Alexander R. & I.
Alexander the First, by the grace of God of Hanover and Varennes King, Emperor of Laitenburg, Duke of Gottingen, Defender of the Faith, unto Our trusty and beloved Counsellor Christopher Demitrios McQueeny, and unto all to whom these Presents shall come, greeting.
Forasmuch as We have always heretofore been accustomed to have among Our diverse servants and ministers certain sagacious men, learned in matters of law and jurisprudence, to render Us counsel upon such matters as We may require, and We are now persuaded that it would be wise and expedient to constitute and incorporate these same servants and ministers learned in law aforesaid to be one body serving both Us, Our heirs and successors, and Our loving subjects:
Know ye now that We, of Our especial grace, certain knowledge, and mere motion, have ordained, established, granted, and declared, and do now by these Presents ordain, establish, grant, and declare, that from henceforth and forever there shall be Society, comprising Masters of the Bar, Barristers, and Scholars, which shall be called and named The Honourable Society of the Outer Temple; And We do make, ordain, create, and constitute by these Presents the said Society one body corporate and politic in fact, deed, and name, and that by the same name they may have perpetual succession, granting and allowing unto them also the traditional rights, privileges, and immunities to a body corporate under the laws and customs of Our Realm of Hanover customarily appertaining:
And for the good rule and governance of the aforesaid Society, We do by these Presents will and provide that the Masters of the Bar aforesaid shall number and consist of three persons, or fewer should there be no others sufficiently learned to occupy the same office; And should a vacancy arise, the remaining Masters or Master of the Bar shall themselves elect and appoint the person who is to fill the same from amongst the Barristers of the Society:
And We have assigned, nominated, constituted, and made, and do by these Presents assign, nominate, constitute, and make, Our trusty and beloved Counsellor Christopher Demitrios McQueeny to be the first Master of the Bar in the Society aforesaid, willing that he and all persons who shall from time to time hold the same office shall continue in it for the duration of his natural life, or until he and they be removed from the same office of Master of the Bar by Us, Our heirs and successors, or by Our High Court of Parliament:
And We do further will and command that all and singular other persons who shall hereafter be received and admitted by the Masters of the Bar into the said Honourable Society of the Outer Temple, as members of the Society aforesaid, shall be named and called Scholars of the Society, and shall undertake with the counsel and oversight of the Masters of the Bar to become learned in matters of law; and when the Masters of the Bar deem them fit, shall be called to the Bar, and henceforth be named and called Barristers of the Society:
And forasmuch as We and Our High Court of Parliament have long been burdened and incommoded by the necessity of addressing diverse Bills and Petitions concerning matters of law, which while of capital importance nevertheless impede the ready dispatch of the various grave and weighty concerns to Us and Our High Court of Parliament properly appertaining, We have deemed it meet to grant and allow, and do by these Presents grant and allow, the same Honourable Society of the Outer Temple to issue certain Statutes holding the force of law, under their common seal:
Provided always that such Statutes shall enter into force only of they bear the signature of each Master of the Bar, and Our Royal Sign-manual; and they shall be held inferior in force to Acts of Our High Court of Parliament, Proclamations given under the Great Seal of Hanover, and Orders given in Our Most Honourable Privy Council, and may always be revised, canceled, or amended by Us, Our heirs and successors, or Our High Court of Parliament.
In testimony whereof, We have cause these Letters to be made Patent, and the Great Seal of Hanover to be hereunto affixed, witness Ourself at Our Court of Saint George's Palace, the ninth day of July, in the year of Our Lord two-thousand and eight, the fourth year of Our reign.
McQueeny
PER BREVE REGIS
