Aroyal peculiar is aChurch of Englandparish or church exempt from the jurisdiction of thediocese and the province in which it lies, and subject to the direct jurisdiction ofthe monarch.

The church parish system dates from the early Middle Ages, when most early churches were provided by the lord whose estate land coincided with that of the parish. A donative parish (or "peculiar") was one that was exempt from diocesan jurisdiction.^[1] There are several reasons for peculiars but usually they were held by a senior churchman from another district, parish or diocese, and gavelivings (salaries or use of property) to those clergy chosen by the donor or donor's heir. They could include the separate or "peculiar" jurisdiction of the monarch, another archbishop or bishop, or thedean and chapter of a cathedral (also, theKnights Templar and theKnights Hospitaller).^[2] Anarchbishop's peculiar is subject to the direct jurisdiction of anarchbishop and aroyal peculiar is subject to the direct jurisdiction of the monarch.^[3]

Most peculiars survived theReformation but, with the exception of royal peculiars, were finally abolished during the 19th century by variousActs of Parliament and became subject to the jurisdiction of the diocese in which they lay, although a few non-royal peculiars still exist.^[2][3] The majority of royal peculiars that remain are within theDiocese of London.^[4]

• TheCollegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, commonly known as Westminster Abbey, and containing theHenry VII Chapel, which is the chapel of theOrder of the Bath.^[4]
• The chapels associated with theChapel Royal, which refers not to a building but to an establishment in theRoyal household, a body of priests and singers who explicitly serve the spiritual needs of the sovereign. Since the 18th century, because the Bishop of London is customarily appointed theDean of the Chapel Royal, the bishop typically has authority of these chapelsas dean, instead ofas bishop even though they are geographically within the Diocese of London.^[5]
  • TheChapel Royal,St James's Palace^[4]
  • TheQueen's Chapel, St James's Palace^[4]
  • TheChapel Royal,Hampton Court^[4]
  • The Chapel of St John the Evangelist in theWhite Tower of the Tower of London^[4]
  • The Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula in the Inner Ward of theTower of London^[4]
  • The King's Chapel of the Savoy,^[4] inaugurated as a Chapel Royal in November 2016,^[6] is a privatechapel of the sovereign in right of theDuchy of Lancaster. It is the chapel of theRoyal Victorian Order. The number of members of the order in recent years has outgrown the available space in the Savoy Chapel so the service for those who have received awards is now held in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, every four years.^[7]
• The Chapel of St Mary Undercroft,^[8] the crypt of the formerSt Stephen's Chapel in thePalace of Westminster. The building is administered through theLord Great Chamberlain andBlack Rod and it has no dedicated clergy: by convention services were conducted by theRector ofSt Margaret's, Westminster, a member of the Chapter of Westminster Abbey. In 2010, theSpeaker of the House of Commons used his right of appointment ofhis Chaplain to nominate an outsider, the RevdRose Hudson-Wilkin.^[9]
• TheRoyal Foundation of St Katharine^[10] founded in 1147 by QueenMatilda of England^[11] as a religious community and medieval hospital for poor infirm people next to the Tower of London
• Temple Church, built in the 1100s by theKnights Templar in the City of London^[12]

• Chapel Royal,Holyrood Palace^[4]

• The Church of St Edward, King and Martyr^[4]

• St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, the Chapel of theOrder of the Garter^[4]
• Royal Chapel of All Saints (in the grounds of theRoyal Lodge inWindsor Great Park)^[4]

• St Michael's Collegiate Church,Penkridge near Wolverhampton^[13]
• St Michael and All Angels' Church,Tettenhall, Wolverhampton 1247–1548^[14]
• Canons ofDover Priory, until 1130^[15]
• Holy Trinity, Minories, London, until 1730^[16]
• St Mary and St Alkelda,Middleham, North Yorkshire, until 1856^[17]
• St Nicholas' Chapel, the free chapel of Tickhill Castle (West Riding of Yorkshire - now South Yorkshire). Founded by Eleanor of Aquitaine c1174. Dissolved in the reign of Edward VI (1547-1553)^[18]
• Wimborne Minster, Dorset, 1318–1846^[19]
• St Peter's Collegiate Church, Wolverhampton, 1479–1846^[20]
• The Deanery of St Buryan, Cornwall, comprisingSt Buryan's Church inSt Buryan,St Sennen's Church, Sennen, andSt Levan's Church, St Levan, until 1850,^[21] and was a peculiar under the jurisdiction of theDuchy of Cornwall with the dean appointed by the duke.^[22]
• The Deanery ofBridgnorth, Shropshire, until 1856^[23]
• Dorchester Abbey inDorchester on Thames, Oxfordshire, 1536–1837^[24]
• The Collegiate Church and Royal Free Chapel of St Mary the Virgin,St Mary's Church, Shrewsbury, until 1856^[25]
• St Mary's Church, Stafford^[26]

• St Mary-le-Bow, City of London^[27] (until 1850)
• The Parish ofHawarden, Flintshire, Wales^[28] (until 1849)
• The Parish of Southwick, Hampshire (St James,Southwick and St Nicholas,Boarhunt)^[a][30]
• Charterhouse chapel, Islington, London^[31]
• The Peculiar (or Peculier) ofMasham, North Yorkshire^[32]
• Church of St Mary the Virgin, Hornby, North Yorkshire^[33]
• Christ Church, Oxford^[b][34]
• All college chapels of theUniversity of Oxford
• Christ Church, Bath, Somerset^[35]
• Chapel of St Lawrence,Warminster, Wiltshire; bought by the townspeople in 1574, administered byfeoffees.^[36][37]

The following chapels of theInns of Court are extra-diocesan, and therefore peculiars, but not royal:

• Lincoln's Inn Chapel^[38]
• Gray's Inn Chapel^[38]

• Exemption (Catholic canon law)
• Extra-parochial area
• Proprietary chapel

• Demesne
• Imperial immediacy
• Independent city

• Deanery of Westminster – extra-parochial places^[usurped]
• Report of Review Group on the Royal Peculiars, 2001
• The British Monarchy – Royal Victorian Order
• Listing and description from Anglicans Online

• Church of England
• Church of England lists
• Monarchy of the United Kingdom
• Royal Peculiars

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
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