A commissary is a government official charged with oversight or an ecclesiastical official who exercises in special circumstances the jurisdiction of a bishop.
52-412: In many countries, the term is used as an administrative or police title. It often corresponds to the command of a police station, which is then known as a " commissariat ". In some armed forces, commissaries are officials charged with overseeing the purchase and delivery of supplies, and they have powers of administrative and financial oversight. Then, the " commissariat " is the organization associated with
104-595: A visitation upon the Diocese of Chichester with regard to safeguarding failures in the diocese over many years. According to their interim report: "Our appointment by the Archbishop of Canterbury - the first such appointment of Commissaries for over 100 years - is evidence of the deep concern held in the Church of England for this diocese and its failure properly to protect children in its care". In current practice in
156-504: A Commissary-General for Britain was once again appointed and in 1797 a number of District Commissaries were engaged and made accountable to him: the beginnings of a more permanent Commissariat; his remit, however, was limited to the British mainland (and even there some areas, including barracks, were separately administered). Away from Britain's shores, the army was provided for independently as before. In 1809 things began to change with
208-601: A division of the Order which is a semi-autonomous body. It is considered less viable than a full Province , but with potential to develop into such, or it serves a group within the Order who are best served separately than in a Province into which they would otherwise be forced, e.g., due to language divisions. As with military usage, the Religious Superior of the division is referred to as the Commissary. The term
260-413: A group within the Order who are best served separately than in a Province into which they would otherwise be forced, e.g., due to language divisions. As with military usage, the Religious Superior of the division is referred to as the Commissary. The term is most commonly used among Franciscan Orders. The term is also used among Indian Zoroastrians. Commissariat#British Army A commissariat
312-440: A number of District Commissaries were engaged and made accountable to him: the beginnings of a more permanent Commissariat; his remit, however, was limited to the British mainland (and even there some areas, including barracks, were separately administered). Away from Britain's shores, the army was provided for independently as before. In 1809 things began to change with the appointment of a Commissary-in-chief to superintend both
364-557: A second and very different way; since that work was first performed in 1878, when the Army's Commissariat was at the height of change, as outlined in the paragraph above, the suggestion that the Major-General did not know precisely what the term meant may perhaps have been also a very pointed satirical allusion to that rapidly changing situation. In the penal colonies of New South Wales and Van Dieman's Land (now Tasmania ),
416-457: Is a department or organization commanded by a commissary or by a corps of commissaries. In many countries, commissary is a police rank. In those countries, a commissariat is a police station commanded by a commissary. In some armies, commissaries are logistic officers. In those countries, a commissariat is a department charged with the provision of supplies, both food and forage, for the troops. The supply of military stores such as ammunition
468-403: Is a police rank. In those countries, a commissariat is a police station commanded by a commissary. In some armies, commissaries are logistic officers. In those countries, a commissariat is a department charged with the provision of supplies, both food and forage, for the troops. The supply of military stores such as ammunition is not included in the duties of a commissariat. In almost every army
520-598: Is considered to be equal in rank to a commandant in the Spanish army. In the French National Police , a commissaire is assigned to a commune with a population of more than 30,000. Larger communes have more than one. Paris has well over one hundred commissaires. All commissaires are graduates and can fulfill both administrative and investigative roles. In the Romanian Police , similarly to
572-730: Is constantly kept open by means of the Commissariat chests between Great Britain and all its Foreign dependencies so that if a sum has to be received or paid in Canada, Australia or China for any branch of the Public Service it may be done by a transfer in the Commissariat Chest Account, without any remittance. The Commissariat officers act in effect as Sub Treasurers to the Lords Commissioners of
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#1732765785011624-461: Is exercised by the (arch)bishop himself, or by a Vicar-General, official, or other commissary to whom authority in that behalf shall have been formally committed by the (arch)bishop concerned.". In previous centuries Bishops sometimes appointed representatives, called commissaries, to perform functions in distant portions of their dioceses. In 1684 Henry Compton , the Bishop of London, resolved to use
676-469: Is not included in the duties of a commissariat. In almost every army the duties of transport and supply are performed by the same corps of departmental troops. When James II mustered an army on Hounslow Heath in 1685, he appointed a certain John Shales as Commissary General of provisions, responsible for sourcing, storing and issuing food for the troops and forage for the horses. In addition he
728-429: Is а local military administrative agency that prepares and executes plans for military mobilization, maintains records on military manpower and economic resources available to the armed forces, provides pre-military training, drafts men for military service, organizes reserves for training, and performs other military functions at the local level. Among Roman Catholic religious orders , the term Commissariat refers to
780-581: The Board of Ordnance . The Commissariat's officers held ranks ranging from Commissary-General (equivalent to a Brigadier-General in the Army ) to Deputy Assistant Commissary-General (equivalent to a Lieutenant ) with Commissary Clerks akin to NCOs . Under the Treasury the Commissariat was organised into two branches: Stores and Accounts. Transport (albeit nominally a responsibility of the Stores Branch)
832-657: The Lord High Treasurer and the Paymaster-General of His Majesty's Forces . Following the Glorious Revolution of 1688, Shales was reappointed Commissary-General (though he was subsequently accused of mismanagement and replaced). After 1694 the appointment lapsed, though it was reinstated subsequently from time to time on a more geographically-specific basis, for a particular expedition, theatre of war or colonial garrison. Otherwise, in
884-722: The War Office . The Commissariat remained a uniformed civilian service until 1869, when its officers transferred to the new Control Department as commissioned Army officers. The supply organization of the British Army then went through a number of incarnations, including the Commissariat and Transport Department, Staff and Corps, before becoming the Army Service Corps in 1888. In the " Major General's Song " in The Pirates of Penzance by Gilbert and Sullivan ,
936-548: The muster roll . These musters took place six or seven times per year (and monthly from 1687). At a muster the total number of officers and men was checked against the roll, each soldier's arms and accoutrements were inspected and each officer's rank (and record of leave) was checked against their level of pay. Only after the Commissary General had certified the muster roll would the Paymaster General of
988-433: The " Major General's Song " in The Pirates of Penzance by Gilbert and Sullivan , the Major-General boasts that when, among many other bits and pieces of seemingly elementary or irrelevant information, he "know(s) precisely what is meant by commissariat", he will be the best officer the army has ever seen (satirizing 19th century British officers' lack of concrete military knowledge). That line can perhaps also be read in
1040-490: The Army's Commissariat was at the height of change, as outlined in the paragraph above, the suggestion that the Major-General did not know precisely what the term meant may perhaps have been also a very pointed satirical allusion to that rapidly changing situation. In the penal colonies of New South Wales and Van Dieman's Land (now Tasmania ), the Commissariat Department also had responsibility for
1092-713: The Board of Ordnance, which also took on responsibility for provision of food, forage and fuel to troops in England ten years later. Thereafter the Commissariat Department became principally a financial office: its fund (the Commissariat Chest) was used to provide a form of banking service for public services in the Colonies; in the words of a Treasury memorandum laid before Parliament in 1841: The Commissariat raises keeps and disburses, according to fixed regulations,
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#17327657850111144-435: The Church of England, the relevant archbishop appoints an episcopal commissary during a diocesan vacancy in see ; that bishop (usually the senior suffragan in the diocese) is commonly called Acting Bishop of the diocese (e.g. Acting Bishop of Birmingham). Commissariat A commissariat is a department or organization commanded by a commissary or by a corps of commissaries. In many countries, commissary
1196-445: The Commissariat Department also had responsibility for the needs of convicts and, in the early days, provisions sold by storekeepers, as well as for military garrisons and naval victualing. This practice dated from the inception of the colony in 1788, before the colony was self-sufficient in food production. The Governors of the colonies were military men, and the administration of stores was performed by commissary officers. After 1855,
1248-432: The Commissariat Department became principally a financial office: its fund (the Commissariat Chest) was used to provide a form of banking service for public services in the Colonies; in the words of a Treasury memorandum laid before Parliament in 1841: The Commissariat raises keeps and disburses, according to fixed regulations, the whole of the funds required to carry the foreign expenditure of this country. […] An account
1300-608: The Commissariat Department only had responsibility for the provisions of military forces, the few remaining convicts, and lunatics. It was abolished, in New South Wales, in 1870 when the last British military forces departed. Similar arrangements applied in the Moreton Bay penal colony (originally part of New South Wales) and Western Australia . Military commissariats of the Soviet Army and modern Russian Army
1352-427: The Commissariat were transferred to the War Office . The Commissariat remained a uniformed civilian service until 1869, when its officers transferred to the new Control Department as commissioned Army officers. The supply organization of the British Army then went through a number of incarnations, including the Commissariat and Transport Department, Staff and Corps, before becoming the Army Service Corps in 1888. In
1404-642: The French National Police, the rank of comisar is equivalent to the British police rank of superintendent ( see also Romanian police ranks ). With the establishment of an English standing army following the Restoration of the Monarchy a Commissary General of Musters was appointed on 20 December 1660. This officer, with the assistance of four deputies, was responsible for mustering troops by regiment and checking their names against
1456-520: The Lords Commissioners of the Treasury in the foreign possessions of the Crown". Provision of food, forage and fuel for the army abroad remained a (albeit secondary) responsibility of the Commissariat at this time. In its much reduced form, the Commissariat infamously struggled to deal with the complexities of supplying the Army during Crimean War ; in December 1854 control of the military functions of
1508-432: The Major-General boasts that when, among many other bits and pieces of seemingly elementary or irrelevant information, he "know(s) precisely what is meant by commissariat", he will be the best officer the army has ever seen (satirizing 19th century British officers' lack of concrete military knowledge). That line can perhaps also be read in a second and very different way; since that work was first performed in 1878, when
1560-809: The Ordnance storekeeping system). After 1869 Commissary and associated titles were used as junior officer ranks by the Control Department (military successor to both the Commissariat and the Ordnance Field Train). A split in 1875 created the Commissariat and Transport Department and the Ordnance Store Department , which used (respectively) Commissary-General and Commissary-General of Ordnance for their senior officers (along with other Commissary ranks down
1612-597: The Stores Branch) was something of a poor relation; this in part led to the Commander-in-chief establishing a separate Royal Waggon Train . After the end of the Napoleonic Wars the office of Commissary-in-chief was abolished and the Treasury moved to consolidate the department's remit. In 1822 the Stores Branch (along with its warehouses and staff both at home and abroad) was transferred to
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1664-568: The Treasury but issued with letters of commission by the War Office ; they were given rank as follows: The department was overseen by a Commissary-in-Chief from 1809-1816, and by a Commissary General in Chief from 1858 to 1869. Between 1793 and 1859 Assistant Commissary , Commissary and (from 1810) Chief Commissary were (civilian) ranks in the Field Train Department of the Board of Ordnance (the field force element of
1716-422: The Treasury in the foreign possessions of the Crown". Provision of food, forage and fuel for the army abroad remained a (albeit secondary) responsibility of the Commissariat at this time. In its much reduced form, the Commissariat infamously struggled to deal with the complexities of supplying the Army during Crimean War ; in December 1854 control of the military functions of the Commissariat were transferred to
1768-438: The appointment of a Commissary-in-chief to superintend both the home and foreign Commissariat services. The Commissariat was still a department of HM Treasury and its personnel were uniformed civilians (though they were subject to military discipline). It now supplied food, fuel and forage for all troops, as well as certain other equipment including barrack stores. The main items outside its remit were arms and ammunition, which were
1820-416: The armed forces, provides pre-military training, drafts men for military service, organizes reserves for training, and performs other military functions at the local level. Among Roman Catholic religious orders , the term Commissariat refers to a division of the Order which is a semi-autonomous body. It is considered less viable than a full Province , but with potential to develop into such, or it serves
1872-617: The chain of command). After 1880 officers of the new Army Service Corps were given full military rank, but the Army Ordnance Department retained Commissary of Ordnance (and Deputy and Assistant Commissary of Ordnance ) as its junior officer ranks throughout the First World War . The Canons of the Church of England , referring to the metropolitical jurisdiction of archbishops and to the ordinary jurisdiction of diocesan bishops, states that: "Such jurisdiction
1924-616: The colonial era, and it was also used to designate various provisional governments of administrations. Executive or administrative body composed of several commissaries is often called Council of Commissaries or Board of Commissaries . Deputy of a commissary is styled as vice-commissary or sub-commissary . In the Soviet Union, commissaries' powers of oversight were used for political purposes. These commissaries are often known as commissars in English. A Spanish police Commissary
1976-590: The commissary system to provide leadership for churches in the American colonies . ( James Blair was an early such commissary). Commissaries were appointed to some, but not all, of the thirteen colonies into the second half of the eighteenth century. Later, commissaries were sometimes appointed for other parts of the British Empire . In 2011 the Archbishop of Canterbury appointed commissaries to conduct
2028-1285: The corps of commissaries. By extension, the term " commissary " came to be used for the building where supplies were disbursed. In some countries, both roles are used; for example, France uses " police commissaries " ( commissaires de police ) in the French National Police and "armed forces commissaries" ( commissaires des armées ) in the French armed forces . The equivalent terms are commissaire in French, commissario in Italian, Kommissar in Standard German, Kommissär in Swiss German and Luxembourgish, comisario in Spanish, commissaris in Dutch and Flemish, komisario in Finnish, komisarz in Polish and comissário in Portuguese. In many instances these words may also be
2080-490: The duties of transport and supply are performed by the same corps of departmental troops. When James II mustered an army on Hounslow Heath in 1685, he appointed a certain John Shales as Commissary General of provisions, responsible for sourcing, storing and issuing food for the troops and forage for the horses. In addition he was to license and regulate sutlers , to procure wagons, carriages, horses and drivers when required for transport and to account for all payments to
2132-429: The eighteenth century, arrangements for supply and transport tended to be devolved to individual regiments, who would work with a combination of civilian contractors and other agencies. The only centralized control at this time was that exercised by HM Treasury , which ultimately authorised expenditure. In 1793, however, with Britain at war with France , a Commissary-General for Britain was once again appointed and in 1797
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2184-527: The equivalent to commissioner , depending on the context. The word is recorded in English since 1362, for "one to whom special duty is entrusted by a higher power". This Anglo-French word derives from Medieval Latin commissarius , from Latin commissus (pp. of committere) "entrusted". Governmental or administrative structures (or bodies) headed by a commissary (or composed of several commissaries) are often referred to as commissary governments or commissary administrations . Such terms were often used during
2236-561: The forces issue pay to the regiment. In 1798 the commanding officer of each regiment, together with its regimental Paymaster, took over responsibility for the musters and the Deputy Commissaries were dismissed. The Commissary General continued to oversee a central office of musters until 1817 when the post was abolished and its duties transferred to the Secretary at War . The appointment of a Commissary General of Provisions
2288-399: The home and foreign Commissariat services. The Commissariat was still a department of HM Treasury and its personnel were uniformed civilians (though they were subject to military discipline). It now supplied food, fuel and forage for all troops, as well as certain other equipment including barrack stores. The main items outside its remit were arms and ammunition, which were the responsibility of
2340-444: The needs of convicts and, in the early days, provisions sold by storekeepers, as well as for military garrisons and naval victualing. This practice dated from the inception of the colony in 1788, before the colony was self-sufficient in food production. The Governors of the colonies were military men, and the administration of stores was performed by commissary officers. After 1855, the Commissariat Department only had responsibility for
2392-547: The provisions of military forces, the few remaining convicts, and lunatics. It was abolished, in New South Wales, in 1870 when the last British military forces departed. Similar arrangements applied in the Moreton Bay penal colony (originally part of New South Wales) and Western Australia . Military commissariats of the Soviet Army and modern Russian Army is а local military administrative agency that prepares and executes plans for military mobilization, maintains records on military manpower and economic resources available to
2444-414: The responsibility of the Board of Ordnance . The Commissariat's officers held ranks ranging from Commissary-General (equivalent to a Brigadier-General in the Army ) to Deputy Assistant Commissary-General (equivalent to a Lieutenant ) with Commissary Clerks akin to NCOs . Under the Treasury the Commissariat was organised into two branches: Stores and Accounts. Transport (albeit nominally a responsibility of
2496-471: The whole of the funds required to carry the foreign expenditure of this country. […] An account is constantly kept open by means of the Commissariat chests between Great Britain and all its Foreign dependencies so that if a sum has to be received or paid in Canada, Australia or China for any branch of the Public Service it may be done by a transfer in the Commissariat Chest Account, without any remittance. The Commissariat officers act in effect as Sub Treasurers to
2548-439: Was first made by James II in 1685 to provide for his troops encamped on Hounslow Heath . As a permanent post the appointment had lapsed by 1694, but a century later it was revived for senior officer of the Commissariat (a department of HM Treasury responsible for the procurement and issue of various stores and victuals to the army and the provision of transport). The Commissariat officers were uniformed civilians, appointed by
2600-528: Was reinstated subsequently from time to time on a more geographically-specific basis, for a particular expedition, theatre of war or colonial garrison. Otherwise, in the eighteenth century, arrangements for supply and transport tended to be devolved to individual regiments, who would work with a combination of civilian contractors and other agencies. The only centralized control at this time was that exercised by HM Treasury , which ultimately authorised expenditure. In 1793, however, with Britain at war with France ,
2652-529: Was something of a poor relation; this in part led to the Commander-in-chief establishing a separate Royal Waggon Train . After the end of the Napoleonic Wars the office of Commissary-in-chief was abolished and the Treasury moved to consolidate the department's remit. In 1822 the Stores Branch (along with its warehouses and staff both at home and abroad) was transferred to the Board of Ordnance, which also took on responsibility for provision of food, forage and fuel to troops in England ten years later. Thereafter
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#17327657850112704-432: Was to license and regulate sutlers , to procure wagons, carriages, horses and drivers when required for transport and to account for all payments to the Lord High Treasurer and the Paymaster-General of His Majesty's Forces . Following the Glorious Revolution of 1688, Shales was reappointed Commissary-General (though he was subsequently accused of mismanagement and replaced). After 1694 the appointment lapsed, though it
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