Lunatic Asylums Act 1853

Lunatic Asylums Act 1853^[a]
Act of Parliament
	Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to consolidate and amend the Laws for the Provision and Regulation of Lunatic Asylums for Counties and Boroughs, and for the Maintenance and Care of Pauper Lunatics, in England.
Citation	16 & 17 Vict. c. 97
Territorial extent	England and Wales
Dates
Royal assent	20 August 1853
Commencement	1 November 1853
Repealed	1 May 1890
Other legislation
Repealed by	Lunacy Act 1890
Relates to	Lunacy Regulation Act 1853;
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted

The Lunatic Asylums Act 1853 (16 & 17 Vict. c. 97) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that consolidated enactments relating to lunatic asylums in England and Wales.^[1]^[2]

The Lunacy Regulation Act 1853 (16 & 17 Vict. c. 70) was passed in the same month as the act.

Provisions

Section 1 of the act repealed ? enactments, listed in the first schedule to the act.^[3]

Citation	Short title	Description	Extent of repeal
8 & 9 Vict. c. 126	County Asylums Act 1845	An Act of the Session holden in the Eighth and Ninth Years of Her Majesty, Chapter One hundred and twenty-six.	The whole act.
9 & 10 Vict. c. 84	Lunatic Asylums, etc. Act 1846	An Act of the Session holden in the Ninth and Tenth Years of Her Majesty, Chapter Eighty-four.	The whole act.
10 & 11 Vict. c. 43	Lunatic Asylums Act 1847	An Act of the Session holden in the Tenth and Eleventh Years of Her Majesty, Chapter Forty-three.	The whole act.

The whole act was repealed by section 5 of, and the fifth schedule to, the Lunacy Act 1890 (53 & 54 Vict. c. 5).

^ "DSA:History". Mental Health Law Online. 19 November 2024. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
^ Wright, David: "Mental Health Timeline", 1999
^ "Lunatic Asylums Act 1853", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, Vict/16-17 c. 97

Text of the Lunatic Asylums Act 1853 as originally enacted or made within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk.