FARNBOROUGH, THOMAS ERSKINE MAY, BARON (1815-1886)

This article appears in Volume V10, Page 183 of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Encyclopedia Britannica - Main :: EUD-FAT

FARNBOROUGH, THOMAS ERSKINE MAY, BARON (1815-1886) , English Constitutional historian, was born in London on the 8th of February 1815 and educated at

Bedford

BEDFORD

grammar school. In 1831 he was nominated by Manners Sutton,

speaker

SPEAKER

of the

House

HOUSE
HOUSE (O. Eng. hiss, a word common to Teutonic languages, cf. Dut. huis, Ger. Haus; in
Gothic
- GOTHIC
it is only found in gudhiss, a temple; it may be ultimately connected with the root of " hide," conceal)

of Commons, to the post of assistant librarian, so that his long connexion with

parliament

PARLIAMENT (Anglo-Lat. parliamentum, Fr. parlement, from parler, to speak)

began in his youth.
IIe studied for the bar, and was called at the Middle Temple in 1838. In 1844 he published the first edition of his Treatise on the Law, Privilege, Proceedings and Usage of

Parliament

PARLIAMENT (Anglo-Lat. parliamentum, Fr. parlement, from parler, to speak)

. This

work

WORK

, which has passed through many editions, is not only an invaluable mine of information for the historical student, but it is known as the text-book of the law by which parliament governs its proceedings. In 1846 Erskine May was appointed examiner of petitions for private bills, and the following year taxing-master of the

House

HOUSE
HOUSE (O. Eng. hiss, a word common to Teutonic languages, cf. Dut. huis, Ger. Haus; in
Gothic
- GOTHIC
it is only found in gudhiss, a temple; it may be ultimately connected with the root of " hide," conceal)

of Commons. IIe published his Remarks to Facilitate Public Business in Parliament in 1849; a

work

WORK

On the Consolidation of Election

Laws

LAWS

in 185o; and his Rules, Orders and Forms of the House of Commons was printed by 'command of the House in 18J4. In 1856 he was appointed clerk assistant at the table of the House of Commons. He received the companionship of the Bath in 186o for his parliamentary services, and became a knight

commander

COMMANDER

in '866. His important work, The Constitutional History of England since the Accession of George III. (176o186o)., was published in 18611863, and it received frequent additions in subsequent editions. In 1871 Sir Erskine May was appointed clerk of the House of Commons. His Democracy in Europe: a History appeared in 1877, but it failed to take the same rank in

critical

CRITICAL (in alphabetical order of authors)

esteem as his Constitutional History. He retired from the post of clerk to the House of Commons in April 1886, having for fifteen years discharged the onerous duties of the office with as much know-ledge and energy as unfailing tact and courtesy. Shortly after his retirement from office he was raised to the peerage under the title of Baron Farnborough of Farnborough, in the county of Southampton, but he only survived to enjoy the dignity for a few days. He died in London on the 17th of May 1886, and as he left no issue the title became

extinct

EXTINCT

.

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