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The wills of all those MAYs who died while some of their children were still young reveal that the family were keen for their children, both male and female, to have a good education, certainly after the late seventeenth century. Usually this was to be paid for out of the interest or profits of the said children’s legacies, though sometimes from the residue of the personal estate. For example, Charles MAY (1670-1714) of Basingstoke instructed his brother, Daniel, to give £100 per annum to his widow from the profits of the mills which his son was to inherit. This was for “the education and bringing up my children”. Sarah MAY (1783-1829), the daughter of Thomas MAY (1737-1800) of Brimpton was personally given £50 per annum for “her support, maintenance and education during her minority”. The most complete details of MAY child education that we have, come from the will of James MAY (1728-1772) of Englefield, who died when his youngest child had just been born and the eldest was only seventeen (all examples show education continued until the age of twenty one). James’ daughters’ education was left to his wife, while the responsibility for his sons’ tuition was handed over to his brothers (and trustees), William, Daniel and Thomas. He wished for his sons to be “put to school and continue there as long as may be thought necessary, in order to teach and instruct them, particularly in English writing and accounts, in order to fit them for the business of mealing and farming, to which business I desire they may be brought up”. There is no direct evidence of education in the elder secondary branch of the family, but here the parents did not die until their children were fully grown. All the male members of the family could sign their names however, and there is no reason to suppose that they were not similarly educated. Mary Anne MAY (1848-1931) described how her father, Walter MAY (1810-1900) of Whitley Grove, and his brother, Thomas MAY (1808-1886) of Bath attended the “excellent private school of Dr. Benson at Hounslow”. Presumably they were boarders. At the age of thirteen, their Brother, Edmund (1816-1893) of All Cannings was offered a place at Eton by his brother-in-law’s uncle, the Provost, but his parents considered him to be a little young at the time (May 1908-13). He later studied the arts at Merton College, Oxford. George MAY (1799-1884) of Reading attended the Royal College of Surgeons in London, and his cousin, Edward (1805-1869) of Winchester, must have been similarly educated. James MAY (1790-1845) of Reading must, likewise, have gained his legal training somewhere. MAY parents can thus be seen as wishing to be the educator of their children, as postulated by Pollock (Pollock 1983).

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