Bank Holidays Act 1871

The Bank Holidays Act 1871 established public holidays in addition to those customarily recognised in the United Kingdom.
The Act designated four bank holidays in England, Wales and Ireland and five in Scotland.
In England, Wales and Ireland, Good Friday and Christmas Day were considered traditional days of rest and therefore it was felt unnecessary to include them in the Act; especially as the Act extended the existing law relating to those days to the new bank holidays.
The Bank Holidays Act was introduced by John Lubbock, 1st Baron Avebury who originally proposed four bank holidays in England and Wales and five in Scotland, which had a slightly different cultural calendar. They were added to the traditional religious holidays. Some people even nicknamed these new holidays “St Lubbock’s Days”.
The Act was repealed in 1971 and superseded by the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971, which remains in force.