British Museum Act 1963

{{Short description|Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2025}} {{Use British English|date=May 2025}} {{Infobox UK legislation |short_title=British Museum Act 1963{{efn|Section 13(1).}} |type=Act |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. |year=1963 |citation=[[List of acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1963|1963]] c. 24 |royal_assent=10 July 1963 |commencement=30 September 1963{{efn|Section 13(2). The [[British Museum Act 1963 (Commencement) Order 1963]].}} |status=Amended |amends={{ubli|[[Justices' Clerks' Fees (Middlesex) Act 1754]]|[[British Museum (Purchase of Land) Act 1894]]|[[National Gallery and Tate Gallery Act 1954]]}} |replaces={{ubli|[[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]]}} |amendments={{ubli|[[Museum of London Act 1965]]|[[Superannuation Act 1965]]|[[Minister for the Civil Service Order 1968]]|[[Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1970]]|[[British Library Act 1972]]|[[British Museum (Authorised Repositories) Order 1973]]|[[Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1974]]|[[Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1978]]|[[Transfer of Functions (Arts and Libraries) Order 1979]]|[[British Museum (Natural History) (Authorised Repositories) Order 1982]]|[[National Heritage Act 1983]]|[[British Museum (Authorised Repositories) Order 1984]]|[[British Museum (Natural History) (Authorised Repositories) Order 1985]]|[[Transfer of Functions (British Museum (Natural History)) Order 1988]]|[[Museums and Galleries Act 1992]]|[[British Museum (Authorised Repositories) Order 1995]]|[[Natural History Museum (Authorised Repositories) Order 2006]]|[[Transfer of Functions (Museum and Other Staff) Order 2011]]|[[British Museum (Authorised Repositories) Order 2021]]}} |original_text=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1963/24/contents/enacted |revised_text=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1963/24/contents |use_new_UK-LEG=yes }}

The '''British Museum Act 1963''' (c. 24) is an [[Act of Parliament (United Kingdom)|act]] of the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom]]. It replaced the [[British Museum Act 1902]] ([[2 Edw. 7]]. c. 12). It was introduced by the second ministry of the Conservative Prime Minister [[Harold Macmillan]]. The act forbids the [[British Museum]] and the [[Natural History Museum, London|Natural History Museum]] from disposing of their holdings, except in a small number of special circumstances. In May 2005 a judge of the [[High Court of Justice|High Court of England and Wales]] ruled that [[Nazi]]-looted [[Old Master]] artworks held at the British Museum could not be returned.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2005/may/27/arts.parthenon Ruling tightens grip on Parthenon marbles], ''The Guardian'', 27 May 2005. Retrieved 5 March 2010.</ref>

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

== Provisions == === Repealed enactments === Section 13(5) of the act repealed 18 enactments, listed in the fourth schedule to the act. {| class="wikitable" !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 |[[British Museum Act 1832]] |The British Museum Act 1832. |The whole act. |- |[[2 & 3 Vict.]] c. 10 |[[British Museum Act 1839]] |— |The whole act. |- |[[41 & 42 Vict.]] c. 55 |[[British Museum Act 1878]] |The British Museum Act 1878. |The whole act. |- |[[57 & 58 Vict.]] c. 34 |[[British Museum (Purchase of Land) Act 1894]] |The British Museum (Purchase of Land) Act 1894. |Section 1. |- |[[2 Edw. 7]]. c. 12 |[[British Museum Act 1902]] |The British Museum Act 1902. |The whole act. |- |[[14 & 15 Geo. 5]]. c. 23 |[[British Museum Act 1924]] |The British Museum Act 1924. |The whole act. |- |[[20 & 21 Geo. 5]]. c. 46 |[[British Museum Act 1930]] |The British Museum Act 1930. |The whole act. |- |[[1 & 2 Geo. 6]]. c. 62. |[[British Museum Act 1938]] |The British Museum Act 1938. |The whole Act |- |[[3 & 4 Eliz. 2]]. c.23 |[[British Museum Act 1955]] |The British Museum Act 1955. |The whole act. |- |[[10 & 11 Eliz. 2]]. c. 18 |[[British Museum Act 1962]] |The British Museum Act 1962. |The whole act. |} === Short title, commencement and extent === 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 the [[HM Treasury|Treasury]] by [[statutory instrument]].

{{Infobox UK legislation | short_title = British Museum Act 1963 (Commencement) Order 1963{{efn|Section 1.}} | type = Statutory Instrument | parliament = Parliament of the United Kingdom | year = 1963 | citation = [[SI 1963]]/1546 | territorial_extent = [[United Kingdom]] | si_made_date = 4 September 1963 | primary_legislation = British Museum Act 1963 | status = Current | original_text = https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1963/1546/contents/made | collapsed = yes }} Section 1 of the '''{{visible anchor|British Museum Act 1963 (Commencement) Order 1963}}''' ([[SI 1963]]/1546) provided that the act would come into force on 30 September 1963.

== See also == *[[British Museum Act]] {{clear}}

== Notes == {{Notelist}}

== References == {{Reflist}}

== External links == * {{UK-LEG}} * {{UK-LEG|asmade=yes}}

[[Category:United Kingdom Acts of Parliament 1963]] [[Category:Acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom concerning museums]] [[Category:Acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom concerning London]] [[Category:Repealed United Kingdom Acts of Parliament]] [[Category:1963 in London]] [[Category:British Museum Acts]] [[Category:Art and cultural repatriation]]