Editing Visitor (section)

{{short description|Overseer of an autonomous institution}}{{About|the overseer of an autonomous institution|text=For the person visiting a person or place, see [[Hospitality|Guest]] or [[Tourism|Tourist]]}}{{other uses}}
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A '''visitor''', in [[England and Wales|English and Welsh]] law and history, is an overseer of an autonomous [[church body|ecclesiastical]] or [[wikt:eleemosynary|eleemosynary]] institution, often a [[charitable organization|charitable institution]] set up for the perpetual distribution of the founder's alms and bounty, who can intervene in the internal affairs of that institution. Those with such visitors are mainly [[Cathedral chapter|chapters]], chapels, schools, colleges, universities, and hospitals.

Many visitors hold their role ''[[ex officio]]'', by serving as the [[British monarch|British sovereign]], the [[Archbishop of Canterbury]], the [[Lord Chancellor]], the [[Lord President of the Council]], the [[Lord Chief Justice]], or the [[bishop]] of a particular [[diocese]]. Others can be appointed in various ways, depending on the constitution of the organization in question.  Bishops are usually the visitors to their own cathedrals. The King usually delegates his visitatorial functions to the Lord Chancellor.

During the reform of the universities of [[University of Oxford|Oxford]] and [[University of Cambridge|Cambridge]] in the 19th century, [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|Parliament]] ordered visitations to the universities to make inquiries and to reform the university and college statutes.

There is a ceremonial element to the role, and the visitor may also be called upon to give advice where an institution expresses doubt as to its powers under its charter and statutes. However, the most important function of the visitor was within academic institutions, where the visitor had to determine disputes arising between the institution and its members.

The right of the visitor, and not the courts, to adjudge on alleged deviations from the statutes of academic colleges was affirmed in the case of ''Philips v. Bury'', 1694, in which the [[House of Lords]] overruled a judgment of the [[Court of King's Bench (England)|Court of King's Bench]].<ref>William Blackstone (1753), Commentaries on the Laws of England, Book 1, Chapter XVIII "Of Corporations", Section 3</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://oxcheps.new.ox.ac.uk/new/casebook/cases/Cases%20Chapter%2013/Philips%20v%20Bury.doc |title=Opinion of John Holt (King's Bench)|format=DOC|publisher=Oxcheps.new.ox.ac.uk|access-date=2015-02-27}}</ref>

The [[Higher Education Act 2004]] transferred the jurisdiction of visitors over the grievances of students in English and Welsh universities to the [[Office of the Independent Adjudicator]].