Maidment

Maidment, JAMES, Scottish antiquarian and literary collector, was born in London in 1794, being descended on his mother's side from Jan van Olden Barneveldt, the Dutch patriot. He was educated at the High School and university of Edinburgh, and was called to the Scottish bar in 1817. He became almost the greatest authority in Scotland on genealogical law cases, and took a prominent part in the Mar peerage case and others. He died in Edinburgh, 24th October 1879. The passion of his life was the collection of literary rarities, often not of a very choice character. His most ambitious publication was The Dramatists of the Restoration (14 vols. 1872-75), edited with W. H. Logan; besides this he edited A North Country Garland, a Collection of Ancient Ballads (1824; new ed. 1884); Scottish Pasquils or Lampoons (1827-28; new ed. 1868); New Book of Old Ballads (1844; new ed. 1885); Scottish Ballads and Songs (1859 and 1868); Packet of Pestilent Pasquils (1869); an Account of the Bannatyne Club; and several historical, antiquarian, and genealogical works.