The Easter Act 1928 (18 & 19 Geo. 5. c. 35) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed and enacted in 1928 concerning the date for Easter that has never come into force. The effect would be to establish Easter Sunday as the Sunday following the second Saturday in April, resulting in Easter Sunday being between 9 April and 15 April, instead of following the established date for Easter as a moveable feast.
The Act requires the agreement (in the form of resolutions) of both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, before a commencement order is made by Order in Council. The Act also requires that before a draft order is submitted to Parliament, "regard shall be had to any opinion officially expressed by any Church or other Christian body".
Although the subject has been raised occasionally in Parliament in the decades since, the Act has never been brought into force.[1][2][3]
See also
References
- ^ a b "Easter Act 1928, s.2, Modification (added note)". legislation.gov.uk. The National Archives (TNA), UK. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
Power of appointment conferred by s. 2(2) not exercised
- ^ "Archbishop Justin Welby hopes for fixed Easter date". BBC. 15 January 2016. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
- ^ Caroline Wyatt (25 March 2016). "Why can't the date of Easter be fixed?". BBC. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
External links
- Text of the Easter Act 1928 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk.
- House of Lords Hansard (Hansard), 11 March 1999, columns 455 et seq.: Easter Act 1928 (Commencement) Bill
- The Constitution Unit Blog: The Easter Act 1928: a date with history
- David Pocklington (6 April 2015). "The date of Easter". Law And Religion.
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