{{Short description|English antiquary (1799–1848)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2023}} {{Use British English|date=June 2013}} '''Sir (Nicholas)<!-- He did not use his first forename --> Harris Nicolas''' {{small|[[GCMG]] [[Royal Guelphic Order|KH]]}} (10 March 1799 – 3 August 1848) was an [[England|English]] [[antiquary]].
==Life== The fourth son of Commander John Harris Nicolas [[Royal Navy|RN]] (1758–1844) and Margaret (née Blake), he was born at [[Dartmouth, England|Dartmouth]]. He was the brother of Rear Admiral [[John Toup Nicolas]] RN CB KH; 1st Lt [[Paul Harris Nicolas]] [[Royal Marines|RM]]; and Lt Keigwin Nicholas RN.<ref>{{Cite NBD1849 |wstitle= Nicolas, John Toup |volume= 15.3 |last= O'Byrne|first= William Richard |author-link= William Richard O'Byrne| pages= 814-816 |year=1849 |short=1}}</ref>
Having served in the navy from 1812 to 1816, he studied law and was called to the bar at the [[Inner Temple]] in 1825. His work as a [[barrister]] was confined principally to [[peerage]] cases before the [[House of Lords]], and he devoted the rest of his time to the study of [[genealogy]] and history.<ref name="EB1911">{{EB1911|inline=y|wstitle=Nicolas, Sir Nicholas Harris|volume=19|page=662}}</ref>
In 1831, he was made a [[knight]] of the [[Royal Guelphic Order]], and, in 1832, chancellor and Knight Commander of the [[Order of St Michael and St George]] (KCMG), being advanced to Grand Cross of the order in 1840. He became a member of the council of the [[Society of Antiquaries of London|Society of Antiquaries]] in 1826, but soon began to criticise the management of the Society's affairs, and withdrew in 1828.<ref name="EB1911"/> He was elected a member of the [[American Antiquarian Society]] in 1838.<ref>[http://www.americanantiquarian.org/memberlistn American Antiquarian Society Members Directory], americanantiquarian.org. Accessed 26 January 2023.</ref>
He criticised the [[Record Commission]], which he regarded as too expensive. These attacks, which brought him into controversy with [[Francis Palgrave]], led in 1836 to the appointment of a select committee to inquire into the public records. Nicolas was also responsible for several reforms at the [[British Museum]].<ref name="EB1911"/>
In 1822, he married Sarah (d. 1867), daughter of John Davison of [[Loughton]], Essex, a reputed descendant of the Tudor statesman [[William Davison (diplomat)|William Davison]]. They had two sons and six daughters. Financial difficulties compelled Nicolas to leave England, and he died near [[Boulogne-sur-Mer|Boulogne]].<ref name="EB1911"/>
==Works== The most important of Nicolas' works is his ''History of the Orders of Knighthood of the British Empire; of the Order of the Guelphs; and of Medals, Clasps, &c., for Naval and Military Services'' (London, 1841–1842),<ref name="EB1911"/> which was the first attempt to write a general history of the British honours.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Matikkala|first1=Antti|title=The Orders of Knighthood and the Formation of the British Honours System, 1660–1760|year=2008|publisher=Boydell & Brewer Ltd|isbn=9781843834236|page=19|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5FiStjP2VXgC|access-date=20 August 2016|language=en}}</ref> Among his numerous other writings are: *[https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/006510806 ''The Chronology of History''] (London, 1833) *''Life of [[William Davison (diplomat)|William Davison]]'' (London, 1823); [https://archive.org/details/lifeofwilliamdav01nico Nicholas Harris Nicolas, ''Life of William Davison: Secretary of State and Privy Counsellor to Queen Elizabeth'', Nichols (1823)] *''Synopsis of the Peerage of England'' (London, 1825) *''Life and Times of Sir [[Christopher Hatton]]'' (London, 1847) *an uncompleted [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/000272051 ''History of the Royal Navy''] (London, 1847). He edited ''Proceedings and Ordinances of the Privy Council of England, 1386–1542'' (London, 1834–1837), and (with the help of [[Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson|Nelson]]'s daughter [[Horatia Nelson|Horatia]]) ''Dispatches and Letters of Lord Nelson'' (London, 1844–1846); wrote lives of [[Geoffrey Chaucer]],<ref>{{cite book |author=Nicolas |first=Nicholas Harris, Sir |url=https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/008967723 |title=Life of Geoffrey Chaucer |publisher=William Pickering |year=1843 |location=London}}</ref> [[Robert Burns]], [[William Cowper]], [[William Collins (poet)|William Collins]], Henry Kirke White and others for Pickering's [[Aldine Press]] edition of the poets; lives of [[Izaak Walton]] and [[Charles Cotton]] for an edition of ''[[The Compleat Angler]]'' illustrated by [[James Inskipp]];<ref>L. H. Cust, 'Inskipp, James (1790–1868)', rev. Chloe Johnson, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/14433, accessed 8 Sept 2013]</ref> and several elaborate works on genealogical and kindred subjects printed for private circulation only.<ref name="EB1911"/>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{Gutenberg author | id=32389| name=Nicholas Harris Nicolas}} * {{Internet Archive author |sname=Nicholas Harris Nicolas}} * {{Librivox author |id=16287}} * {{Cite NBD1849 |wstitle= Nicolas, Nicholas Harris |volume= 15.3 |last= O'Byrne|first= William Richard |author-link= William Richard O'Byrne| pages= 814-816 |year=1849 |short=1}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicolas, Nicholas Harris}} [[Category:English genealogists]] [[Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George]] [[Category:1799 births]] [[Category:1848 deaths]] [[Category:Horatio Nelson]] [[Category:English male writers]] [[Category:English male non-fiction writers]]