ARCHES-court, the chief and most ancient consistory that belongs to the archbishop of Canterbury, for the debating of spiritual causes, so called from Bow-Church in London, where it is kept, whose top is raised of stone-pillars, built archwise. The judge of this court is termed the dean of the arches, or official of the arches-court: Dean of the arches, because with this office is commonly joined a peculiar jurisdiction of thirteen parishes in London, termed a deanry, being exempted from the authority of the bishop of London, and belonging to the archbishop of Canterbury; of which the parish of Bow is one. Some o-
thers say, that he was first called dean of the arches, because the official to the archbishop, the dean of the arches, was his substitute in his court; and by that means the names became confounded. The jurisdiction of this judge is ordinary, and extends through the whole province of Canterbury; so that, upon any appeal, he forthwith, and without any further examination of the cause, sends out his citation to the party appealed, and his inhibition to the judge from whom the appeal is made.