The Bank Holidays Act 1871 established the first Bank Holidays in the United Kingdom. A Bank Holiday is a public holiday in the United Kingdom and also in the Republic of Ireland. ...

The Act designated four Bank Holidays in England, Wales and Ireland (Easter Monday; Whit Monday; First Monday in August; Boxing Day in England and Wales and St Stephen's Day in Ireland), and five in Scotland (New Year's Day; Good Friday; First Monday in May; First Monday in August; Christmas Day). Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location (dark green) within the United Kingdom (light green), with the Republic of Ireland (blue) to its west Languages English Capital London Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population –mid-2004... National motto: Cymru am byth (Welsh: Wales for ever) Waless location relative to most of the British Isles (other parts of the UK shown on the map are in pink). ... Easter Monday is a holiday celebrated the next day after Easter Sunday in some largely Christian cultural traditions. ... Whit Monday or Pentecost Monday is the Christian holiday celebrated the day after Pentecost, a movable feast in the Christian calendar, being dependent upon the date of Easter. ... Boxing Day is a public holiday observed in many Commonwealth countries on 26 December. ... December 26, the day following Christmas Day, is called St. ... Motto: Nemo me impune lacessit (English: No one provokes me with impunity) Scotlands location within Europe Scotlands location within the United Kingdom Languages English, Gaelic, Scots Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow First Minister Jack McConnell Area - Total - % water Ranked 2nd UK 78,782 km² 1. ... For information on the movie, New Years Day, see New Years Day (film). ... Good Friday is a holy day celebrated by most Christians on the Friday before Easter or Pascha. ... Joseph and Mary with baby Jesus, at the first Christmas Christmas (literally, the Mass of Christ) is a holiday in the Christian calendar, usually observed on December 25, which celebrates the birth of Jesus. ...

In England, Wales and Ireland, Good Friday and Christmas Day were considered traditional days of rest (as were Sundays) and therefore it was felt unnecessary to include them in the Act.

The Act was repealed in 1971 and superseded by the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971, which remains in force today.

References

Department of Trade and Industry, History of Bank and Public Holidays, [1] Accessed 1 July 2006