Donative - Definition - Law Dictionary Home Dictionary Definition donative

Definition :

Donative, a species of advowson, when the king, or any subject by his license, founded a church or chapel, and ordained that it should be merely in the gift or disposal of the patron; subject to his visitation only, and not to that of the ordinary; and vested absolutely in the clerk of the patron's deed of donation without presentation, institution, or induction. This is said to have been anciently the only way of conferring ecclesiastical benefices in England. If the patron once waived the privilege of donation and presented to the bishop, and his clerk was admitted and instituted, the advowson became representative, and was never donative any more. donatives, which did not amount to one hundred in number, were all converted into presentatives by s. 12 of the Benefices Act, 1898 (61 & 62 Vict. c. 48). See ADVOWSON.