Benefit of Clergy
Preserved but no longer current.
Originally, the privilege of exemption from trial by a secular court enjoyed by the clergy if arrested for felony. In time it comprehended not only the ordained clergy, but all who, being able to write and read, were capable of entering into holy orders. It seems to have been based on the text, "Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm" (1 Chron.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Benefit of Clergy” mean?
Originally, the privilege of exemption from trial by a secular court enjoyed by the clergy if arrested for felony. In time it comprehended not only the ordained clergy, but all who, being able to write and read, were capable of entering into holy orders. It seems to have been based on the text, "Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm" (1 Chron.
Is “Benefit of Clergy” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.