Bankruptcy Act 1914
The Bankruptcy Act 1914 was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which formed the primary source of UK insolvency law for approximately 70 years. It came into force on 1 January 1915 repealing a number of earlier enactments. It was substantially repealed by the short-lived Insolvency Act 1985.
The act is generally regarded as a consolidation of earlier enactments relating to bankruptcy.
Although the act is expressed solely with reference to the bankruptcy of individuals, section 317 of the Companies Act 1948 applied many of its provisions to corporate insolvencies.
Provisions
Repealed enactments
Section 168 of the act repealed ? enactments, listed in the sixth schedule to the act.| Citation | Short title | Description | Extent of Repeal |
| 32 & 33 Vict. c. 62. | Debtors Act 1869 | The Debtors Act, 1869 | Sections eleven, twelve, fourteen, fifteen, and sixteen. |
| 45 & 46 Vict. c. 75. | Married Women's Property Act 1882 | The Married Women's Property Act, 1882. | Subsection of section one, and section three so far as they relate to England and Wales. |
| 46 & 47 Vict. c. 52. | Bankruptcy Act 1883 | The Bankruptcy Act, 1883. | The whole Act, except sections one, two, thirty-two, thirty-three, thirty-four, one hundred and twenty-two, one hundred and forty-five, and one hundred and forty-six, and except sections forty-two and one hundred and twenty-seven so far as they relate to cases of orders under section one hundred and twenty-two of the said Act. |
| 47 & 48 Vict. c. 9. | Bankruptcy Appeals (County Courts) Act 1884 | The Bankruptcy Appeals Act, 1884. | The whole act. |
| 48 & 49 Vict. c. 47. | Bankruptcy (Office Accommodation) Act 1885 | The Bankruptcy Act, 1885. | The whole act. |
| 49 & 50 Vict. c. 12. | Bankruptcy (Office Accommodation) Act 1886 | The Bankruptcy Act, 1886. | The whole act. |
| 50 & 51 Vict. c. 66. | Bankruptcy (Discharge and Closure) Act 1887 | The Bankruptcy Act, 1887. | The whole act. |
| 51 & 52 Vict. c. 62. | Preferential Payments in Bankruptcy Act 1888 | The Preferential Payments in Bankruptcy Act, 1888. | The whole act so far as unrepealed. |
| 53 & 54 Vict. c. 71. | Bankruptcy Act 1890 | The Bankruptcy Act, 1890. | The whole act, except sections nine, twelve, and twenty-five, and subsection one of section thirty-one, and except section twenty-eight so far as it relates to cases of orders under section one hundred and twenty-two of the Bankruptcy Act, 1883. |
| 54 & 55 Vict. c. 21. | Savings Banks Act 1891 | The Savings Banks Act, 1891. | Section thirteen. |
| 3 & 4 Geo. 5. c. 34. | Bankruptcy and Deeds of Arrangement Act 1913 | The Bankruptcy Act, 1913. | Part I., and in section forty-two the words from "and Part I. of this Act" to "the Bankruptcy Acts, 1883 to 1913," and subsection, Schedule I. Schedule II. |
Short title, commencement and extent
Section 169 of the act provided that the act may be cited as the Bankruptcy Act, 1914.Section 169 of the act provided that the act would not extend to Scotland or Ireland unless expressly provided.
Section 169 of the act provided that the act would come into force on 1 January 1915.