The unusual history and origins of bank holidays
Those glorious long weekends we know and love? You can thank a bloke who tried to teach his poodle to read! That’s right, our beloved UK bank holidays have been gracing us with extra days off for nearly 150 years, all thanks to John Lubbock, the first Baron of Avebury.
In 2025, we're still reaping the rewards, with eight bank holidays in England and Wales, nine in Scotland, and a whopping ten in Northern Ireland. But have you ever stopped to wonder how it all started and how they came to be the holidays that we know today?
Why do we have bank holidays in the first place?
It started with a man who was a banker, a politician and… a poodle professor?! The statutory bank holidays we enjoy today were officially introduced in 1871 by none other than John Lubbock.
He wasn't your average banker, though. Alongside his banking and political dealings, Lubbock was a proper scientific writer. And his most ambitious project? Apparently, teaching his poodle the art of reading.
Yeah, good luck with that one, John.
It all began with the Bank of England
Before Lubbock came on the scene and made bank holidays in the UK official, the Bank of England and the Exchequer — as well as numerous other public offices — took a large number of holidays (about 40) to celebrate royal events, Christian festivals, and saints’ days. It’s a wonder anyone got any work done at all.As the wheels of industry started turning faster, there was a move towards becoming more efficient, which was tricky with 40 days of holiday. So the number of holidays was trimmed down to 18 days in 1830, then slashed to just four in 1834. Ouch.
Local holidays
The idea of “local holidays” has been around for years, times when whole towns would stop work to celebrate or relax. This was no different during the Industrial Revolution.
Because standard public holidays weren’t a thing yet, communities often developed their own traditions. Factories decided to all put down their tools on specific days. This gave the entire town the day off, meaning everyone could enjoy some time off together. This was known as Wakes week, and was most common from Scotland down to the Midlands of England. It existed as an early form of summer holiday, giving the factories time for maintenance and upkeep. You still see factory shutdowns in some industries and areas of the country. However, the tradition faded away when systems like paid leave for employees, standardised school holidays, and a downturn in manufacturing started to become the norm.
Where did the term “Bank Holiday” come from?
You might be thinking, what do banks have to do with my extra day to binge-watch Netflix and do odd-jobs around the house? It's a fair question!
The name "bank holiday" isn't just a label. It points to the core reason that these days off were initially established: for the smooth functioning of the financial system.
Before John Lubbock came along with his brilliant idea, things could get awkward if a bank just decided to shut up shop on a random day. Imagine trying to pay a bill or someone’s wages when the bank's doors were firmly closed!
It could cause all sorts of headaches for businesses and the general public. The whole system relied on banks being open and doing their job consistently.
What Lubbock's Bank Holidays Bill in 1871 did was essentially make an official date when banks would close. This meant that any payments or financial bits that were supposed to happen on those days got bumped to the next working day. No stress, no penalties for anyone involved. It was a way of creating some order and predictability in the financial system whilst also giving the people who worked in the banks a well-deserved day off, too!
So even though the name "bank holiday" might not sound super exciting, it's a direct nod to the original reason we got these extra days off.
Watch out, it's the bank holiday hooligans
Around the 1960s, workers didn’t have as much leave as they enjoy today, so bank holidays were the perfect time to kick back and relax. The seaside was the holiday destination of choice (£20 Ryanair flights to mainland Europe hadn’t been invented yet), and people flocked to the beach in huge numbers.
However, for a while bank holidays earned a bit of a sour reputation following huge clashes between two subcultures - Mods and Rockers. During the 1960s, there were several significant scuffles, including the “Battle of Brighton” one May bank holiday weekend in 1964, where over 1,000 youths collided in one of the largest punch-ups the UK had seen.
Another product of giving millions of people time off at the same time is the ‘bank holiday getaway’, in which roads are overwhelmed by a stampede of extra vehicles packed with eager holidaymakers. Over August’s bank holiday in 2019, the problem was made even worse by a heatwave and the closure of major rail routes.
In the workplace these days, bank holidays cause very little disruption (at least for those of us not in the retail or leisure industries); they are a much-enjoyed long weekend. People seem more concerned with strategically booking their annual leave around bank holidays to get as much time off as possible, using as little of their leave allowance as possible. Clever stuff.
Historical origins of bank holidays
Before you go, here are a few fun facts about when key holiday dates were introduced.
New Year’s Day
While the Scots have long embraced a proper New Year celebration, it wasn't until the Bank Holiday Act of 1871 that January 1st became a bank holiday in Scotland. England, Wales, and Northern Ireland were a little bit slower on the uptake, finally joining the New Year's Day party as an official bank holiday with the 1971 Act.
2 January
Showing their continued commitment to a proper start to the year, the 1971 Act made 2 January an additional bank holiday in Scotland only. It seems the Scots truly understand the importance of a leisurely transition into the New Year. The rest of the UK clearly felt one day was enough!
St. Patrick’s Day
The 1903 Bank Holiday (Ireland) Act marked St Patrick’s Day as a bank holiday on 17 March. A day for celebrating Irish heritage and, let's be honest, often enjoying a pint of Guinness!
Good Friday
As a significant religious holiday, Good Friday has long been observed as a public holiday in many parts of the UK. However, the 1871 Act formally made it a bank holiday, with one exception: Scotland. It wasn't until the 1971 Act that Scotland aligned with the rest of the UK, making Good Friday a bank holiday nationwide.
Easter Monday
Following the main Easter Sunday celebration, Easter Monday became a bank holiday in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland under the 1871 Act. Interestingly, Scotland didn't initially include this in its list.
May bank holiday
The arrival of spring was marked with the introduction of a bank holiday on the first Monday in May for England, Wales, and Northern Ireland in 1978. Scotland, ever ahead of the curve, had already been enjoying this springtime break since the original 1871 Act.
Spring bank holiday
Originally observed as Whit Monday (named after one of the Pentecostal seasons, and not a misspelling of ‘white’), the date could fall anywhere between 11 May and 14 June. After the 1871 Act, the Spring Bank Holiday got a fixed date in 1971. It was tidied up and permanently set as the last Monday in May, providing a reliable long weekend as we head towards summer.
Battle of the Boyne
This Northern Ireland-only bank holiday, which falls on 12 July, was introduced in 1926 and commemorates the anniversary of the 1690 battle.
August bank holidays
Originally, August bank holiday was meant to be the first Monday of the month in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, according to the 1871 Act Then in 1965, a chap named Edward Heath (President of the Board of Trade) changed it to the Monday following the last weekend in August to increase trade in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scotland was exempt from the change, with its school year beginning in mid-August.
Following the 1971 Act, the August bank holiday in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland was updated to fall on the last Monday of August.
Christmas Day, 25 December
While Christmas Day has long been a significant public holiday across the UK, the 1971 Act officially made it a bank holiday. Scotland had recognised Christmas Day as a bank holiday since the original 1871 Act.
Boxing Day, 26 December
The day after Christmas became a bank holiday in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland with the 1871 Act, providing a welcome extended break after the festive celebrations. A century later, Scotland joined the Boxing Day bank holiday fun with the 1971 Act.
How can we help make managing bank holidays easier for you?
So, there you have it: an in-depth look into the history and origins of our beloved UK bank holidays!
From Mr Lubbock and his obsession with teaching his poodle to read (which you can find out more about here - I wonder what he would make of Bunny the talking dog?) to the glorious long weekends we all know and love today. Bank holidays started as a way to bring some order to the financial world and have evolved into cherished national days off, often marked by epic traffic jams and the collective pursuit of leisure.
While the origins might be rooted in banking, bank holidays affect pretty much every industry and business. It’s safe to say that keeping track of who's off and who’s not can feel a bit chaotic!
This is where a bit of modern magic, like Timetastic, comes in handy.
Gone are the days of endless spreadsheets and crossed-out calendars! Our absence management software makes managing employee leave so much easier. It can also simplify the entire process of booking time off, helping your employees enjoy their much-deserved breaks all the more. Why not give it a try? You can sign up for a FREE 30-day trial, no card needed!