Archbishop honours senior cathedral figures
1 November 2012
The Archbishop with Dr Jackson
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has awarded Lambeth degrees to Dr Martin Neary, former director of music at Winchester Cathedral and Westminster Abbey, and Dr Francis Jackson, organist emeritus of York Minster. Dr Neary's award was 'in recognition of his outstanding contribution at national and international level as an organist and conductor, and of his sensitive and dynamic interpretation of sacred and secular music in the choral tradition.' Dr Jackson's citation recognised 'at national and international level his work as an organist and composer, and his contribution to the development and appreciation of sacred and secular music.'
The Lambeth honorary degree is a full academic degree awarded entirely at the discretion of the Archbishop. The degrees are also given as a thanksgiving from the Church for distinguished service; they can be awarded in Divinity, Law, Arts, Medicine or Music.
The degrees have an interesting history. The Peter's Pence Act of 1533 gave the Archbishop of Canterbury the power to grant degrees (previously carried out by the Pope). It allowed the Archbishop to override the requirements of the only two universities at the time, Oxford and Cambridge, and dispense candidates from residency and, in some cases, examination, at a time when it was difficult to travel to the universities, often because of outbreaks of the plague. This power did, and still does, require confirmation by the Crown and so the degrees are known as 'degrees of the realm'. All recipients have to be able to swear an oath to the monarch since the act of 1533 speaks of the monarch conferring degrees to his subjects. The Archbishop's power to continue to grant these degrees is expressly set out in the Education Reform Act 1988.
At the recent degree ceremony, music was provided by the choir of All Saints, Fulham (pictured with the Archbishop and Martin Neary); Dr Neary is organist emeritus at the church.
Graeme Kay
