William John Hardy

Born in London in 1857, he followed his father, Sir William Hardy, into the world of historical records and antiquarian research. He became associated with the Historical Manuscripts Commission and built a reputation as a skilled legal antiquarian and record agent.

His interests were strikingly broad. Alongside editing state papers, he worked with Henry Gee on Documents Illustrative of English Church History and wrote books including Book-Plates, The Handwriting of the Kings and Queens of England, Lighthouses, Their History and Romance, and The Stamp Collector with Edward Denny Bacon. He also edited Middlesex and Hertfordshire Notes and Queries and early volumes of The Home Counties Magazine.

A Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and an honorary M.A. of Durham University, he died in 1919 at Sidlesham, near Chichester. No suitable verified portrait image was confirmed from the sources checked, so a profile image is not included here.