MAY, GEORGE AUGUSTUS CHICHESTER (1815–1892), Irish judge, born at Belfast in 1815, was son of Edward May, rector of Belfast, by Elizabeth, eldest daughter of William Sinclair of Fort-William, co. Antrim. He was educated at Shrewsbury School and at Magdalene College, Cambridge, where he graduated B.A. in classical honours in 1838, proceeded M.A. in 1841, and was elected fellow. Called to the Irish bar in Hilary term 1844, he soon acquired considerable practice in chancery, and was made Q.C. in 1865. In 1867 he edited the first volumes of the Irish ‘Law Reports.’ In 1873 he was elected a bencher of the kings' inns, and in the following year was appointed legal adviser at Dublin Castle. On 27 Nov. 1875 he was made attorney-general by Mr. Disraeli, and on 8 Feb. 1877 was created lord-chief-justice of Ireland, and sworn of the privy council. On 1 Jan. 1878 he was transferred to the high court of justice as president of the queen's bench division and constituted an ex officio lord justice of appeal, retaining the title of lord chief justice of Ireland. In this capacity he should have presided at the trial of Charles Stewart Parnell and his confederates in the conspiracy against payment of rent in 1880–1, but having (6 Dec.) dismissed a motion for the postponement of the trial, he was loudly accused of partiality by the partisans of the traversers, and in consequence did not sit during the subsequent proceedings. Owing to failing health he resigned in 1887. He died on 15 Aug. 1892. May was a learned, painstaking, and impartial judge. He married in 1853 Olivia, fourth daughter (d. 1876) of Sir Matthew Barrington, bart., and had issue.
[Irish Law Times, 15 Jan. 1887; Royal Kalendar, 1866; Law Times, 20 Aug. 1892; Times, 12 and 30 Nov., 6 and 11 Dec. 1880, and 17 Aug. 1892; Dublin Gazette, 3 Dec. 1875, 9 Feb. 1877; Thom's Irish Almanac, 1871–8; Burke's Peerage and Baronetage; Haydn's Book of Dignities, ed. Ockerby.]
MAY, Sir HUMPHREY (1573–1630), statesman, born in 1573, was fourth son of Richard May, citizen and merchant taylor of London, and of Mayfield, Sussex, by his wife Mary Hillersden (Nichols, Leicestershire, iv. 548; Dallaway, Rape of Chichester, p. 114). He matriculated at Oxford from St. John's College on 25 Oct. 1588, graduated B.A. on 3 March 1591–2, and became student of the Middle Temple in 1592 (Foster, Alumni Oxon. 1500–1714, iii. 993). In February 1604 he was groom of the king's privy chamber (Cal. State Papers, Dom. 1603–10, p. 86). He was M.P. for Beeralston from October 1605 to 1611, Westminster in 1614, Lancaster in 1621–2, Leicester in 1624–5, Lancaster in 1625, and Leicester in 1626, and again in 1628–9. His conciliatory disposition commended him to the favour of James I and Charles I, but he possessed much real ability and considerable knowledge of affairs; while in parliament he displayed conspicuous talent as debater and tactician. On 26 Nov. 1607 he was granted a part reversion of the clerkship of the council of the Star-chamber, a grant renewed on 17 July 1609 (ib. pp. 384, 530). With his wife he had a grant, with survivorship, of a pension of 16s. a day on 23 May 1611 (ib. p. 33); and on 5 Aug. he was awarded two hundred marks per annum ‘for official services’ (ib. p. 67); and on 10 Dec. the grant in reversion of a clerkship of the signet (ib. p. 99). In January 1612–1613 he was knighted at Newmarket (Metcalfe, Book of Knights, p. 164).
His influence at court was now very great. ‘Sir Hum. May can make any suitor, be they never so honest, disliked by the king,’ writes John Cusack to Sir Ralph Winwood on 11 Nov. 1615 (Cal. State Papers, Dom. 1611–1618, p. 327). In January 1618 he was appointed surveyor of the court of wards (ib. p. 514); and on 9 March following, by the mediation of the lord chamberlain (Lord Pembroke) and the Countess of Bedford with Buckingham, was appointed chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster (ib. 1611–18 p. 525, 1623–5 p. 553). On 6 March 1624–5 he was admitted a member of Gray's Inn (Foster, Register), and on the ensuing 28 March he became a privy councillor. On May chiefly fell the onerous and often hopeless task of defending Charles and Buckingham in the House of Commons from the attacks of the opposition. In July 1625 he supported Sir Edwin Sandys in arguing against the committal of Richard Montague [q. v.] for the opinions expressed in his book entitled ‘Appello Cæsarem.’ When on 7 July it became known that the king had determined to ask for a further collection of tonnage and poundage, May, foreseeing the vigorous resistance which would be made, resolved to keep back the proposed motion until he had sent Sir John Eliot to remonstrate with Buckingham. On 6 Aug. he strove to justify Buckingham's foreign policy in the debate initiated by Sir Francis Seymour. Meanwhile, in private, he was vigorously remonstrating with the duke on the rashness of his policy (cf. Cal. State Papers, Dom. 1627–8, p. 375). In the heated debate which arose on 22 March 1628 on
