ABSTRACT
We have seen that dispensation and economy, whilst not widely written about, have a long and interesting history. Dispensation was widely applied in the ecclesiastical sphere before the Reformation and, in a different way, in the postReformation Church of England as we shall see in subsequent chapters. However before moving on to examining how legal flexibility has been used to further the mission of the Church in England, we will trace the use of concepts similar to dispensation or economy in English law outside strictly ecclesiastical matters. This chapter explores whether and where such legal flexibility may be found.
