not forget my first visit to South-well. I was then Archbishop of York, and I found myself surrounded by memorials of my predecessors, some of whom had founded the Minster, and some of whom were buried within it, and one of whom had created the house in which the Bishop lived. I took a vow then that I would not enter Southwell Minster again unless I could come as Archbishop of the Province to which it belonged. I was able to keep that vow in a way which I did not expect, because although it had not then been transferred to the Province of York, I was able to visit it as Archbishop of Canterbury, and therefore I was able to say what I thought about the diocese returning to its ancient allegiance. There has been a general expression of assent given to the claims of history and sentiment. The Diocesan Conference almost unanimously consented to this transfer, and this Measure effects the transfer legally. It has passed unanimously through all its stages in the Church Assembly; it has received the assent of the Ecclesiastical Committee; and l hope your Lordships will not only redress a great historical wrong, but strengthen the Province of York; and I, as Archbishop of Canterbury, am very willing to assent to what I demanded as Archbishop of York.
§ Moved to resolve, That in accordance with the Church of England Assembly (Powers) Act, 1919, this House do direct that the Diocese of Southwell (Transfer) Measure, 1935, be presented to His Majesty for the Royal Assent.—(The Lord Archbishop of Canterbury.)
§ On Question, Motion agreed to.