Regium Donum

The Regium Donum (Latin: "Royal Bounty") in British history was an annual grant to augment the income of poor Nonconformist clergy.

The money originally came from the monarch's privy purse as an ex gratia donation, but it later became an annual grant voted by Parliament.

From Charles II onwards, there had been earlier royal donations to Dissenting clergymen, but political motives were suspected, and a proposed grant of £1,000 pa by Queen Anne was declined.

[1] Reform of royal finances by Pitt the Younger resulted in the Regium Donum becoming a grant voted by Parliament, rather than a charge upon the Civil List.

[3] There was growing opposition by organised Dissent; because of this, the government announced in 1851 that the Regium Donum would not be voted in subsequent years.