Thomas Christopher Banks

Thomas Christopher Banks (1765–1854), who for a while styled himself by the bogus title "Sir T.C. Banks, Baronet of Nova Scotia" was a British genealogist and lawyer. He is notorious for having assisted several claimants to dormant peerages, based on the very flimsiest evidence, which he strengthened with imaginary pedigrees. During his later years he resided near Ripon, Yorkshire.

Banks claimed connection through his father with the ancient family of Banks of Whitley in Yorkshire, whose descent he traced from Richard Bankes, a Baron of the Exchequer in the time of Henry IV and Henry V; and he asserted that his maternal ancestors were the Nortons of Barbados, baronets of Nova Scotia.

Banks styled himself "Sir T.C. Banks, Baronet of Nova Scotia", as his name appears on the title pages of several of his works. This was on the basis of a so-called baronetcy purportedly granted to him by a certain Alexander Humphrys, who supported by Banks, laid claim to the dormant Earldom of Stirling on the basis of forged documents. He gave proof of his own personal faith in the claims of Humphrys by allowing the pseudo-earl, in accordance with rights conferred on William Alexander, 1st Earl of Stirling (d.1640) by King James VI of Scotland, to create him a baronet of Nova Scotia, and by accepting from him in anticipation a grant of 6,000 acres of land in Nova Scotia. When the documents on which Humphrys founded his claims were discovered to be forgeries, Banks ceased to make use of the bogus baronetcy; however in his obituary notice he is nevertheless styled a Baronet of Nova Scotia and Knight of the Holy Order of St. John of Jerusalem.

Banks was educated for the law, and on the strength of his genealogical knowledge proffered his services as an agent in cases of disputed inheritance. From 1813 to 1820 he practised at 5 Lyon's Inn, and subsequently he took an office, called the Dormant Peerage Office, in John Street, Pall Mall. Although none of the cases he undertook possessed more than the very flimsiest claims, which he would strengthen with an imaginary pedigree, some of his published works contained accurate research and are not without merit.

...
Wikipedia