<P> Until 1834 , the Bank of England observed about 33 saints ' days and religious festivals as holidays , but in that year this was reduced to four : 1 May ( May Day ) , 1 November ( All Saints ' Day ) , Good Friday and Christmas Day . In 1871 , the first legislation relating to bank holidays was passed when Liberal politician and banker Sir John Lubbock introduced the Bank Holidays Act 1871 , which specified the days in the table below . Under the Act , no person was compelled to make any payment or to do any act upon a bank holiday which he would not be compelled to do or make on Christmas Day or Good Friday , and the making of a payment or the doing of an act on the following day was equivalent to doing it on the holiday . People were so grateful that some called the first Bank Holidays St Lubbock 's Days for a while . Scotland was treated separately because of its separate traditions : for example , New Year is a more important holiday there . </P>
<P> Until 1834 , the Bank of England observed about 33 saints ' days and religious festivals as holidays , but in that year this was reduced to four : 1 May ( May Day ) , 1 November ( All Saints ' Day ) , Good Friday and Christmas Day . In 1871 , the first legislation relating to bank holidays was passed when Liberal politician and banker Sir John Lubbock introduced the Bank Holidays Act 1871 , which specified the days in the table below . Under the Act , no person was compelled to make any payment or to do any act upon a bank holiday which he would not be compelled to do or make on Christmas Day or Good Friday , and the making of a payment or the doing of an act on the following day was equivalent to doing it on the holiday . People were so grateful that some called the first Bank Holidays St Lubbock 's Days for a while . Scotland was treated separately because of its separate traditions : for example , New Year is a more important holiday there . </P>
when were bank holidays introduced in the uk
when were bank holidays introduced in the uk
1871
1871