| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Long title | An Act for the Regulation of the Care and Treatment of Lunatics, and for the Provision, Maintenance and Regulation of Lunatic Asylums in Scotland. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 20 & 21 Vict. c. 71 |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 25 August 1857 |
| Other legislation | |
| Amended by | Statute Law Revision Act 1875 |
TheLunacy (Scotland) Act 1857[1] (20 & 21 Vict. c. 71) formedmental health law inScotland from 1857 until 1913.
Prior to the Lunacy (Scotland) Act, lunacy legislation in Scotland was enshrined in the Madhouses (Scotland) Act 1815 which established the right of Scottish Sheriffs to order the inspection of madhouses.[2] However the Scottish Lunacy Commission inquiry which reported in 1857 found that the official oversight of mental health institutions "remained at best variable and at worst simply inadequate".[3] It recommended the formation of a "Scottish Lunacy Board" who would address the shortfall in oversight.[3][4]
The legislation created a General Board ofCommissioners in Lunacy for Scotland. It also created district boards with the power to establish and operate publicly funded "district asylums" for patients who could not afford the fees charged by existing private and charitable "Royal Asylums".[3] These existing "Royal Asylums" (with Royal Charters) included theAberdeen Royal Lunatic Asylum, theCrichton Royal Institution, theDundee Royal Lunatic Asylum, theRoyal Edinburgh Lunatic Asylum, theGlasgow Royal Lunatic Asylum, theMontrose Royal Lunatic Asylum andJames Murray's Royal Lunatic Asylum.[5] The aim of the legislation was to establish a network of "district asylums" with coverage throughout Scotland.[6]
Under the Mental Deficiency and Lunacy (Scotland) Act 1913, the General Board of Commissioners in Lunacy for Scotland was reconstructed and designated the General Board of Control for Scotland.[7]
