H. Byerley (Henry Byerley) Thomson

Born in 1822, Henry Byerley Thomson was an English barrister and jurist who published as H. Byerley Thomson. He was originally named Henry William Thomson, and later added Byerley, his mother's maiden name. His mother was the writer Katherine Thomson, which places him in a notably literary family even though his own career took a strongly legal path.

He studied at University College London and Jesus College, Cambridge, and was called to the bar at the Inner Temple. Thomson became known for legal writing, especially The Laws of War, Affecting Commerce and Shipping, a mid-nineteenth-century work on warfare, trade, and maritime law. He also served in Ceylon, where he was appointed Queen's Advocate and later published Institutes of the Laws of Ceylon.

Thomson died in Colombo in 1867. No suitable confirmed portrait image was found from the pages reviewed, so a profile image is not included here.