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{{Short description|British theorist}}
{{EngvarB|date=August 2014}}
⚫
{{About|the constitutional theorist|the book|Erskine May: Parliamentary Practice}}
{{Distinguish|Erskine Mayer}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
⚫
{{For|the book about British parliamentary procedure|Erskine May: Parliamentary Practice}}
{{About|Sir Erskine May, the original author of ''Erskine May: Parliamentary Practice'', who was the first Baron Farnborough of the second creation (named after Farnborough in Hampshire)|the first Baron Farnborough of the first creation (named after Farnborough in Bromley)|Charles Long, 1st Baron Farnborough}}
{{Infobox officeholder
{{Infobox officeholder
|honorific-prefix = [[The Right Honourable]]
|honorific-prefix = [[The Right Honourable]]
|name = The Lord Farnborough
|name = The Lord Farnborough
|honorific-suffix = {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|KCB|PC|sep=,|size=100%}}
|honorific-suffix = [[Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath|KCB]] [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|PC]] [[Doctor of Civil Law|DCL]]
|image = Erskine May.jpg
|image = Erskine May.jpg
|imagesize = 250px
|order = [[Under Clerk of the Parliaments]]
|order = [[Under Clerk of the Parliaments]]
|office =
|office =
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|successor = [[Reginald Palgrave|Sir Reginald Palgrave]]
|successor = [[Reginald Palgrave|Sir Reginald Palgrave]]
|birth_date = 8 February 1815
|birth_date = 8 February 1815
|birth_place = [[Highgate]], [[Middlesex]]<br />[[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom]]
|birth_place = [[Highgate]], [[Middlesex]], England, <br />[[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom]]
|death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1886|05|17|1815|02|8}}
|death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1886|05|17|1815|02|8}}
|death_place = [[St George Hanover Square]], [[Middlesex]]<br />[[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom]]
|death_place = [[St George Hanover Square]], [[Middlesex]], England, <br />[[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom]]
|birthname = Thomas Erskine May
|birthname = Thomas Erskine May
|nationality =
|nationality =
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}}
}}


'''Thomas Erskine May, 1st Baron Farnborough''', [[Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath|KCB]], [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|PC]], [[Doctor of Civil Law|DCL]] (8 February 1815 – 17 May 1886) was a British [[constitutional law|constitutional]] theorist. This derived from his career at the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]].
'''Thomas Erskine May, 1st Baron Farnborough''', {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|KCB|PC|sep=,|size=100%}} (8 February 1815 – 17 May 1886) was a British [[constitutional law|constitutional]] theorist and [[Clerk of the House of Commons]] during the [[Victorian era]].

His seminal work, ''A Treatise upon the Law, Privileges, Proceedings and Usage of Parliament'' (first published in 1844) has become known as ''[[Erskine May: Parliamentary Practice]]'' or simply ''Erskine May'': this [[parliamentary authority]] (book of [[parliamentary procedure|procedural]] rules) is currently in its 25th revised edition (2019) and is informally considered part of the constitution of the United Kingdom.

Following his retirement as Clerk of the House of Commons in May 1886, May was created "[[Baron Farnborough]], of [[Farnborough, Hampshire|Farnborough]], in the [[Hampshire|county of Southampton]]" just a week before his death. Since he left no heirs, the barony became extinct, making it the second-shortest-lived [[peerage]] in British history.<ref>{{cite web |title=Peerage Records |author=Leigh Rayment |website=Leigh Rayment's Peerage Page |date=1 September 2015 |url=http://www.leighrayment.com/reppeers/peerrecords.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160323174138/http://www.leighrayment.com/reppeers/peerrecords.htm |archive-date=23 March 2016 |url-status=usurped }}</ref>


==Biography==
==Biography==
Thomas Erskine May was born in [[Highgate]], [[Middlesex]], on 8 February 1815. He was [[Infant baptism|christened]] on 21 September 1815 at [[St Martin-in-the-Fields]], [[Westminster]] with his parents being registered as Thomas and Sarah May.<ref name="christening">Parish register printouts of Westminster, London, England (Saint Martin in the Fields), christenings, 1813–1837.</ref> He was educated at [[Bedford School]].<ref name="census1881">1881 Census: "Name: May, Thomas E. Age: 66. Relation: Head. Spouse's name: Lousia J. Gender: Male. Where born: Highgate, Middlesex, England. Civil parish: [[Westminster St Margaret|St Margaret]]. County/Island: London. Country: England. Street Address: [[Palace of Westminster]]. Condition as to marriage: Married. Occupation: K.C.B. Clerk Of The House Of Commons. Registration district: [[St George Hanover Square]]. Sub-registration district: St Margaret Westminster. Enumeration district: 1." Source: [[The National Archives (United Kingdom)|The National Archives]], class RG11, piece 117, folio 18, page 30.</ref>
Thomas Erskine May was born in [[Highgate]], [[Middlesex]], on 8 February 1815. He was [[Infant baptism|christened]] on 21 September 1815 at [[St Martin-in-the-Fields]], [[Westminster]] with his parents being registered as Thomas and Sarah May.<ref name="christening">Parish register printouts of Westminster, London, England (Saint Martin in the Fields), christenings, 1813–1837.</ref> He was educated at [[Bedford School]].<ref name="census1881">1881 Census: "Name: May, Thomas E. Age: 66. Relation: Head. Spouse's name: Lousia J. Gender: Male. Where born: Highgate, Middlesex, England. Civil parish: [[Westminster St Margaret|St Margaret]]. County/Island: London. Country: England. Street Address: [[Palace of Westminster]]. Condition as to marriage: Married. Occupation: K.C.B. Clerk Of The House Of Commons. Registration district: [[St George Hanover Square]]. Sub-registration district: St Margaret Westminster. Enumeration district: 1." Source: [[The National Archives (United Kingdom)|The National Archives]], class RG11, piece 117, folio 18, page 30.</ref>


May began his parliamentary service in 1831, at the age of 16, as Assistant Librarian in the [[House of Commons Library]]. He was admitted to the [[Middle Temple]] on 20 June 1834 and called to the bar on 4 May 1838.<ref name="parliamentaryaffairs1950">{{cite journal|last=Fellowes|first=E. A.|title=Review section|journal=Parliamentary Affairs|date=1 January 1950|volume=IV|issue=2|pages=266|url=http://pa.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/pdf_extract/IV/2/266|accessdate=16 July 2010}}</ref><ref name="dnb-v37-p159">{{cite DNB|wstitle=May, Thomas Erskine|volume=37|pages=139–140}}</ref> May married Johanna Laughton, of Fareham, on 27 August 1839.<ref>[http://www.portcullis.parliament.uk/DServe/dserve.exe?dsqIni=Dserve.ini&dsqApp=Archive&dsqDb=Catalog&dsqCmd=show.tcl&dsqSearch=%28RefNo==%27ERM%2F11%27%29 Correspondence of Lady Farnborough and Miss E G Laughton]</ref> May became examiner of petitions for [[Local and Personal Acts of Parliament in the United Kingdom|private bills]] in 1846 and from 1847 to 1856 was Taxing Master for both Houses of Parliament. In 1856 he became Clerk Assistant of the House of Commons.
May began his parliamentary service in 1831, at the age of 16, as Assistant Librarian in the [[House of Commons Library]]. He was admitted to the [[Middle Temple]] on 20 June 1834 and called to the bar on 4 May 1838.<ref name="parliamentaryaffairs1950">{{cite journal|last=Fellowes|first=E. A.|title=Review section|journal=Parliamentary Affairs|date=1 January 1950|volume=IV|issue=2|pages=266–268|doi=10.1093/oxfordjournals.pa.a052785}}</ref><ref name="dnb-v37-p159">{{cite DNB|wstitle=May, Thomas Erskine|volume=37|pages=139–140}}</ref> May married Johanna Laughton, of Fareham, on 27 August 1839.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.portcullis.parliament.uk/DServe/dserve.exe?dsqIni=Dserve.ini&dsqApp=Archive&dsqDb=Catalog&dsqCmd=show.tcl&dsqSearch=%28RefNo==%27ERM%2F11%27%29 |title=Correspondence of Lady Farnborough and Miss E G Laughton |access-date=24 August 2011 |archive-date=12 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150612062525/http://www.portcullis.parliament.uk/DServe/dserve.exe?dsqIni=Dserve.ini&dsqApp=Archive&dsqDb=Catalog&dsqCmd=show.tcl&dsqSearch=(RefNo==%27ERM%2F11%27) |url-status=dead }}</ref> May became examiner of petitions for [[Local and Personal Acts of Parliament in the United Kingdom|private bills]] in 1846 and from 1847 to 1856 was Taxing Master for both Houses of Parliament. In 1856 he became Clerk Assistant of the House of Commons.


May was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) on 16 May 1860<ref name="gazette1860-05-18">{{London Gazette |issue= 22387 |date= 18 May 1860 |startpage= 1915 |accessdate= 12 July 2010}}</ref> and promoted to Knight Commander (KCB) on 6 July 1866.<ref name="gazette1866-07-06">{{London Gazette |issue= 23134 |date= 6 July 1866 |startpage= 3871 |accessdate= 12 July 2010}}</ref> On 16 February 1871, he was appointed [[Clerk of the House of Commons]] by [[letters patent]].<ref name="gazette1871-02-03">The formal appointment, as Under Clerk of the Parliaments, was officially announced on 2 February. {{London Gazette |issue= 23702 |date= 3 February 1871 |startpage= 383 |accessdate= 12 July 2010}}</ref>
May was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) on 16 May 1860<ref name="gazette1860-05-18">{{London Gazette |issue= 22387 |date= 18 May 1860 |page=1915 }}</ref> and promoted to Knight Commander (KCB) on 6 July 1866.<ref name="gazette1866-07-06">{{London Gazette |issue= 23134 |date= 6 July 1866 |page=3871 }}</ref> On 16 February 1871, he was appointed [[Clerk of the House of Commons]] by [[letters patent]].<ref name="gazette1871-02-03">The formal appointment, as Under Clerk of the Parliaments, was officially announced on 2 February. {{London Gazette |issue= 23702 |date= 3 February 1871 |page=383 }}</ref>


In 1873, he was elected a [[bencher]] of the [[Middle Temple]] and awarded an honorary Doctorate of Civil Law by the [[University of Oxford]] in 1874. In 1880, he was made a Reader of the Middle Temple and appointed to the Privy Council in 1884.
In 1873, he was elected a [[bencher]] of the [[Middle Temple]] and awarded an honorary Doctorate of Civil Law by the [[University of Oxford]] in 1874. In 1880, he was made a Reader of the Middle Temple and sworn of the Privy Council in 1884.


On 10 May 1886, shortly after his retirement as Clerk of the House of Commons, May was created "'''[[Baron Farnborough]]''', of [[Farnborough, Hampshire|Farnborough]], in the [[Hampshire|county of Southampton]]".<ref name="gazette1886-05-11">{{London Gazette |issue= 25585 |date= 11 May 1886 |startpage= 2269 |accessdate= 12 July 2010}} This appears to contradict [http://thepeerage.com/p23399.htm#i233989 tertiary sources] which claim that the peerage was created a day later, on 11 May 1886.</ref> He died on 17 May 1886<ref name="deathcertificate">Death certificate: "Name: May, Thomas Erskine (Lord Farnborough). Age at Death: 71. District: St George Hanover Square. County: London, Middlesex." [[General Register Office]], England and Wales Civil Registration Indexes, April–June 1886, volume 1a, page 305.</ref> and left no heirs and so the barony became extinct, making it the second-shortest-lived [[peerage]] in British history, after the [[Frederic Leighton, 1st Baron Leighton|Barony of Leighton]].
On 10 May 1886, shortly after his retirement as Clerk of the House of Commons, May was created "[[Baron Farnborough]], of [[Farnborough, Hampshire|Farnborough]], in the [[Hampshire|county of Southampton]]".<ref name="gazette1886-05-11">{{London Gazette |issue= 25585 |date= 11 May 1886 |page=2269 }}</ref> He died just a week later on 17 May 1886.<ref name="deathcertificate">Death certificate: "Name: May, Thomas Erskine (Lord Farnborough). Age at Death: 71. District: St George Hanover Square. County: London, Middlesex." [[General Register Office]], England and Wales Civil Registration Indexes, April–June 1886, volume 1a, page 305.</ref> Since he left no heirs, the barony became extinct, making it the second-shortest-lived [[peerage]] in British history, after the [[Frederic Leighton, 1st Baron Leighton|Barony of Leighton]].


[[Sir William McKay]], who edited Erskine May's private journal, has suggested that May was possibly an unacknowledged son or grandson of [[Thomas Erskine, 1st Baron Erskine]].<ref>William McKay, [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/18424 May, Thomas Erskine, Baron Farnborough (1815–1886)], Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2000. Retrieved 11 April 2011.</ref>
[[Sir William McKay]], who edited Erskine May's private journal, has suggested that May was possibly an unacknowledged son or grandson of [[Thomas Erskine, 1st Baron Erskine|The 1st Baron Erskine]].<ref>William McKay, [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/18424 May, Thomas Erskine, Baron Farnborough (1815–1886)], Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2000. Retrieved 11 April 2011.</ref>


==Notable works==
==Notable works==
May's most famous work, ''A Treatise upon the Law, Privileges, Proceedings and Usage of Parliament'' (now popularly known as ''[[Erskine May: Parliamentary Practice]]'' or simply ''Erskine May''), was first published in 1844. The book is currently in its 24th edition (2011). It is informally considered part of the [[constitution of the United Kingdom]]. The guide is authoritative in many [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] nations, often with strong influence on [[Constitutional convention (political custom)|constitutional convention]].
May's most famous work, ''A Treatise upon the Law, Privileges, Proceedings and Usage of Parliament'' (now popularly known as ''[[Erskine May: Parliamentary Practice]]'' or simply ''Erskine May''), was first published in 1844. The book is currently in its 25th edition (2019). It is informally considered part of the [[constitution of the United Kingdom]]. The guide is authoritative in many [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] nations, often with strong influence on [[Constitutional convention (political custom)|constitutional convention]].


Another notable work is ''The Constitutional History of England since the Accession of [[George III of the United Kingdom|George III]], 1760–1860''.<ref>{{cite book
⚫
Another notable work is ''The Constitutional History of England since the Accession of [[George III of the United Kingdom|George III]], 1760–1860'' (ISBN 0-8377-2429-5). May's work was rejected by later historians, such as [[Herbert Butterfield]] who wrote, "Erskine May must be a good example of the way in which an historian may fall into error through an excess of brilliance. His capacity for synthesis, and his ability to dovetail the various parts of the evidence ... carried him into a more profound and complicated elaboration of error than some of his more pedestrian predecessors ... he inserted a doctrinal element into his history which, granted his original aberrations, was calculated to project the lines of his error, carrying his work still further from centrality or truth."<ref>{{cite book|last=Butterfield|first=Herbert|authorlink=Herbert Butterfield|title=George III and the Historians|year=1957|publisher=Collins|location=London|pages=152}}</ref>
|last=May

⚫
|first=Thomas Erskine
==Titles and styles==
|author-link=Erskine May, 1st Baron Farnborough
⚫
* 1815 – Thomas Erskine May, Esq
|editor-last=Holland
* 1860 – Thomas Erskine May, Esq, CB
|editor-first=Francis
* 1866 – Sir Thomas Erskine May, KCB
|title=The Constitutional History of England Since the Accession of George the Third, 1760–1860, continued to 1911
* 1874 – Sir Thomas Erskine May, KCB, DCL
|place=London
* 1884 – The Right Hon Sir Thomas Erskine May, KCB, DCL
|publisher=Longmans, Green and Co.
* 1886 – The Right Hon The Lord Farnborough, KCB, PC, DCL
|date=1912
|orig-date=1861
⚫
|series=(3 vols.)}}&nbsp;[https://archive.org/details/constitutionalhi01maytiala/page/n6/mode/1up Vol. 1] • [https://archive.org/details/constitutionalhi02maytiala/page/n6/mode/1up Vol. 2] • [https://archive.org/details/constitutionalhi03maytiala/page/n8/mode/1up Vol. 3]</ref> May's work was disputed by some later historians, such as [[Herbert Butterfield]] who wrote, "Erskine May must be a good example of the way in which an historian may fall into error through an excess of brilliance. His capacity for synthesis, and his ability to dovetail the various parts of the evidence ... carried him into a more profound and complicated elaboration of error than some of his more pedestrian predecessors ... he inserted a doctrinal element into his history which, granted his original aberrations, was calculated to project the lines of his error, carrying his work still further from centrality or truth."<ref>{{cite book|last=Butterfield|first=Herbert|authorlink=Herbert Butterfield|title=George III and the Historians|year=1957|publisher=Collins|location=London|pages=152}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
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==External links==
==External links==
{{Commons category|Erskine May, 1st Baron Farnborough}}
{{Commons category|Erskine May, 1st Baron Farnborough}}
*{{wikisource author-inline|T. Erskine May, 1st Baron Farnborough}}
*{{wikisource author-inline}}
*[https://archives.parliament.uk/collections/getrecord/GB61_ERM Parliamentary Archives, Papers of Thomas Erskine May (1815-1886), Baron Farnborough]
*{{Worldcat id|lccn-n50-8102}}
*[http://www.portcullis.parliament.uk/DServe/dserve.exe?dsqIni=Dserve.ini&dsqApp=Archive&dsqDb=Catalog&dsqSearch=RefNo=='ERM'&dsqCmd=Show.tcl Papers at the Parliamentary Archives]
*[http://thepeerage.com/p23399.htm#i233989 Thomas Erskine May, 1st and last Baron Farnborough], entry at thePeerage.com

{{S-start}}
{{s-reg|uk}}
{{s-new | creation}}
{{s-ttl
| title = [[Baron Farnborough]]
| years = 1886–1886
}}
{{s-non | reason = Extinct }}
{{end}}


{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}


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{{DEFAULTSORT:May, Erskine}}
{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]] -->
| NAME =May, Erskine, 1st Baron Farnborough
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = British constitutional theorist
| DATE OF BIRTH =8 February 1815
| PLACE OF BIRTH =Highgate, Middlesex<br />United Kingdom
| DATE OF DEATH =17 May 1886
| PLACE OF DEATH =St George Hanover Square, Middlesex<br />United Kingdom
}}
⚫
{{DEFAULTSORT:Farnborough, Erskine May, 1st Baron}}
[[Category:1815 births]]
[[Category:1815 births]]
[[Category:1886 deaths]]
[[Category:1886 deaths]]
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[[Category:Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom|Farnborough, Erskine May, 1st Baron]]
[[Category:Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom|Farnborough, Erskine May, 1st Baron]]
[[Category:Clerks of the House of Commons]]
[[Category:Clerks of the House of Commons]]
[[Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath]]
[[Category:People from Highgate]]
[[Category:People from Highgate]]
[[Category:People educated at Bedford School]]
[[Category:People educated at Bedford School]]
[[Category:Members of the Middle Temple]]
[[Category:Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Peers of the United Kingdom created by Queen Victoria]]

Latest revision as of 06:14, 3 October 2024

This article is about the constitutional theorist. For the book, see Erskine May: Parliamentary Practice.
Not to be confused with Erskine Mayer.

The Right Honourable
The Lord Farnborough
KCB, PC
Under Clerk of the Parliaments
In office
16 February 1871 – 17 April 1886
MonarchVictoria
Preceded bySir Denis Le Marchant, Bt
Succeeded bySir Reginald Palgrave
Personal details
Born
Thomas Erskine May

8 February 1815
Highgate, Middlesex, England,
United Kingdom
Died17 May 1886(1886-05-17) (aged 71)
St George Hanover Square, Middlesex, England,
United Kingdom

Thomas Erskine May, 1st Baron Farnborough, KCB, PC (8 February 1815 – 17 May 1886) was a British constitutional theorist and Clerk of the House of Commons during the Victorian era.

His seminal work, A Treatise upon the Law, Privileges, Proceedings and Usage of Parliament (first published in 1844) has become known as Erskine May: Parliamentary Practice or simply Erskine May: this parliamentary authority (book of procedural rules) is currently in its 25th revised edition (2019) and is informally considered part of the constitution of the United Kingdom.

Following his retirement as Clerk of the House of Commons in May 1886, May was created "Baron Farnborough, of Farnborough, in the county of Southampton" just a week before his death. Since he left no heirs, the barony became extinct, making it the second-shortest-lived peerage in British history.[1]

Biography

[edit]

Thomas Erskine May was born in Highgate, Middlesex, on 8 February 1815. He was christened on 21 September 1815 at St Martin-in-the-Fields, Westminster with his parents being registered as Thomas and Sarah May.[2] He was educated at Bedford School.[3]

May began his parliamentary service in 1831, at the age of 16, as Assistant Librarian in the House of Commons Library. He was admitted to the Middle Temple on 20 June 1834 and called to the bar on 4 May 1838.[4][5] May married Johanna Laughton, of Fareham, on 27 August 1839.[6] May became examiner of petitions for private bills in 1846 and from 1847 to 1856 was Taxing Master for both Houses of Parliament. In 1856 he became Clerk Assistant of the House of Commons.

May was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) on 16 May 1860[7] and promoted to Knight Commander (KCB) on 6 July 1866.[8] On 16 February 1871, he was appointed Clerk of the House of Commons by letters patent.[9]

In 1873, he was elected a bencher of the Middle Temple and awarded an honorary Doctorate of Civil Law by the University of Oxford in 1874. In 1880, he was made a Reader of the Middle Temple and sworn of the Privy Council in 1884.

On 10 May 1886, shortly after his retirement as Clerk of the House of Commons, May was created "Baron Farnborough, of Farnborough, in the county of Southampton".[10] He died just a week later on 17 May 1886.[11] Since he left no heirs, the barony became extinct, making it the second-shortest-lived peerage in British history, after the Barony of Leighton.

Sir William McKay, who edited Erskine May's private journal, has suggested that May was possibly an unacknowledged son or grandson of The 1st Baron Erskine.[12]

Notable works

[edit]

May's most famous work, A Treatise upon the Law, Privileges, Proceedings and Usage of Parliament (now popularly known as Erskine May: Parliamentary Practice or simply Erskine May), was first published in 1844. The book is currently in its 25th edition (2019). It is informally considered part of the constitution of the United Kingdom. The guide is authoritative in many Commonwealth nations, often with strong influence on constitutional convention.

Another notable work is The Constitutional History of England since the Accession of George III, 1760–1860.[13] May's work was disputed by some later historians, such as Herbert Butterfield who wrote, "Erskine May must be a good example of the way in which an historian may fall into error through an excess of brilliance. His capacity for synthesis, and his ability to dovetail the various parts of the evidence ... carried him into a more profound and complicated elaboration of error than some of his more pedestrian predecessors ... he inserted a doctrinal element into his history which, granted his original aberrations, was calculated to project the lines of his error, carrying his work still further from centrality or truth."[14]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Leigh Rayment (1 September 2015). "Peerage Records". Leigh Rayment's Peerage Page. Archived from the original on 23 March 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. ^ Parish register printouts of Westminster, London, England (Saint Martin in the Fields), christenings, 1813–1837.
  3. ^ 1881 Census: "Name: May, Thomas E. Age: 66. Relation: Head. Spouse's name: Lousia J. Gender: Male. Where born: Highgate, Middlesex, England. Civil parish: St Margaret. County/Island: London. Country: England. Street Address: Palace of Westminster. Condition as to marriage: Married. Occupation: K.C.B. Clerk Of The House Of Commons. Registration district: St George Hanover Square. Sub-registration district: St Margaret Westminster. Enumeration district: 1." Source: The National Archives, class RG11, piece 117, folio 18, page 30.
  4. ^ Fellowes, E. A. (1 January 1950). "Review section". Parliamentary Affairs. IV (2): 266–268. doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.pa.a052785.
  5. ^ Lee, Sidney, ed. (1894). "May, Thomas Erskine" . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 37. London: Smith, Elder & Co. pp. 139–140.
  6. ^ "Correspondence of Lady Farnborough and Miss E G Laughton". Archived from the original on 12 June 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
  7. ^ "No. 22387". The London Gazette. 18 May 1860. p. 1915.
  8. ^ "No. 23134". The London Gazette. 6 July 1866. p. 3871.
  9. ^ The formal appointment, as Under Clerk of the Parliaments, was officially announced on 2 February. "No. 23702". The London Gazette. 3 February 1871. p. 383.
  10. ^ "No. 25585". The London Gazette. 11 May 1886. p. 2269.
  11. ^ Death certificate: "Name: May, Thomas Erskine (Lord Farnborough). Age at Death: 71. District: St George Hanover Square. County: London, Middlesex." General Register Office, England and Wales Civil Registration Indexes, April–June 1886, volume 1a, page 305.
  12. ^ William McKay, May, Thomas Erskine, Baron Farnborough (1815–1886), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2000. Retrieved 11 April 2011.
  13. ^ May, Thomas Erskine (1912) [1861]. Holland, Francis (ed.). The Constitutional History of England Since the Accession of George the Third, 1760–1860, continued to 1911. (3 vols.). London: Longmans, Green and Co. Vol. 1 • Vol. 2 • Vol. 3
  14. ^ Butterfield, Herbert (1957). George III and the Historians. London: Collins. p. 152.
[edit]
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