surrogare, to substitute for), is the deputy of a bishop or an ecclesiastical judge, acting in the absence of his principal and strictly bound by the authority of the latter.
[1] It is particularly common as a term for clergy deputising for the diocesan judge in dioceses of the Church of England.
At present the chief duty of a surrogate in England is the granting of marriage licences, so that although often nominated by the bishop, the person appointed is in fact a surrogate to the Chancellor (chief judge) of the diocese.
[2] Surrogates may have more extensive delegated powers, and judgments of the Arches Court of Canterbury have been delivered by a surrogate in the absence of the official principal.
Upon appointment to the office "surrogate" becomes part of the holder's formal title.