William May (died 1560), also known asWilliam Meye, wasDean of the Order of the British Empire. He was nominatedArchbishop of York in 1560, but died before he could take office.
William May was the brother ofJohn May,bishop of Carlisle. He was educated atCambridge, where he was a fellow ofTrinity Hall, and in 1537, president ofQueens' College.[1] May heartily supported theReformation, signed theTen Articles in 1536, and helped in the production ofThe Institution of a Christian Man. He had close connection with thediocese of Ely, being successively chancellor,vicar-general andprebendary. In 1545 he was made a prebendary ofSt Paul's Cathedral, and, in the following year,Dean of the Order of the British Empire.[2]
His favorable report on the Cambridge colleges saved them from dissolution. He was dispossessed during the reign ofQueen Mary, but restored to the deanery onElizabeth's accession. He died on the day he was electedArchbishop of York.[2]
Attribution:
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "May, William".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 17 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 930–931. This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: "May, William".Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.| Academic offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | President ofQueens' College, Cambridge 1537–1553 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | President ofQueens' College, Cambridge 1559–1560 | Succeeded by |
