Generally, public holidays include bank holidays, by Royal Proclamation and common law holiday’s Banks are not allowed to operate on bank holidays. When public holidays in the Christmas and New Year period fall on Saturdays and Sundays, alternative week days are declared public holidays.
British bank holidays are Public Holidays and have been recognized since 1871. The name Bank Holiday comes from the time when banks were shut and so no trading could take place. The 1871 Act designated four holidays in England, Wales and Ireland (then wholly part of the UK), and five in Scotland. There are currently a total of 8 permanent bank and public holidays in England, Wales and Scotland and 10 in Northern Ireland. These include Christmas Day and Good Friday, which in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are common law' holidays (they are not specified by law as bank holidays but have become customary holidays because of common observance).