__NOTOC__ The Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury is a regulatory body in

English law English law is the common law legal system of England and Wales, comprising mainly criminal law and civil law, each branch having its own courts and procedures. Principal elements of English law Although the common law has, historically, b ...

, which also exercises some adjudicatory functions. Its responsibilities include: # the regulation of notaries public; # the issue of special marriage licences (but not common marriage licences); # the conferral of

Lambeth degree A Lambeth degree is an academic degree conferred by the Archbishop of Canterbury under the authority of the Ecclesiastical Licences Act 1533 (25 Hen VIII c 21) (Eng) as successor of the papal legate in England. The degrees conferred most commonl ...

s. The Faculty Office is presided over by the Master of the Faculties, who is appointed by the

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Just ...

subject to approval by the Crown. Its jurisdiction is exercised by the ''Court of Faculties'' and applies to

England and Wales England and Wales () is one of the three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. The substantive law of the jurisdiction is En ...

. The jurisdiction was conferred upon the Archbishop by the

Ecclesiastical Licences Act 1533 The Ecclesiastical Licences Act 1533 ( 25 Hen 8 c 21), also known as the Act Concerning Peter's Pence and Dispensations, is an Act of the Parliament of England. It was passed by the English Reformation Parliament in the early part of 1534 and out ...

(25 Hen VIII c 21) (Eng) as part of the Reformation in England. This Act transferred to the Archbishop of Canterbury powers which had up until then been exercised by the

Papal Legate 300px, A woodcut showing Henry II of England greeting the pope's legate. A papal legate or apostolic legate (from the ancient Roman title '' legatus'') is a personal representative of the pope to foreign nations, or to some part of the Catholic ...

to England. For this reason they are sometimes called the "legatine powers", and are exercised by the Archbishop of Canterbury not only in the

Province of Canterbury The Province of Canterbury, or less formally the Southern Province, is one of two ecclesiastical provinces which constitute the Church of England. The other is the Province of York (which consists of 12 dioceses). Overview The Province consist ...

but also in the

Province of York The Province of York, or less formally the Northern Province, is one of two ecclesiastical provinces making up the Church of England and consists of 12 dioceses which cover the northern third of England and the Isle of Man. York was elevated to ...

and the area covered by the

Church in Wales The Church in Wales ( cy, Yr Eglwys yng Nghymru) is an Anglican church in Wales, composed of six dioceses. The Archbishop of Wales does not have a fixed archiepiscopal see, but serves concurrently as one of the six diocesan bishops. The pos ...

. Notaries public in New Zealand and the State of Queensland, Australia are still appointed by the Faculty Office.

Notes

References

External links

Official website
Canon law of the Church of England Ecclesiastical courts {{Anglicanism-stub

See also

Further reading

Notes

References

External links