The Coroners Act 1887 (50 & 51 Vict. c. 71) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that consolidated for England and Wales enactments relating to coroners and repealed statutes from 1275 to 1882 which had ceased to be in force or had become necessary.
In the United Kingdom, acts of Parliament remain in force until expressly repealed. Blackstone's Commentaries on the Laws of England, published in the late 18th-century, raised questions about the system and structure of the common law and the poor drafting and disorder of the existing statute book.
From 1810 to 1825, The Statutes of the Realm was published, providing the first authoritative collection of acts. The first statute law revision act was not passed until 1856 with the Repeal of Obsolete Statutes Act 1856 (19 & 20 Vict. c. 64). This approach â focusing on removing obsolete laws from the statute book followed by consolidation â was proposed by Peter Locke King MP, who had been highly critical of previous commissions' approaches, expenditures, and lack of results.
The Coroners Bill had its first reading in the House of Lords on 19 July 1887, introduced by the Lord Chancellor, Hardinge Giffard, 1st Baron Halsbury. The bill had its second reading in the House of Lords on 21 July 1887 and was committed to a Committee of the Whole House, which met on 4 August and reported on 5 August 1887, with amendments. The amended Bill had its third reading in the House of Lords on 8 August 1887 and passed, without amendments.
The bill had its first reading in the House of Commons on 15 August 1887. The bill had its second reading in the House of Commons on 10 September 1887, introduced by the attorney general, Richard Webster . During debate, the bill was criticised for appearing late in the session, and for containing no provision for the fining of Coroners for neglect of duty. The bill was committed to a Committee of the Whole House, which was delayed several times, receiving criticism from MPs. The Committee which met and reported on 13 September 1887, with amendments. The bill had its third reading in the House of Commons on 13 September 1887 and passed, with amendments.
The amended bill was considered and agreed to by the House of Lords on 13 September 1887.
The bill was granted royal assent on 16 September 1887.
Part of section 45 and the third schedule to the act were repealed by the Statute Law Revision Act 1908 (8 Edw. 7. c. 49).
The whole act was repealed by section 36(2) of, and schedule 4 to, the Coroners Act 1988.
Section 45 of the act repealed 33 enactments, listed in the third schedule to the act.
Section 45 of the act included several safeguards to ensure that the repeal does not negatively affect existing rights or ongoing legal matters, including: