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Eyre, Sir James

(Encyclopedia)Eyre, Sir James, 1734–99, English jurist. As a young lawyer he was counsel (1763) for John Wilkes in the suit against the government that established the illegality of general warrants (warrants for...

Fanshawe, Sir Richard

(Encyclopedia)Fanshawe, Sir Richard fănˈshô [key], 1608–66, English diplomat and man of letters. He was secretary to the ambassador to Spain (1635–38) and chargé d'affaires there (1638). During the English ...

Fastolf, Sir John

(Encyclopedia)Fastolf, Sir John făsˈtŏlf [key], 1378?–1459, English soldier. He won distinction for his long service in the latter part of the Hundred Years War. He was knighted some time prior to 1418 for ser...

Fenwick, Sir John

(Encyclopedia)Fenwick, Sir John, 1645?–1697, English conspirator. A persistent Jacobite plotter, he was arrested in 1696 for conspiring to murder William III. In his confession he tried to implicate leading Whigs...

Ferguson, Sir Alex

(Encyclopedia)Ferguson, Sir Alex (Sir Alexander Chapman Ferguson), 1941–, Scottish soccer player and manager. He entered the full-time professional game in 1964, playing for Dunfermline Athletic; he played (1957�...

Ferguson, Sir Samuel

(Encyclopedia)Ferguson, Sir Samuel, 1810–86, Irish poet and antiquary. Ogham Inscriptions in Ireland, Wales, and Scotland (1887) is his best-known work on Irish antiquities. His major poetic works, which deal wit...

Eliot, Sir John

(Encyclopedia)Eliot, Sir John, 1592–1632, English parliamentary leader. He was a staunch defender of parliamentary liberties. Eliot instituted (1626) the impeachment proceedings against Charles I's favorite, the ...

Elyot, Sir Thomas

(Encyclopedia)Elyot, Sir Thomas ĕlˈyət, ĕlˈēət [key], c.1490–1546, English author. He wrote the earliest Latin-English dictionary (1538) and is remembered especially for his sensible and well-written treat...

Fowler, Sir John

(Encyclopedia)Fowler, Sir John, 1817–98, English engineer. With Benjamin Baker, he designed and built the Forth Bridge (1882–90) in Scotland, the first major structure made of steel. He also designed much of th...

Francis, Sir Philip

(Encyclopedia)Francis, Sir Philip, 1740–1818, British statesman and pamphleteer. He may have been the author known as Junius. He held several minor posts in government offices before being appointed to the counci...