Visitor

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French visiter, from Latin visitare, frequentative of visere to go to see, frequentative of vidēre to see

• Date: 13th century

Definitions

transitive verb

• 1 a archaic : comfort —used of the Deity <visit us with Thy salvation — Charles Wesley>

b (1) : afflict <visited his people with distempers — Tobias Smollett> (2) : inflict, impose <visited his wrath upon them>

c : avenge <visited the sins of the fathers upon the children>

d : to present itself to or come over momentarily <was visited by a strange notion>

• 2 : to go to see in order to comfort or help
• 3 a : to pay a call on as an act of friendship or courtesy

b : to reside with temporarily as a guest

c : to go to see or stay at (a place) for a particular purpose (as business or sightseeing)

d : to go or come officially to inspect or oversee <a bishop visiting his parishes>

intransitive verb

• 1 : to make a visit; also : to make frequent or regular visits
• 2 : chat, converse <enjoys visiting with the neighbors>

Description

A Visitor, in United Kingdom law and history, is an overseer of an autonomous ecclesiastical or eleemosynary institution (i.e., a charitable institution set up for the perpetual distribution of the founder's alms and bounty), who can intervene in the internal affairs of that institution. These institutions usually comprise cathedrals, chapels, colleges, universities and hospitals.

The British sovereign, the Lord Chancellor, the Lord President of the Council, the Archbishop of Canterbury, peers, diocesan bishops, etc. are the most common Visitors, though any person or office-holder can be nominated. The Queen usually delegates her visitatorial functions to the Lord Chancellor. During the reform of the universities of Oxford and Cambridge in the 19th century, Parliament ordered Visitations to the universities to make inquiries and to reform the university and college statutes. Bishops are usually the Visitors to their own cathedrals.

There is a ceremonial element to the role and the Visitor may also be called upon to give advice where an institution expresses doubt as to its powers under its charter and statutes. However, the most important function of the Visitor was within academic institutions, where the Visitor had to determine disputes arising between the academic institution and its members. Traditionally the courts have been exempted from any jurisdiction over student complaints. As a result there had been much speculation that this contravened the Human Rights Act 1998. However in 2004 the Higher Education Act transferred the jurisdiction of the Visitor over student complaints in UK universities to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator.