In English ecclesiastical law . A court held before a judge appointed by the archdeacon, and called his official. Its jurisdiction comprises the granting of probates and administrations, and ecclesiastical causes in general, arising within the archdeaconry . It is the most inferior court in the whole ecclesiastical polity of England. 3 Bl. Comm. 04; 3 Steph. Comm. 430.
Black’s Law Online Dictionary
