a place of divine worship. The word is derived from the Latin capella. In former times, when the kings of France were engaged in war, they always carried St Martin's hat into the field, which was kept in a tent as a precious relic; and hence the place was called capella, and the priests who had the custody of the tent capitani. Afterwards the word capella came to be applied to private oratories.

In Britain there are several sorts of chapels. 1. Parochial chapels, which differ from parish churches only in name; they are generally small, and the inhabitants within the district few. If there be a presentation ad ecclesiam instead of capellam, and an admission and institution upon it, it is no longer a chapel, but a church. 2. Chapels which adjoin to and form part of the church. These were formerly built by honourable persons, as burying-places for themselves and their families. 3. Chapels of ease, which are usually built in very large parishes, where all the people cannot conveniently repair to the mother or parochial church. 4. Free chapels, such as were founded by kings of England. They are free from all episcopal jurisdiction, and only to be visited by the founder and his successors, which is done by the lord chancellor; yet the king may license any subject to build and endow a chapel, and by letters patent exempt it from the visitation of the ordinary. 5. Chapels in the universities, belonging to particular colleges. 6. Domestic chapels, built by noblemen or gentlemen for the private service of God in their families.

Chapel is also a name given to a printer's workhouse, because, according to some authors, printing was first actually performed in chapels or churches; or, according to others, because Caxton, an early printer, exercised the art in one of the chapels in Westminster Abbey. In this sense they say, the order or laws of the chapel, the secrets of the chapel, and so forth.

Knights of the Chapel, called also Poor Knights of Windsor, were instituted by Henry VIII. in his testament. Their number was at first thirteen, but it has been since augmented to twenty-six. They assist in the funeral services of the kings of England; they are subject to the office of the canons of Windsor, and live on pensions as- Chapel-en-signed them by the order of the Garter. They wear a blue or red cloak, with the arms of St George on the left shoulder.

Chapel-en-le-Frith, a market-town in the hundred of High Peake, in Derbyshire, on the borders of Chester, five miles from Buxton, and 166 from London. The market is held on Thursday. There are some cotton manufactures carried on in the town, and some lead mines near it. The population amounted in 1821 to 3234, and in 1831 to 3220.