| Short Title: | Public Notaries Act 1801 |
| Long Title: | An Act for the better Regulation of Publick Notaries in England. |
| Parliament: | Parliament of the United Kingdom |
| Year: | 1801 |
| Type: | Act |
| Citation: | 41 Geo. 3 (UK) c 79 |
| Territorial Extent: | England and Wales |
| Royal Assent: | 27 June 1801 |
| Commencement: | 27 June 1801 |
| Status: | amended |
| Use New Uk-Leg: | yes |
The Public Notaries Act 1801[1] was an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom that banned people from acting as public notaries without lawful authority from a court.[2] From 1 August 1801, no person was permitted to be a public notary "unless such person shall have been duly sworn, admitted, and inrolled [sic]".[2] It did not, however, apply to public notaries who worked within religious organisations.[3] It required notaries to serve as an apprentice for seven years prior to appointment,[4] and provided detailed penalties for dishonesty with regard to appointments and qualifications for the position.[5] Several sections of the Act were eventually repealed or overridden by the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990, the Legal Services Act 2007 and the Statute Law Revision Act 1872.