British Museum Act 1963

TheBritish Museum Act 1963 (c. 24) is anact of theParliament of the United Kingdom. It replaced theBritish Museum Act 1902 (2 Edw. 7. c. 12). It was introduced by the second ministry of the Conservative Prime MinisterHarold Macmillan. The act forbids theBritish Museum and theNatural History Museum from disposing of their holdings, except in a small number of special circumstances. In May 2005 a judge of theHigh Court of England and Wales ruled thatNazi-lootedOld Master artworks held at the British Museum could not be returned.^[1]

British Museum Act 1963^[a]
Dates
Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to alter the composition of the Trustees of the British Museum, to provide for the separation from the British Museum of the British Museum (Natural History), to make new provision with respect to the regulation of the two Museums and their collections in place of that made by the British Museum Act 1753 and enactments amending or supplementing that Act, and for purposes connected with the matters aforesaid.
Citation	1963 c. 24
Royal assent	10 July 1963
Commencement	30 September 1963^[b]
Other legislation
Repeals/revokes	British Museum Act 1753 British Museum Act 1767 British Museum Act 1805 British Museum Act 1807 British Museum Act 1816 British Museum Act 1824 British Museum (No. 2) Act 1824 British Museum Act 1832 British Museum Act 1839 British Museum Act 1878 British Museum Act 1902 British Museum Act 1924 British Museum Act 1930 British Museum Act 1938 British Museum Act 1955 British Museum Act 1962
Status: Current legislation
Text of statute as originally enacted
Revised text of statute as amended

The act also made the Natural History Museum an independent organisation from the British Museum, with its own board of trustees.

Provisions

Section 13(5) of the act repealed ? enactments, listed in the fourth schedule to the act.

Citation	Short title	Description	Extent of repeal
26 Geo. 2. c. 22.	British Museum Act 1753	The British Museum Act 1753.	The whole act.
27 Geo. 2. c. 16.	Justices' Clerks' Fees (Middlesex) Act 1754	—	Section 3.
7 Geo. 3. c. 18.	British Museum Act 1767	The British Museum Act 1767.	The whole act.
45 Geo. 3. c. 127.	British Museum Act 1805	The British Museum Act 1805.	The whole act.
47 Geo. 3. Sess. 2. c. 36.	British Museum Act 1807	The British Museum Act 1807.	The whole act.
56 Geo. 3. c. 99.	British Museum Act 1816	The British Museum Act 1816.	The whole act.
5 Geo. 4. c. 39.	British Museum Act 1824	The British Museum Act 1824.	The whole act.
5 Geo. 4. c. 60.	British Museum (No. 2) Act 1824	The British Museum (No. 2) Act 1824.	The whole act.
2 & 3 Will. 4. c. 46.		The British Museum Act 1832.	The whole act.
2 & 3 Vict. c. 10.		—	The whole act.
41 & 42 Vict. c. 55.		The British Museum Act 1878.	The whole act.
57 & 58 Vict. c. 34.		The British Museum (Purchase of Land) Act 1894.	Section 1.
2 Edw. 7. c. 12.		The British Museum Act 1902.	The whole act.
14 & 15 Geo. 5. c. 23.		The British Museum Act 1924.	The whole act.
20 & 21 Geo. 5. c. 46.		The British Museum Act 1930.	The whole act.
1 & 2 Geo. 6. c. 62.		The British Museum Act 1938.	The whole Act
3 & 4 Eliz. 2. c.23.		The British Museum Act 1955.	The whole act.
10 & 11 Eliz. 2. c. 18.		The British Museum Act 1962.	The whole act.

Section 13(1) of the act provided that the act may be cited as the "British Museum Act 1963".

Section 13(2) of the act provided that the act would come into force on a day appointed by theTreasury bystatutory instrument.

Section 1 of theBritish Museum Act 1963 (Commencement) Order 1963 (SI 1963/1546) provided that the act would come into force on 30 September 1963.

British Museum Act 1963 (Commencement) Order 1963^[c]
Dates
Statutory Instrument
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Territorial extent	United Kingdom
Made	4 September 1963
Other legislation
Made under	British Museum Act 1963
Status: Current legislation
Text of statute as originally enacted