Chiltern Hundreds - Citizendia

Appointment to the office of Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Three Hundreds of Chiltern is a sinecure appointment which is used as a device allowing a Member of the United Kingdom Parliament (MP) to resign his or her seat^[1]. A sinecure (from Latin sine, without and cura, care means an office which requires or involves little or no responsibility labour or active service A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament.

A hundred is a traditional division of an English county, and the three hundreds of Stoke, Desborough, and Burnham, are in Buckinghamshire. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland A county is a Land area of Regional Government within a larger State. The hundred of Desborough is one of the three Chiltern Hundreds in Buckinghamshire, England. Burnham lies north of the River Thames, and sits on the border with Berkshire, between the towns of Maidenhead and Slough. Buckinghamshire (abbreviated Bucks) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. These three hundreds are situated in the hilly, wooded Chiltern Hills, which were once notorious as a hiding place for robbers. The Chiltern Hills are a Chalk Escarpment in Southeast England.

The hundreds have been Crown property since at least the 13th century and a Crown Steward and Bailiff was appointed to maintain law and order in the area. Bailiff (from Late Latin baiulivus, Adjectival form of baiulus) is a Governor or Custodian (cf As the area became more civilised, the position's duties ceased to be required in the 16th century, and the holder ceased to gain any benefits during the 17th century. As a means of recording the passage of Time, the 17th Century was that Century which lasted from 1601 - 1700 in the Gregorian calendar

The position of Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Chiltern Hundreds is now used as a procedural device to effect resignation from the House of Commons, as British MPs are not permitted simply to resign their seat. Members of Parliament sitting in the House of Commons in the United Kingdom are technically forbidden to resign. This legal anomaly dates back to a 2 March 1623 resolution of the House of Commons, passed at a time when MPs were often elected to serve against their will. Events 986 - Louis V becomes King of the Franks. 1127 - Assassination of Charles the Good

As an instrument of resignation, the role is usually alternated with that of Steward and Deputy Steward of the Manor of Northstead in Yorkshire. The Manor of Northstead was once a collection of fields and farms in the parish of Scalby in the North Riding of Yorkshire. Yorkshire is a historic county of Northern England and the largest in Great Britain. Under the Act of Settlement, any Member of Parliament accepting an office of profit under the Crown must give up his or her seat. The Act of Settlement is an act of the Parliament of England, originally filed in 1700 and passed in 1701 to settle the succession to the English throne An office of profit is a term used in a number of national constitutions to refer to executive appointments An MP applies for the office to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who usually then signs a warrant appointing the now former MP. The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all Economic and Financial The Chancellor can in theory deny an application, although the last time this happened was to Viscount Chelsea in 1842. Earl Cadogan is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of Great Britain. ^[2] The appointee holds the office until such time as another MP is appointed, or they apply to be released. The current Crown Steward and Bailiff is Tony Blair. Anthony Charles Lynton "Tony" Blair (born 6 May 1953 is a British Politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to He is likely to be succeeded by David Davis. David Michael Davis (born 23 December 1948 is a British Politician who is the Conservative Party Member of Parliament for the constituency of

References

^ The Chiltern Hundreds. House of Commons Information Office (2008-06-01). 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 193 - Roman Emperor Didius Julianus is Assassinated 987 - Hugh Capet is elected Retrieved on 2008-06-12. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1381 - Peasants' Revolt: in England, rebels arrive at Blackheath.
^ See the parliamentary Annual Register 1842 (Google Books)

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See also