Simony Act 1588

The Simony Act 1588 (31 Eliz. 1. c. 6) is an Act of the Parliament of England.

The Act stipulates penalties for simony (the act of selling church offices and roles or sacred things), an offence under the ecclesiastical law of the Church of England.

, it remains largely in force in England and Wales.

This Act was partly in force in Great Britain at the end of 2010.

Under section 4, an unlawfully bestowed office can be declared void by the Crown, and the offender can be disabled from making future appointments and fined up to £1,000. Clergy are no longer required to make a declaration as to simony on ordination but offences are now likely to be dealt with as "misconduct" under the Clergy Discipline Measure 2003, r.8.

Penalty by reference to the value of an ecclesiastical living was abolished by Statute Law (Repeals) Measure 2018.