The Statute Law Revision Act 1874 (No. 2) (37 & 38 Vict. c. 96) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that repealed for the United Kingdom enactments from 1837 to 1843 which had ceased to be in force or had become necessary.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In the United Kingdom, acts of Parliament remain in force until expressly repealed.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 (No. 2) Bill had its first reading in the House of Lords on 2 July 1874, introduced by the Lord Chancellor, Hugh Cairns, 1st Baron Cairns. The bill had its second reading in the House of Lords on 27 July 1874 and was committed to a committee of the whole house, which met and reported with amendment on 28 July 1874. The amended bill had its third reading in the House of Lords on 30 July 1874 and passed, with amendments.
The amended bill its first reading in the House of Commons on 30 July 1874, introduced by the Attorney General, Richard Baggallay . The bill had its second reading in the House of Commons on 31 July 1874 and was committed to a committee of the whole house, which met and reported without amendment on 1 August 1874. The bill had its third reading in the House of Commons on 3 August 1874.
The bill was granted royal assent on 7 August 1874.
The act was intended, in particular, to facilitate the preparation of a revised edition of the statutes.
Section 2 of, and the schedule to, the act 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The enactments which were repealed (whether for the whole or any part of the United Kingdom) by the act were repealed so far as they extended to the Isle of Man on 25 July 1991.
The whole act was repealed for the United Kingdom by group 1 of part IX of schedule 1 to the Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1998.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 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 468 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 provided that the Statute Law Revision Act 1874 (37 & 38 Vict. c. 35) was to be read and construed as if, in the entry in the schedule to that act relating to the Piracy Act 1837 (7 Will. 4. & 1 Vict. c. 88), the words "Section Six" and "Section Seven" had been substituted for the words "Section Four" and "Section Five" respectively.