In an earlier message Marlene wrote:

> I have found several references to certain visitations and it seems to be
> lineages on back in England but exactly what were they? Why did they come
> about?

Aristocratic families in England were "certified" to bear arms and use
titles by several heraldic officials, such as the Garter King of Arms,
Norroy King of Arms, and others. Every once in a while the armorial
college would authorize deputies to go out into the shires to
interview leading families and record their pedigrees so that the
proper inheritance of titles and armorial bearings could be
maintained.

Visitations still exist in manuscript at various repositories. Many of
them have been published. They are just as accurate as the people
providing the information were (much like censuses). You will usually
find titles something like "The Visitation of Norfolk in the year 1563
taken by William Harvey, Clarenceux King of Arms, from Harleian
MSS. in the British Museum" (that one was published in 1895). Some of
the 19th-c published visitations (including Norfolk's) contain a great
deal of further information gleaned from wills, parish registers,
etc. Many are just bare-bones pedigree charts, leaving it up to you to
verify the information from other sources.

Many collateral branches were left out entirely or garbled, but the
direct lines are usually pretty reliable. At least they reflect the
best information available at the time.

Kathleen Much
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