Commissary

Forms: 4–5 commyssary, 4–7 missarie, 5 comissarie, -yssari, -yssarye, 5–6 -issarye, commissarye, 6 commisarie, 6– commissary. [ad. med.L. commissāri-us (whence F. commissaire) one to whom any duty is specially committed or entrusted, an officer in charge, commissioner, f. commiss-us committed, entrusted, specially appointed: see -ARY.]

  1.  One to whom a special duty or charge is committed by a superior power; one commissioned to act as representative; a deputy, delegate.

c. 1430.  Pilgr. Lyf Manhode, II. xii. (1869), 79. Of this pleyn power we yeuen yow, and maken yow commissarye.

1494.  Fabyan, VII. 549. Chosen and deputed specyall commyssaries by the thre astatis of this present parlyament.

1581.  J. Bell, Haddon’s Answ. Osor., 391 b. His Bulles of Pardons and his deputary Comissaryes.

1603.  Holland, Plutarch’s Mor., 931. To set out the solemne dances and shewes, for which he was chosen commissarie and overseer.

1649.  Selden, Laws Eng., II. xiii. (1739), 69. [They] declared themselves by their Commissaries, to be the Three States, and Representative of the People of England.

1683.  Apol. Prot. France, ii. 21. A Declaration was published, requiring that there should be a Papist Commissary in their Synods.

1787.  T. Jefferson, Writ. (1859), II. 302. Commissaries are to be appointed on each side to see that the disarming takes place.

1852.  Miss Yonge, Cameos (1877), III. iii. 27. The nobles and prelates thronged thither, and the towns sent commissaries.

  fig.  1601.  Donne, Progress of the Soul, iv. 31.

  2.  Eccl. An officer exercising spiritual or ecclesiastical jurisdiction as the representative of the bishop in parts of his diocese; or one entrusted with the performance of an absent bishop’s duties.

1362.  Langl., P. Pl., A. II. 154. Let Cart-sadele vr Commissarie, vr Cart he schal drawe. Ibid. (1377), B. XV. 234. In þe constorie bifor þe comissarie he cometh nouȝt ful ofte.

c. 1450.  Nom., in Wr.-Wülcker, 680/37. (Nomina Dignitatum Clericorum), Hic comissarius, comyssari.

1533.  More, Apol., xlvii. Wks. 920/2. A priest taken for heresy, and in the commissaries handes.

1611.  Rich, Honest. Age (1844), 16. If shee be rich, and hath abilitie to bring her accuser to the Comissaries Court?

a. 1661.  Fuller, Worthies, I. 336. He was … a singular good Advocate, Chancellour of Ely, Commissary of Sudberry and Westminster.

1726.  Ayliffe, Parerg., 160. The Commissaries of Bishops, whose Authority is only in some certain Place of the Diocess, and in some certain Causes of the Jurisdiction limited to them by the Bishop’s Commission.

1856.  Froude, Hist. Eng., I. 183. We can then imagine what England must have been with an archdeacon’s commissary sitting constantly in every town; exercising an undefined jurisdiction over general morality.

1863.  H. Cox, Instit., II. xi. 568. Courts of commissaries appointed by the bishops.

Mod. Clergy List (Bishops, and Cathedral Establishments), Canterbury, Commissary of City and Diocese. Winchester, Chancellor of the Diocese and Commissary for Surrey.

  3.  Eng. Univ. † a. At Oxford, formerly the title of the Chancellor’s Deputy (Vice-Chancellor). b. At Cambridge, an officer who holds a court of record for all privileged persons under the degree of M.A. (see quot. 1797).

1431.  W. Warbelton, in Ellis, Orig. Lett., II. 34. I. 104. The said suppliant … sent his servaunts to the Chauncellor of Oxenford and his commissarie.

1530–1.  Act 22 Hen. VII., c. 12. Scholers … that go about beggynge, not beyng authorysed … by the commissarye Chauncellour or vychancellour of the same.

1691.  Wood, Ath. Oxon., I. 548. In 1446, he being then in his Regency, he became one of the Commissaries of the University [there were three in succession in 1446].

1797.  Camb. Univ. Calendar, 139. The commissary is an officer under the chancellor, he is an assistant or assessor to the vice-chancellor in his court.

1886.  Act 49. & 50 Vict., c. 31. Pream. The chancellor of the University of Oxford and his commissary (commonly called the vice-chancellor).

  4.  Mil. An officer or official who has charge of the supply of food, stores, and transport, for a body of soldiers. (Formerly they also inspected the musters of men.)

1489.  Caxton, Faytes of A., I. xii. 33. There shal be wyse comyssaryes that gode hede shal take that for couetyse of the payement of the souldyours noo decepcion be made.

1623.  Bingham, Xenophon, 89. One … told me that the Commissaries for victuall had infinitely abused the Armie.

1633.  T. Stafford, Pac. Hib., xxi. (1821), 215. The Commissaries of the Musters.

1685.  Lond. Gaz., No. 2030/2. The Auxiliary Troops begin to arrive … Commissaries have been sent to receive them and to provide all things necessary for them. Ibid. (1711), No. 4823/3. Any of the Deputy-Commissaries of the Musters.

1768.  Simes, Mil. Medley, Commissary of stores is an officer in the Artillery who has the charge of all the stores.

1782.  Burke, Sp. Nabob Arcot’s Debts, App. Wks. IV. 363. He was commissary to the army in that expedition.

1837.  Carlyle, Fr. Rev., III. I. viii. (L.). A miscellany of soldiers, commissaries, adventurers.

  5.  In Scotland: The judge in a commissary court; in present practice, the sheriff of each county acting in the commissary court. (Cf. COMMISSAR.)

1885.  Dict. Nat. Biogr., III. 52/2. It was found necessary to institute a commissary court at Edinburgh [in 1563] … Balfour was the chief of the four first commissaries.

  6.  A superior officer of police (in France). [F. commissaire de police.]

1855.  Macaulay, Hist. Eng., xvi. (1872), III. 191/2. The commissaries of police ran about the city … and called the people up to illuminate.

1873.  Browning, Red Cott. Nt.-Cap C. (1889), 71. Had he proposed this question to … the Police, The Commissary of his Quarter.

  7.  attrib.

1870.  Lowell, Among My Books, Ser. I. (1873), 299. His mad foray upon the Grecian commissary stores.

  Commissary court. a. The court of a bishop’s commissary. b. in Sc. Law. (a.) A supreme court established in Edinburgh in 1563, in which matters of probate and divorce, previously under the jurisdiction of the bishop’s commissary, were decided; it was absorbed by the Court of Session in 1836; (b.) A sheriff or county court which appoints and confirms executors of deceased persons leaving personal property in Scotland.

[1616.  R. C., Times’ Whis., VI. 2546. The Commissaries court’s a spiders webbe.

1643.  J. White, 1st Cent. Scandalous Priests, 7. That the Commissaries Court were the suburbs of Heaven.]

1754.  Erskine, Princ. Sc. Law (1809), 62. Hence the Commissary Court was called the Bishops Court.

1885.  [see 5].

  Commissary general. A chief or head commissary. a. gen. One appointed to act as supreme representative of a superior power.

[1555.  Eden.  Decades W. Ind., II. VII. (Arb.), 126. Whom yowre holynes created generall commissarie in the warres.]

1562.  in Strype, Ann. Ref., I. xxv. 280. Appointing him his Vicar-general, delegate, and commissary-general in spirituals.

1626.  Markham, Souldiers Gram., II. 12. The Judge-Marshall, or Comissarie generall, who ought to be a learned Gentleman and skilfull in the ciuill and Marshall Lawes.

1768.  Boswell, Corsica, ii. (ed. 2), 83. The Genoese sent to Corsica a commissary general, or governour over the whole island.

1832.  trans. Sismondi’s Ital. Rep., xvi. 345. He had been named commissary general, with unlimited power over all that remained without the capital.

  b.  Mil. The head of a department of the military service charged with the victualling, etc., of the army: the chief of a commissariat service.

1598.  Barret, Theor. Warres, V. ii. 151. The … guarding of them [victualers] did concerne the Commissary Generall of the hoste.

1688.  J. S., Art of War, 56. The Commissary General of the Victuals.

1702.  Lond. Gaz., No. 3825/3. Her Majesty has been pleased to constitute the Rt. Hon. the Lord Walden Commissary-General of the Musters.

1727–51.  Chambers, Cycl., Commissary-General of the musters, or muster-master general, takes an account of the strength of every regiment, reviews them, sees that the horse be well mounted, and all the men well armed and accoutred.

1811.  Wellington, in Gurw., Disp., VII. 404. A Commissariat should be appointed consisting of a Commissary general, and a certain number of deputy commissaries and assistant commissaries and clerks.

1886.  Whitaker’s Almanack, 175. Commissariat and Transport Staff … Commissaries-General … Deputy Commissaries-General. Ibid. Ordnance Store Department. Commissary-General … Deputy Commissaries-General.