Ireland Visitation

This database contains genealogies of some of the citizens of Ireland. In Ireland, the Ulster King of Arms (not the Herald, as in England) was in charge of controlling the use of coats of arms under the direction of the British Crown. The Ulster conducted visitations to record this use. 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 over 150 pedigree charts as well as several illustrations of coats of arms used by families in Ireland.

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