Background
A younger brother of Thomas Duffus Hardy, he was born in Jamaica on 6 July 1807, and came to England at the same time as his brother.
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William Hardy
Edit ProfileEducation
He was educated at Fotheringhay and later at Boulogne.
Career
Seven years later he was offered and accepted the post of keeper of the records of the Duchy of Lancaster. In 1839 he was elected a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. He had also a private practice in antiquarian, legal, and genealogical inquiries, and made a reputation: he was consulted in numerous disputes on foreshore fishery and common rights, and was well known for applications made to the House of Lords for the restoration of peerages in abeyance.
While at the Duchy of Lancaster he worked on arranging the muniments.
In 1868 Queen Victoria decided to present the duchy records to the nation, and incorporate them with the public archives. Hardy was then transferred to the Public Record Office and appointed an assistant-keeper in there.
He resigned, in poor health, on 27 January 1886. Hardy was placed on the Historical Manuscripts Commission on 12 July 1878, and knighted at Osborne House on 31 December 1883.
He died on 17 March 1887.
