A. L. (Anthony Lawson) Mayhew

Anthony Lawson Mayhew (1842–1916), often published as A. L. Mayhew, was an English scholar of language whose work centered on older forms of English. Records of his books and library authority files confirm him as the author or editor of studies and reference works on Middle English and Old English.

He is best known as the co-author, with Walter W. Skeat, of A Concise Dictionary of Middle English from A.D. 1150 to 1580 (1888), a practical reference book that helped generations of students approach medieval texts. He also wrote Synopsis of Old English Phonology and edited The Promptorium Parvulorum, an important early English-Latin dictionary.

A local historical source identifies him as having been born in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, on February 23, 1842. While detailed biographical information is limited, his surviving publications show a scholar deeply interested in how English changed over time and in giving readers reliable tools for understanding its earlier history.