New Light on Thomas May's Date of Birth

This note sheds light on the matter of Thomas May's date of birth, which, in biographical accounts, is given as either 1595 or 1596. Starting with the examination of seventeenth century reports of his age at the time of his death, I established 1596 as the more probable year; then, I collected evidence that pointed towards a different place of birth than previously assumed. Following this lead, I found a baptism record that matches the biographical, administrative, and bibliographical information regarding the poet and his family. Although it cannot be taken as irrefutable proof, this discovery offers a reasonable explanation for the absence of birth records in May's home county, as well as, in my opinion, a very likely interval of dates for the birth of the poet.