Cumberland, England Visitations, 1615

This database contains genealogies of some of the citizens of Cumberland, England that were taken in the year 1615 by Richard St. George Norroy. Heralds (those in charge of controlling the use of coats of arms under the direction of the Crown) conducted visitations to record the use of arms. Part of this recording included recording the pedigrees of the families using coats of arms. Pedigrees were recorded because families had to prove their right to bear the arms by showing their connections back to the original bearers. Because coats of arms were passed down through the generations, armory, or heraldry, has much genealogical value. This visitation, therefore, is significant because it provides 35 pedigree charts as well as several illustrations of coats of arms used by families in 17th century Cumberland.

Taken from: Herber, Mark D. Ancestral Trails. Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Company, Inc., 1998, pp. 492-494.