Citation 31 Eliz 1 c 6 Territorial extent England Commencement — | Introduced by — Royal assent — | |
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Long title An Acte against Abuses in Election of Scollers and presentacions to Benefices. | ||
The Simony Act 1588 (31 Eliz 1 c 6) is an Act of the Parliament of England.
The Act stipulates penalties for simony, an offence under the ecclesiastical law of the Church of England.
As of 2008, it remains largely in force in England and Wales.
This Act was partly in force in Great Britain at the end of 2010.
Under section 4, an unlawfully bestowed office can be declared void by the Crown, and the offender can be disabled from making future appointments and fined up to £1,000. Clergy are no longer required to make a declaration as to simony on ordination but offences are now likely to be dealt with as "misconduct" under the Clergy Discipline Measure 2003, r.8.
References
Simony Act 1588 Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA