However, in 1932, two scholars,  M. Nierenstein and P. F. Chapman, criticised this identification (which they named "the Maier-Ashmole hypothesis") under the grounds that, beyond the esoteric link drawn by Maier and Ashmole, very little contemporary evidence seemed to link Norton to the Ordinal.
In 1932, two scholars, M. Nierenstein and P. F. Chapman, challenged the notion of a connection between Norton and the Ordinal, which they referred to as "the Maier-Ashmole hypothesis," citing a lack of substantial contemporary evidence to support this relationship beyond a vague and abstract association.