The Statute Law Revision Act 1872 (35 & 36 Vict. c. 63) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for the United Kingdom enactments from 1772 to 1806 which had ceased to be in force or had become necessary. The act was intended, in particular, to facilitate the preparation of the revised edition of the statutes, then in progress.
In the United Kingdom, acts of Parliament remain in force until expressly repealed.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 Statute Law Revision Bill had its first reading in the House of Lords on 13 May 1872, introduced by the Lord Chancellor, William Wood, 1st Baron Hatherley. The bill had its second reading in the House of Lords on 3 June 1872 and was committed to a committee of the whole house. Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, expressed concern relating to a specific act relating to age requirements for ordination in the Church of England that could lead to unintended consequences. In response, the Lord Chancellor assured that this would be reviewed. The committee met on 10 June 1872, and reported on 10 June 1872, without amendments. The bill had its third reading in the House of Lords on 13 June 1871 and passed, without amendments
The bill had its first reading in the House of Commons on 11 July 1872, introduced by the Attorney General, John Coleridge, 1st Baron Coleridge, second reading in the House of Commons on 19 July 1872 and was committed to a committee of the whole house, which reported on 25 July 1872. The amended bill was considered on 26 July 1872, and the Bill had its third reading in the House of Commons on 29 July 1872 and passed, without amendments.
The bill was granted royal assent on 6 August 1872.
The act was intended, in particular, to facilitate the preparation of a revised edition of the statutes.
The act was partly in force in Great Britain at the end of 2010.
Section 2 and the schedule to the act were repealed by section 1 of, and Schedule 1 to, the Statute Law Revision Act 1894 (57 & 58 Vict. c. 56).
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 489 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. Specifically, any legal rights, privileges, or remedies already obtained under the repealed laws, as well as any legal proceedings or principles established by them, remain unaffected. Section 1 of the act also ensured that repealed enactments that have been incorporated into other laws would continue to have legal effect in those contexts. Moreover, the repeal would not revive any former rights, offices, or jurisdictions that had already been abolished.
Section 2 of the act amended the explanatory note of the schedule to the Statute Law Revision Act 1871 (34 & 35 Vict. c. 116) to correct the drafting by providing that the explanatory note of the schedule to this act shall be read as if the words "Edward the Third" were inserted immediately before the words "William the Third".