CANOE, a sort of Indian boat or vessel, formed of the
In time, the canons freed themselves from their rules, the observance relaxed, and at length they ceased to live in community; yet they still formed bodies, pretending to other functions besides the celebration of the common office in the church, assuming the rights of the rest of the clergy, making themselves necessary as a council of the bishop, taking upon them the administration of a see during a vacancy, and the election of a bishop to supply it. There are even some chapters exempt from the jurisdiction of the bishop, and owning no head but their dean. From the example of cathedral chapters, collegiate ones also continued to form bodies after they had abandoned living in community.
Canons are of various kinds; as,
Cardinal Canons, who were those attached, and, as the Latins call it, incardinati, to a church, as a priest is to a parish.
Domicillary Canons, young canons, who, not being in orders, had no right in any particular chapters.
Expectative Canons, or such as, without having any revenue or prebend, had the title and dignities of canons, a voice in the chapter, and a place in the choir, till such time as a prebend should become vacant.
Foreign Canons, or such as did not officiate in the canonries to which they belonged. To these were opposed mansionary canons, or canons residentiary.
Lay or Honorary Canons, who are those among the laity who have been admitted, out of honour and respect, into some chapter of canons.
Regular Canons, who are canons that still live in community, and, like religious, have in process of time added the solemn profession of vows to the practice of their rules. They are called regulars, to distinguish them from those secular canons who abandon living in community, and at the same time the observance of the canons made as the rule of the clergy for the maintenance of the ancient discipline. The canons subsisted in their simplicity till the eleventh or twelfth century, when some of them, separating from the community, took with them the name of canons, or accephalous priests, because they declined to live in community with the bishop; and those who were left thenceforth acquired the denomination of canons regular, and adopted most of the professions of the rule of St. Augustin. This order of regular canons of St. Augustin was brought into England by Adelwald, confessor to Henry I., who erected a priory at Nostel in Yorkshire, and obtained for them the church of Carlisle as an episcopal see, with the privilege of choosing their own bishop. They were singularly protected and encouraged by Henry I. who gave them the priory of Dunstable in 1107; and by Queen Maud, who, in the following year, gave them the priory of the Holy Trinity in London. It appears that under the reign of Edward I. they had fifty-three priories.
Tertiary Canons, or those who had only the third part of the revenues of the canonicate.