The Faculty Office

What The Faculty Office does

The Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury is a 500-year-old ecclesiastical regulatory body and Court of Faculties operating under the authority of the Archbishop of Canterbury, established by the Ecclesiastical Licences Act 1533. It discharges three principal functions: (1) admission, supervision, regulation, qualification, complaints and discipline of approximately 750 practising Notaries Public in England and Wales under powers confirmed by the Public Notaries Acts 1801 and 1843, Courts & Legal Services Act 1990, and Legal Services Act 2007; (2) issuance of Special Marriage Licences from the Archbishop of Canterbury, allowing couples with a genuine church connection to marry where they cannot satisfy standard legal preliminaries; and (3) awarding of Lambeth Degrees (Doctor of Philosophy, Doctor of Divinity, Doctor of Civil Law, Master of Philosophy) to individuals distinguished in service of the Christian Church or who have passed theological examinations. The Master of the Faculties (currently Morag Ellis KC, appointed 2020) holds direct personal authority over all regulatory decisions, with strict separation enforced between regulation and representation.

The Faculty Office operates a small professional staff (Master, Registrar, Deputy Registrar, Chief Clerk, Risk/Compliance Officer, two Clerks, and Administrative Officer) housed at 1 The Sanctuary, Westminster. Its technology stack centres on NotaryPRO, an online secure account system through which notaries pay practising fees, certify compliance, and manage disciplinary records, plus a public-facing Find-a-Notary search directory. The office governs the profession through a comprehensive 27-chapter Code of Practice covering principles, transparency, anti-money laundering, complaints, conflicts of interest, continuing professional education, data protection, inspections, insurance, record-keeping, supervision, and electronic documents. It is also one of 22 Professional Body Supervisors in the UK with designated anti-money laundering supervision responsibility over its notaries.

The Faculty Office is a non-profit entity funded entirely by practice fees paid by the approximately 750 regulated notaries, with no cross-subsidy from representative bodies (the Notaries Society and Society of Scrivener Notaries). Additional revenue streams include transaction fees on Special Marriage Licence applications and £70.00 Certificate of Authentication fees. External oversight is provided by the Legal Services Board, which measures the office's regulatory performance against 26 individual measures under five categories, and the Legal Ombudsman. Jurisdiction also extends to overseas notaries in Jersey, Guernsey, Gibraltar, New Zealand, Queensland (Australia), and Papua New Guinea. No revenue figures are publicly disclosed.

Name

The Faculty Office

Legal name

The Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury

Website

https://facultyoffice.org.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

The Faculty Office is an ecclesiastical Court of Faculties under the Archbishop of Canterbury that regulates approximately 750 practising notaries in England and Wales, issues Special Marriage Licences, and awards Lambeth Degrees, funded entirely by notarial practice fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Profession Regulation

NAICS

Offices of Notaries (541120), Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support (921), Courts (92211), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Regulatory Authorities & Commissions (Cross-Sector) (EDADAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Faith-Affiliated Private Research Universities (EDAHABAJ)

Keywords

• Notarial regulation services
• Special marriage licences
• Lambeth degrees administration
• Professional discipline oversight
• Anti-money laundering supervision

Headquarters

HQ city

Rugeley

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Notarial Regulation Fees: Practice fees to register and remain as a notary are collected by the Faculty Office and solely fund regulation of notaries. Unlike fee arrangements for solicitors and barristers, there is no cross subsidy between regulation and representation.
2. Special Marriage Licence Application Fees: Fees charged for processing applications for Special Marriage Licences issued by the Archbishop of Canterbury
3. Certificate of Professional Status / Authentication: Certificate of Authentication fee of £70.00 for certifying that signatures match records in the Roll of Notaries
4. Notarial Contingency Fund: Fund maintained and administered by the Master of the Faculties and the Registrar under Notarial Contingency Fund Rules 1981

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Faculty Office regulates the admission, supervision, and discipline of Notaries Public in England & Wales under the Master of the Faculties, funded by practising fees paid by approximately 750 notaries. It also issues Special Marriage Licences on behalf of the Archbishop of Canterbury and administers the award of Lambeth Degrees to distinguished church servants and theological scholars. Its services are delivered through the NotaryPRO portal, the public Find-A-Notary directory, the Special Marriage Licence online application, and a single Westminster office.

Product overview

The Faculty Office is a regulatory body of the Archbishop of Canterbury that provides three primary services: the regulation and admission of Notaries Public in England and Wales (under the Master of the Faculties), the issuance of Special Marriage Licences, and the awarding of Lambeth Degrees. The organization operates through the NotaryPRO online portal for notary professionals and a public Find a Notary search service. The regulatory function is governed by a comprehensive Code of Practice with 27 chapters covering professional standards, compliance requirements, and operational guidelines for the notarial profession. The Faculty Office also maintains jurisdiction for notaries in certain overseas jurisdictions including Jersey, Guernsey, Gibraltar, New Zealand, Queensland (Australia), and Papua New Guinea.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Notary Regulation and Admission Statutory regulation and admission service for Notaries Public in England and Wales, including qualification, supervision, anti-money laundering oversight, complaints handling, and discipline under the Master of the Faculties, serving the approximately 750 practising notaries.
• Special Marriage Licences Dispensations issued by the Archbishop of Canterbury allowing couples with a genuine connection to a particular church or chapel to marry there where they cannot satisfy the standard legal preliminary requirements under Anglican marriage law.
• Lambeth Degrees Academic degrees awarded by the Archbishop of Canterbury, including Doctor of Philosophy by thesis, Doctor of Divinity, Doctor of Civil Law, and Master of Philosophy, granted to individuals who have distinguished themselves in service of the Christian Church or following academic examination/thesis in theology.
• NotaryPRO Online secure account system used by notaries to pay practising certificate fees, certify compliance, and manage regulatory records, with links to the Find-A-Notary public search portal for publication of disciplinary outcomes.
• Find a Notary Public-facing searchable directory of all Notaries Public entitled to practise in England and Wales, including disclosure of any current disciplinary matters, enabling members of the public to locate and instruct a notary.
• Certificate of Authentication Official certificate issued at £70.00 per document verifying that a notary's signature on a specific document matches the signature recorded against that notary in the Roll of Notaries, used for international legal and commercial authentication.

Quantifiable outcome

• Approximately 750 practising Notaries supervised for anti-money laundering compliance
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Lee Bolton Monier-Williams (Solicitors)coreOthersCommercial agreement with Lee Bolton Monier-Williams (Solicitors) at 1 The Sanctuary, Westminster for use of premises by the Faculty Office. The Faculty Office is located in premises used by commercial agreement with this law firm.
• The Notaries SocietyminorOthersOne of two membership organisations for Notaries in England & Wales. The Faculty Office is entirely separate from the Notaries Society which has representative functions only. Practice fees are collected by the Faculty Office and fund regulation only - no cross subsidy between regulation and representation.
• The Society of Scrivener NotariesminorOthersOne of two membership organisations for Notaries in England & Wales (representing Scrivener Notaries with additional qualifications and expertise in at least two foreign languages). The Faculty Office is entirely separate from this Society which has representative functions only.
• The Notaries Guarantee LimitedminorOthersCompany limited by guarantee providing Fidelity Indemnity Insurance covering claims of mismanagement and legal liability for members of The Notaries Society.
• Legal Services BoardcoreOthersExternal oversight body governing the Faculty Office as an Approved Regulator under the Legal Services Act 2007. The Faculty Office is subject to regulatory performance reporting measuring progress against 26 individual measures under five categories.
• Legal OmbudsmancoreOthersIndependent ombudsman appointed under the Legal Services Act 2007 to deal with complaints about authorised persons including notaries. Funded by a levy on the legal profession.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• CILEx Regulation: Approved Regulator for Chartered Legal Executives under the Legal Services Act 2007. Comparable as a profession-specific legal regulator with separate funding streams and disciplinary authority, and subject to the same Legal Services Board performance framework.
• Bar Standards Board: Approved Regulator for barristers in England and Wales under the Legal Services Act 2007. Highly comparable in regulatory scope (admission, supervision, discipline) and statutory framework, serving a parallel branch of the legal profession.
• Solicitors Regulation Authority: Also an Approved Regulator under the Legal Services Act 2007, responsible for regulating solicitors in England and Wales. Closely comparable in mandate, governance model, and Legal Services Board oversight, although operating at significantly larger scale.
• Costs Lawyer Standards Board: Approved Regulator for costs lawyers under the Legal Services Act 2007. The most structurally analogous peer in being a small, specialist legal profession regulator serving a similarly sized fee-paying population.
• Council for Licensed Conveyancers: Approved Regulator for licensed conveyancers under the Legal Services Act 2007. Closely comparable in being a smaller, specialist Approved Regulator overseeing a niche reserved legal activity, with similar self-funding and Legal Services Board oversight dynamics.
• Intellectual Property Regulation Board (IPReg): Approved Regulator for patent attorneys, trade mark attorneys and other IP practitioners under the Legal Services Act 2007. Closely comparable statutory position, professional discipline role, and Legal Services Board reporting obligations.

Broad incumbents

• Law Society of England and Wales: Approved Regulator for solicitors (with regulatory functions delegated to the SRA). A broader incumbent with both representative and residual regulatory functions, in contrast to the Faculty Office's strict separation of regulation and representation.

Regional players

• Faculty of Notaries Public of Ireland: The closest international analogue - the Irish body regulating notaries public. Comparable in function and ecclesiastical tradition but operating under Irish statutory and regulatory frameworks rather than those of England & Wales.

Others

• Society of Scrivener Notaries: One of two representative bodies for notaries in England & Wales (specifically Scrivener Notaries). Structurally connected to the Faculty Office as the regulated profession's representative counterpart, with deliberate separation of regulation and representation.
• Legal Services Board: Statutory oversight body that oversees all Approved Regulators including the Faculty Office. Not a peer in the competitive sense, but a structural counterparty whose performance assessments directly shape the Faculty Office's operating environment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Faculty Office