Until 1871 the hard-working citizens of England were entitled to a mere two days off each year – Christmas Day and Good Friday.

But Kent MP Sir John Lubbock changed all that with his Bank Holiday Bill. It gave workers eight Bank Holidays a year.

Sir John, MP for Maidstone between 1870 and 1880, was the most popular politician in the country.

When his Bill became law it gave the legal right for people to be off work on Easter Monday,Whit Monday, August Bank Holiday Monday and Boxing Day as well as Christmas Day and Good Friday.

Bank clerks were so grateful they had a nationwide collection to raise a testimonial for Sir John.

The MP used the money to create two annual Lubbock Testimonial Scholarships, one at Maidstone Grammar School and the other at City of London College.

After the next Whit Monday holiday the Gazette said, in an enthusiastic editorial, that Sir John was so liked he could be elected to any position in the country he may fancy, including that of Archbishop of Canterbury.

The paper told how Londoners used the free day to troop off to the country by rail, road, river, bus and tram to spend the day away from smoke and chimneys. For a while the bank holidays were known as St Lubbock’s Days!

Sources: 5 August 1871, 12 September 1871, 18 November 1871, 25 May 1872