The Statute Law Revision Act 1861 (24 & 25 Vict. c. 101) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was the first of the series of Statute Law Revision Acts. It was intended, in particular, to facilitate the preparation of a revised edition of the statutes. It repealed the whole or portions of 884 Acts, passed between 11 Geo 3 (1771) and 16 & 17 Vict (1853).
On 17 February 1860, the Attorney General, Sir Richard Bethell told the House of Commons that he had engaged Sir Francis Reilly and A. J. Wood to expurgate the statute book of all Acts which, though not expressly repealed, were not in force, working backwards from the present time.
The Statute Law Revision Bill had its first reading in the House of Lords on 24 August 1860, introduced by the Lord Chancellor, Robert Rolfe, 1st Baron Cranworth. The bill did not progress in that parliamentary session.
The re-introduced Statute Law Revision Bill had had its first reading in the House of Lords on 11 February 1861, introduced by the Lord Chancellor, Robert Rolfe, 1st Baron Cranworth. In his speech introducing the Bill, the Lord Cranworth explained that the Bill aimed to repeal outdated laws to simplify and consolidate the legal code, allowing for a more manageable and up-to-date statute book by cutting it down to one-fourth of its original size.
The bill had its second reading in the House of Lords on 28 February 1861 and was committed to a committee of the whole house, which met and reported without amendment on 7 March 1861. The Bill was criticised by the former Lord Chancellor, Frederic Thesiger, 1st Baron Chelmsford, who voiced concerns about the process, particularly regarding the heavy reliance on two legal experts without further scrutiny by the House and by Richard Hely-Hutchinson, 4th Earl of Donoughmore, who suggested the Bill ought to be referred to a select committee. The Bill had its third reading in the House of Lords on 8 March 1861, with amendments.
The bill had its first reading in the House of Commons on 11 March 1861, its second reading in the House of Commons on 15 April 1861, and was and committed to a select committee. The Select Committee was discharged and the Bill was committed to a committee of the whole house on 26 July 1861, which met and reported on 30 July 1861, with amendments. The amended Bill had its third reading in the House of Commons on 31 July 1861. The amended Bill was considered and agreed to by the House of Lords on 2 August 1861.
The Bill was granted royal assent on 6 August 1861.
Section 1 includes the original version of the Westbury saving.
The whole act was repealed for the United Kingdom by group 1 of part IX of schedule 1 to the Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1998.
The enactments which were repealed (whether for the whole or any part of the United Kingdom) by the act were repealed so far as they extended to the Isle of Man on 25 July 1991.
The act was retained for the Republic of Ireland by section 2(2)(a) of, and part 4 of schedule 1 to, the Statute Law Revision Act 2007.
Section 1 of the act repealed or amended over 883 enactments, listed in the schedule to the act, across six categories:
Section 1 of the act included several safeguards to ensure that the repeal does not negatively affect existing rights or ongoing legal matters.