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Notaries represent the oldest and smallest branch of the legal profession in England & Wales. (Notaries in Scotland are regulated separately like the other Scottish legal professions). THE NOTARIAL PROFESSION IN ENGLAND AND WALES A notary is a qualified lawyer whose task it is to authenticate documents and transactions so that they can be effective in countries outside England & Wales Until 1533 notaries were appointed on papal authority by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Following the break from Rome, appointments continued to be made by the Archbishop of Canterbury - but on the authority of the Crown. The Archbishop's jurisdiction was, and is, exercised through one of the oldest of the English courts - the Court of Faculties, now physically located at the Precinct adjoining Westminster Abbey in London. The Court is presided over by the Master of the Faculties who is the most senior ecclesiastical judge and commonly also a judge of the Supreme Court. Since 1801 the appointment and regulation of notaries has been underpinned by statutes enacted by Parliament.