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'Peculiars' were those parishes or places which were exempt from the jurisdiction of the bishop in whose diocese they were physically located, and were answerable directly to another. The Peculiars of the Archbishop of Canterbury were districts outside the diocese of Canterbury, which came within the Archbishop's immediate jurisdiction and were exempt from the jurisdiction of the diocese in which they were situated. This peculiar jurisdiction was never defined by law but grew up round archiepiscopal 'seats and possessions' many of which are entered in the Doomsday Book as 'terra Archiepiscopi Cantuariensis'. (See Doomsday surveys of Kent (folios 3a-4a), Sussex (folio 16a), Surrey (folio 30b), Berkshire (folio 56a), Middlesex (fl27a), Buckinghamshire (folio 143b), Oxfordshire (folio 155a) and Suffolk (folio 372b) and also William Sumner Antiquities of Canterbury, London, 1703.) The remaining manors around which the peculiars developed belonged to the Prior and Convent of Christ Church Canterbury, (See Doomsday Surveys of Kent (folios 4b-5a) and Essex (folio 8a) and D.C. Douglas, The Doomsday Monachorum of Christ Church Canterbury, 1944.) and with the advowsons of the six benefices in the deanery of Arches were probably exchanged with the Archbishop for other properties. (Sumner supra. Appendix to the supplement xxiiid page 50.) Most of the lands themselves were granted to the Crown between 1536 and 1547, (See F.R.H. Du Boulay, 'Archbishop Cranmer and the Canterbury Temporalities', E.H.R. 1952, vol. 67, pages 19-36.) and the Archbishop retained only his rights to presentations and ecclesiastical jurisdiction.
The grouping of these lands into the eight deaneries of the immediate jurisdiction was accomplished by the thirteenth century. Each deanery was administered by an official holding a commission from the Archbishop. (See I.J.Churchill, Canterbury Administration, London, 1931, pages 62-81). By the sixteenth century the Dean of the Arches usually exercised jurisdiction in the peculiar of Croydon and Shoreham, and frequently held the position of Vicar General for the diocese of Canterbury also. The other five deaneries were administered separately.
The peculiar jurisdiction was abolished during the first half of the nineteenth century. From the abolition of peculiar jurisdictions in 1845, some of the Kent and Surrey parishes were incorporated within the diocese of Canterbury, while others were transferred to the diocese in which they were geographically located (ie. city of London to the diocese of London). An order in Council, 8th August 1845, (See Orders in Council ratifying schemes of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners for England, Vol.III, pages 263-277.) included most of the peculiars of Croydon and Shoreham in the diocese of Canterbury. Shoreham remained in the archdeaconry of Maidstone until transferred to the diocese of Rochester by act in Council of 1905.
For administrative purposes, these parishes were formed into eight deaneries: the Arches (city of London parishes); Bocking (Essex and Suffolk), Croydon (Middlesex and Surrey); Monks Risborough (Bucks., and Oxon.), Pagham, South Malling, and Tarring (Sussex), and Shoreham (Kent).
Deanery of the Arches
Thirteen parishes in the city of London, exempt from the bishop of London. Some of the churches were united with other churches which were not exempt - the latter have been noted in brackets.
All Hallows, Bread Street w. St. John the Evangelist, Watling Street
All Hallows, Lombard Street
St. Dionis Backchurch
St. Dunstan-in-the-East
St. Leonard, Eastcheap w. (St. Benet, Gracechurch)
St. Mary Aldermary w. St. Thomas the Apostle
St. Mary Bothaw w. (St. Swithin)
St. Mary-le-Bow w. (St. Pancras, Soper Lane, and All Hallows, Honey Lane)
St. Michael, Crooked Lane
St. Michael Paternoster Royal w. (St. Martin Vintry)
St. Vedast, Foster Lane w. (St. Michael-le-Querne)
Deanery of Bocking
Parishes in Essex and Suffolk, exempt from the bishop of London and the bishop of Norwich respectively, and under the jurisdiction of the archbishop of Canterbury.
Bocking, Essex
Hadleigh, Suffolk
Monks Eleigh, Suffolk
Latchingdon w. Lawling, Essex
Moulton, Suffolk
Southchurch, Essex
Stisted, Essex
Deanery of Croydon
With the exception of four parishes in Middlesex (Harrow, Hayes, Norwood and Pinner), all the parishes were in Surrey. The Middlesex parishes were exempt from the bishop of London and the Surrey parishes from the bishop of Winchester.
Barnes
Burstow
Charlwood
Cheam
Croydon
East Horsley
Harrow w. Harrow Weald chapelry
Hayes
Merstham
Mortlake
Newington (Newington Butts)
Norwood
Pinner
Putney
Roehampton
Walworth
Wimbledon
Deanery of Monks Risborough
Parishes in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, originally exempt from the bishop of Lincoln, and under the jurisdiction of the archbishop of Canterbury.
Halton
Little Brickhill
Newington
Risborough
Wootton Underwood
Deaneries of Pagham and Tarring
Parishes in west Sussex, exempt from the bishop of Chichester, and under the jurisdiction of the archbishop of Canterbury.
Bersted
Bognor
Chichester, All Saints Pallant
East Lavant
Pagham
Patching
Slindon
Tangmere
West Tarring w. Heene and Durrington
Deanery of Shoreham
Parishes in Kent, exempt from the bishop of Rochester, and under the jurisdiction of the archbishop of Canterbury.
Bexley w. Bexley Heath
Brasted
Chevening
Chiddingstone
Cliffe
Crayford
Darenth
Downe
East Malling
East Farleigh
East Peckham
Eynsford
Farningham
Gillingham w. Lydsing chapelry
Grain, St. James in the Isle of
Halstead
Hayes
Hever
Hunton
Ifield
Ightham
Keston
Knockholt
Meopham
Northfleet
Orpington
Otford
Penshurst
Riverhead
St. Mary Cray
Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks Weald
Shoreham
Sundridge w. Ide Hill chapelry
Wrotham w. Plaxtol and Stansted chapelries
Deanery of South Malling
Parishes in west Sussex, exempt from the bishop of Chichester, and under the jurisdiction of the archbishop of Canterbury.
Buxted w. Uckfield chapelry
Cliffe (St. Thomas at Cliffe in Lewes)
Edburton
Framfield
Glynde
Isfield
Lindfield
Mayfield
Ringmere
South Malling
Stanmer w. Falmer
Wadhurst

Most of the records in this collection concern the deaneries of the Arches, Croydon and Shoreham, which were the most important Canterbury Peculiars.
Visitation records (AA/V/H/52-74)
In the diocese the twice yearly visitation, at Easter and Michaelmas, was carried out by the archdeacon; in the peculiars by the dean of Peculiars. Although it was usual for a bishop to visit his diocese personally every three years it seems that the archbishop of Canterbury visited his peculiars less frequently (see VH 55). The cases arising from the visitation were tried by the dean in his court (see Court Records VH 75 - VH 101). These papers relate to the deaneries of Arches, Croydon and Shoreham, except where otherwise stated.
Court Records (AA/V/H/75-101)
The court of the Dean of the Peculiars of the Arches, Croydon and Shoreham exercised a jurisdiction similar to that of the an archidiaconal court. The Dean of the Peculiars usually also held the office of Dean of the Court of Arches, but the Peculiars court should not be confused with the Court of Arches which is the court of appeal for the province of Canterbury.
The cases tried by the Dean of Peculiars fall into two categories, 'ex-officio' and 'instance'. The former were cases usually arising from presentments at visitation, that is cases promoted by the judge by reason of his office. The instance jurisdiction covered litigation between parties in matters over which ecclesiastical courts held cognizance.
The records of the court comprise act books and assignation books, which give a brief chronological record of business transacted by the court, and the loose case papers. These are bundles of papers relating to individual cases and are arranged chronologically within the following groups: cases relating to clergy, parish officials; cases for defamation of character; applications for faculties; matrimonial cases; proceedings against parishioners; testamentary cases; cases concerning church rates, tithes and fees; and a few miscellaneous unclassified cases.
Procedure in ecclesiastical courts was based on a system of written pleas and counter-pleas. This gave rise to a number of documents, examples of all of which are found amongst this collection. The main types of document are: the acts of court, which are drafts for the act books; the proxy or appointment of a proctor; the citation naming the judge, day, place of court, the persons cited to appear and the accusation he or she is to answer; the libel in which the plaintiff lists the material points of the suit; the allegation where the defendant answers these points one by one; interrogatories or questions answered by the personal answers of the principal parties and the depositions of witnesses; bills of costs; and the sentence which merely records the brief, formal decision of the court. There may also be exhibits of documents produced as evidence and retained by the court, certificates and schedules of excommunication and orders of penance.
Prior to 1858, when the Principal Probate Registry was set up, wills were proved in the ecclesiastical courts. The courts of the Archbishop's Peculiars of the Arches, Croydon and Shoreham had jurisdiction over the wills of residents of these three deaneries unless they enjoyed bona notabilia or significant chattels outside the peculiars, in which case their wills were proved the Prerogative Court of Canterbury. From the restoration, the Peculiars of the Arches, Croydon and Shoreham were for the most part administered together.
Testamentary records (AA/V/H/95-101)
Wills and administrations for the archbishop's peculiars, parishes in the city of London (deanery of the Arches), Middlesex and Surrey (deanery of Croydon) and Kent (deanery of Shoreham), 1614-1841