The Office of Commissary.

The key role of established church officials in colonial governmental affairs should not be underestimated. This is especially true for the Reverend William Dawson. Between the years 1743 and 1752 Dawson served as commissary of the Church of England in Virginia. Commissaries were essentially extensions of the bishop of London's authority throughout the English empire. The bishop of London held considerable authority, especially in post-Restoration England. In 1689 the Anglican church in America came under the auspices of his office. In that same year commissaries were positioned throughout the American colonies to carry out the bishop's business. In 1728 by royal decree the bishop's customary jurisdictions were narrowed. With this limitation the American commissaries' duties were also confined. Prior to the royal commission a commissary, by virtue of his position under the bishop of London, held both ecclesiastical and civil authority. His ecclesiastical...