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with regard to appointments and qualifications for the position.^[5] Several sections of the Act were eventually repealed or overridden by the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990, the Legal Services Act 2007 and the Statute Law Revision Act 1872.^[5]