Frederic William Maitland

Born in London on May 28, 1850, Frederic William Maitland was educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge, before training in law at Lincoln’s Inn. He was called to the bar in 1876, but his lasting reputation came from scholarship rather than legal practice.

At Cambridge he became Reader in English Law in 1884 and later Downing Professor of the Laws of England. Maitland is widely regarded as the modern founder of English legal history because he brought close historical method to the study of law, especially the institutions of medieval England.

His best-known works include The History of English Law before the Time of Edward I (with Sir Frederick Pollock) and Domesday Book and Beyond. He also helped found the Selden Society, which published important historical legal texts, and his work is still valued for its clarity, wit, and ability to make difficult old records feel alive.