Archbishop of Canterbury Awards Lambeth Degrees
Tuesday 21st July 2009
This afternoon the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, awarded Lambeth Degrees to the Rt Revd John Hind and the Revd Canon Vincent Strudwick at Lambeth Palace.
Rt Revd John Hind, Archbishop of Canterbury and Revd Canon Vincent Strudwick
The Lambeth Degree is a real academic award. The candidates are exempt from both residential and examination requirements and the special awards are made on merit in recognition of the recipients' contribution to religious, academic and public life.
The Archbishop of Canterbury's right to grant degrees is derived from the Peter's Pence Act of 1533 which empowered the Archbishop to grant dispensations previously granted by the Pope. The practice began during the time when attendance at Oxford and Cambridge, the only universities at that time in England, was frequently disrupted by the difficulty of travel or outbreaks of the plague. The Archbishop was empowered to grant exemption from the residential requirements necessary for a degree.
Lambeth Degrees can be awarded in Divinity, Law, Arts, Literature, Medicine and Music.
Read more about the Archbishop's Awards and Examinations.