Heraldic visitations, which began in 1530, regulated coats of arms of the gentry and nobility as well as boroughs in England, Wales and Ireland until 1688. They also recorded family pedigrees, and the records that were generated can be a valuable source for genealogists wanting to find out more about their well-heeled ancestors in the Tudor and Stuart period. Many of them are online at online at TheGenealogist.co.uk .

To use a coat of arms, a family had to provide proof either of a grant of arms or of descent from an ancestor entitled to arms, and surviving visitation records include evidence that was used to prove these. A number of sources were used to prove a claim: parish registers and wills, transcripts of medieval charters, seals, monuments, and coats of arms copied from those in churches or a family’s private house. Many pedigrees and family trees were produced, although anyone using them should bear in mind that their accuracy is at times open to question. They should be used with care and checked against other contemporary records if possible.

Some of the heralds – those who travelled the country to research and compile the records and pedigrees of armigerous families – seem to have been more dedicated than others in compiling and checking their pedigrees. Some seem to have made use of sources and long lists of forbears that actually were largely fictitious or contained elaborations and additions. Shorter pedigrees actually tend to be more reliable.

The inspections themselves would sometimes be undertaken by the King of Arms, the senior officer of arms, who had authority to grant armorial bearings. Such men were also known as heralds. The King of Arms was assisted by junior officers, who would often be dispatched in his stead. There were actually two provincial Kings of Arms, Clarenceux and Norroy. In the records, if no deputy is named, this means that the visitation was conducted by the King of Arms himself.

In England the country was divided into the Southern and Northern Provinces (divided by the River Trent). The Northern included North Wales and the Southern South Wales. There was never a systematic visitation of Wales (unlike for England, where visitations were undertaken every two or three decades), or Scotland. In Ireland the Ulster King of Arms and his officers undertook visitations. Coats of arms were not just granted to people. A browse through the records at TheGenealogist.co.uk reveals that university colleges, monasteries and hospitals, for example, were granted them too.

The College of Arms in London is still the official body for granting coats of arms and regulating their use (except in Scotland), but fortunately a great deal of heraldic visitation material is available elsewhere, as the College of Arms’ collections are not always accessible. TheGenealogist has 69 sets of Heraldic Visitation records currently available for individual counties and the whole of England and Wales, with years ranging from 1530–1921.

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