Sinecure

Asinecure(/ˈsɪnɪkjʊər/or/ˈsaɪnɪkjʊər/;from theLatinsine,'without', andcura,'care') is an office, carrying asalaryor otherwise generating income, that requires or involves little or no responsibility, labour, or active service. The term originated in themedievalchurch, where it signified a post without any responsibility for the "cure [care] of souls",the regularliturgicaland pastoral functions of acleric,but came to be applied to any post, secular or ecclesiastical, that involved little or no actual work. Sinecures have historically provided a potent tool for governments or monarchs to distributepatronage,while recipients are able to store up titles and easy salaries.

A sinecure can also be given to an individual whose primary job is in another office, but requires a sinecure title to perform that job. For example, theGovernment House Leaderin Canada is often given a sinecure ministry position so that they may become a member of theCabinet.Similar examples are theLord Keeper of the Privy Sealand theChancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster,whose holders areex officiomembers of thePrivy Counciland therefore may be given admitted to theCabinet of the United Kingdom(which is formally the executive committee of the Privy Council). Theminister without portfoliois a frequent example of this sinecure, often employed to givecabinet-levelpositions to enough members of all partners in acoalition government.Other sinecures operate aslegal fictions,such as the British office ofCrown Steward and Bailiff of the Chiltern Hundreds,used as a legal excuse forresigning from Parliament.

History

Sinecure,properly a term ofecclesiastical lawfor abeneficewithout thecure of souls,arose in theEnglish Churchwhen therectorhad no cure of souls nor resided in theparish,the work of the incumbent being performed by avicar.^{[citation needed]}^[1]Such sinecure rectories were expressly granted by the patron. They were abolished byParliamentunder theEcclesiastical CommissionersAct of 1840.^[2]^[3]

Other ecclesiastical sinecures were certaincathedraldignities to which no spiritual functions attached or incumbencies where by reason of depopulation and the like, the parishioners disappeared or the parish church was allowed to decay. Such cases eventually ceased to exist.^[4]

The term is also used of any office or place to which salary,emoluments,ordignity,but no duties, are attached. The British civil service and the royal household, for example, were loaded with innumerable offices which, by lapse of time, had become sinecures and were only kept as the reward of political services or to secure voting power in parliament. They were prevalent in the 18th century, but were gradually abolished by statutes during that and the following centuries.^[5]

Current usage

Below is a list of extant sinecures by country.^[6]

United Kingdom

Positions associated with membership of the Privy Council/Cabinet

Positions used to effectresignation from the House of Commons

Positions associated with the Whips' Office

Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury– held by theChief Whipin theHouse of Commons
Treasurer of the Household– held by the Deputy Chief Whip in the Commons
Comptroller of the Household– held by a senior Commons Whip
Vice-Chamberlain of the Household– held by a senior Commons Whip
Lords of the Treasury– held by the several junior Commons Whips
Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms– held by theChief Whipin theHouse of Lords
Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard– held by the Deputy Chief Whip in the Lords
Lords in Waiting– held by the several junior Lords Whips

Ceremonial and honorary positions

Canada

Deputy Prime Minister of Canada
President of the Privy Council(given to the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs)

Australia

Vice-President of the Executive Council

References

^"sinecure — definition, examples, related words and more at Wordnik".Wordnik.com.Retrieved2020-05-25.
^Ecclesiastical Commissioners Act 1840(Section XLVIII).Parliament of the United Kingdom.11 August 1840.
^Service, United States Foreign (1936).American Foreign Service.U.S. Government Printing Office.
^Cf. M. Guasco,Storia del clero,Laterza (1997), p.20
^This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain:Chisholm, Hugh,ed. (1911). "Sinecure".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 25 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 147; see last three sentences.The British civil service and royal household were loaded.....
^As extracted from Lord Mackay of Clashfern (ed.) (2002)Halsbury's Laws of England,4th ed. Vol.14.

Bibliography

Lord Mackay of Clashfern (ed.) (2002)Halsbury's Laws of England,4th ed. Vol.14, "Ecclesiastical Law", (see also current updates)
Smith, W. (1880).A Dictionary of Christian Antiquities: Being a Continuation of the 'Dictionary of the Bible'.J.B. Burr Pub. Co. pp. Sinecure.
Definition onEnciclopedia Treccani(in Italian)
Maurilio Guasco,Storia del clero,Bari:Laterza (1997), p. 20(in Italian)

[1] "sinecure — definition, examples, related words and more at Wordnik".Wordnik.com.Retrieved2020-05-25.

[2] Ecclesiastical Commissioners Act 1840(Section XLVIII).Parliament of the United Kingdom.11 August 1840.

[3] Service, United States Foreign (1936).American Foreign Service.U.S. Government Printing Office.

[4] Cf. M. Guasco,Storia del clero,Laterza (1997), p.20

[5] This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain:Chisholm, Hugh,ed. (1911). "Sinecure".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 25 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 147; see last three sentences.The British civil service and royal household were loaded.....

[6] As extracted from Lord Mackay of Clashfern (ed.) (2002)Halsbury's Laws of England,4th ed. Vol.14.

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