Chapter XIII: Genealogy

"I must not give up my attachment to Genealogy, and everything
relating to it, because it is the greatest spur to noble and gallant
actions."

_Rev. Mark Noble._

"It is a reverend thing to see an ancient castle or building not in
decay; or to see a fair timber-tree sound and perfect; how much more
to behold an ancient noble Family which hath stood against the waves
and weathers of time?"

_Bacon. Of Nobility._

A passion for deducing a descent from the most remote progenitor of a family appears to be inherent in mankind; for we trace its existence in all ages, and in almost every state of society. The Hebrews, the oldest historical people in the world, entertained this feeling in a degree perhaps unparalleled in any nation. The Egyptians, Greeks, Scythians, Phrygians, and Romans claimed a very high, though probably a very much exaggerated, antiquity. Alexander claimed descent from Jupiter Ammon; Caesar's pedigree was traced without an hiatus to Venus; Arthur's to Brutus; Hengist's to Woden! The English peer views with complacency the muster-roll of departed generations, which connects him with Charlemagne or the Plantagenets. The democratic American is proud if perchance he bears the name of a stock renowned in the annals of Fatherland; and even the plebeian Berkeley or Neville of busy London walks a little more erect as he tells you that his great-grandfather came from the same county where dwells the coronetted aristocrat who bears his patronymic! The love of a distinguished ancestry is universal.

The credibility of genealogy depends, like that of every thing else, upon the nature of the evidence by which it is supported. I have met with persons who could not trace their lineage beyond their grandfather; but such instances are rare; for the oral traditions of a family, even in middle life, generally ascend to about the fifth generation, or a century and a half: beyond that all is obscurity. If we go to documents, such as parish registers, monumental inscriptions, and court-rolls, numerous families may be traced 300 years with absolute certainty. An hereditary title or an entailed patrimony carries families of higher pretensions still further; and antient wills, genealogical tables, and the public records lead an exclusive few back to the glorious days of Cressy, to the Norman Conquest, or even to the times of the Edreds and the Edwys. That this antiquity is of the utmost rarity will appear from the data given below.

"At present," observes Mr. Grimaldi,[306] "there are few English families who pretend to a higher antiquity than the Norman Invasion; and it is probable that not many of these can authenticate their pretensions." The claim to such an honour, as has just been intimated, is well founded in some families. The Ashburnham pedigree, for instance, is carried two generations higher than 1066; and the family still reside on the spot from whence, at the commencement of the eleventh century, their great ancestor derived his surname. The Shirleys have dwelt upon their estate of Lower Eatington, co. Warwick, uninterruptedly for eight centuries from the time of Edward the Confessor. In Collins's Peerage (edit. Brydges[307]) there is an abstract of the antiquity of the nobility, from which it appears that out of the 249 peers, 35 could trace their descent beyond the Conquest:

49 beyond the year 1100
29 " " 1200
32 " " 1300
26 " " 1400
17 " " 1500
26 " " 1600
30 " " 1700

Mr. Grimaldi has ably illustrated the sources from which, and from which only, the genealogies of English families can be derived, in his 'Origines Genealogicae,' and any one who will take the pains to consult that curious work may easily convince himself of the futility of attempting to trace pedigrees beyond the periods adverted to. Yet there was a time when the most ridiculous notions prevailed respecting the antiquity of some of our great houses. The royal family were traced in a direct line to the fabulous Brutus, a thousand years before the Christian era; the Cecils pretended to be of Roman origin, and the house of Vaux deduced themselves from the kings of the Visigoths. Many Welsh families went farther, and carried up their pedigree as far as it could well be carried, namely, to Adam! The Scottish and Irish families pretended to an equal antiquity. This taste in the nations descending from a common Celtic stock was probably derived from the bards of antient times, whose office consisted in the recital of the heroic deeds of mighty ancestors. The splendid history of the family of Grace, drawn from a great variety of antient sources, by Sheffield Grace, Esq., F.S.A., contains some of the finest possible specimens of fictitious genealogy. The family is traced, in the male line, to the time of Alfred, and through some female lines to the founder of the human race himself. The pedigree of O'More begins with "God the Father, &c., who was from all eternity [and who] did, in the beginning of time, of nothing create red earth, and of red earth framed Adam, and of a rib out of the side of Adam fashioned Eve; after which creation, plasmatation and formation succeeded generation." The pedigree is regularly deduced through Adam, Noah, Nilus, and the kings of Scythia to Milesius, who conquered Spain and settled in Ireland. Thence through Cu Chogry O'More, king of Seix, and M{c}Murrough, king of Leinster, in the time of our Henry II, to Anthony O'More, dynast or sovereign of Seix, whose daughter married Sir Oliver Grace about the year 1450!

Considering the vast number of individuals who in the course of a few ages proceed from a common parent, and taking into account the mutations to which families are subject, it is not surprising that the "high" are often found to be "descended from the low, and, contrariwise, the low from the high." I know a comparatively obscure country gentleman who can (by the most undeniable evidences) prove his descent through three different lines from William the Conqueror, and consequently from the Northman Rollo, the founder of the duchy of Normandy in the tenth century. Two hundred years ago we find some descendants of the line of the Paleologi, emperors of the East, residing in privacy in the little village of Landulph, in Cornwall. In the church of that place there is a small monument to the memory of "Theodoro Paleologus, of Pesaro in Italye, descended from y{e} imperial line of y{e} late Christian emperors of Greece, being the sonne of Camilio, the son of Prosper, the sonne of Theodoro, the sonne of John, y{e} sonne of Thomas, second brother of Constantine Paleologus, the 8th of that name, and last of y{t} line y{t} rayned in Constantinople until subdved by the Turks; who married w{t}. Mary, y{e} daughter of William Balls, of Hadlye in Souffolke, Gent., and had issue 5 children, Theodoro, John, Ferdinando, Maria, and Dorothy, and departed this life at Clyfton, y{e} 21st. of Janu. 1636." Some female descendants of this individual married persons of humble condition in the immediate vicinity of Landulph, and hence, as Mr. Gilbert observes, the imperial blood may still flow in the veins of the bargemen of Cargreen![308] On the other hand, many of our peers descend from tradesmen, and other persons of plebeian condition. Not to meddle with the pedigrees of some of our _Novi Domini_, the earl of Dartmouth descends from a worthy London skinner of the fourteenth century; the earl of Coventry from a mercer of the fifteenth; and Lord Dudley from a goldsmith of the seventeenth.

"Genealogy," says Sir Egerton Brydges, "is of little value, unless it discloses matter which teaches the causes of the decay or prosperity of families, and furnishes a lesson of moral wisdom for the direction of those who succeed. When we reflect how soon the fortunes of a house are ruined, not only by vice or folly, but by the least deficience in that cold prudence with which highly endowed minds are so seldom gifted, the long continuance of any race of nobility or gentry seems to take place almost in defiance of probabilities."[309]

Persons not conversant with antiquarian researches often express surprise at the possibility of tracing the annals of a family through the long period of five, six, or seven centuries. It may therefore be interesting to mention the principal sources from which genealogical materials are derived.

1. The several records which go under the general name of _Doomsday Books_ constitute, collectively, one of the most valuable monuments possessed by any nation. They contain the name of every landowner, with the value of his estate, and frequently refer to earlier proprietors antecedently to the Conquest. The 'Great Doomsday Book' in the Chapter House, the 'Exon Doomsday,' and the 'Inquisitio Eliensis,' were compiled between 1066 and 1086; the 'Winton Doomsday,' temp. Hen. I; and the 'Boldon Book' in 1183. 2. The next documents in point of antiquity are _Monastic Records_, such as Chartularies, Leiger-Books, Chronicles, Obituaries, Registers of Marriages and Burials, and Abbey Rolls. These usually contain much information for the genealogist, particularly in relation to the founders and benefactors of the respective establishments. Of Abbey Rolls the 'Roll of Battel Abbey' is an eminent example. Its authenticity, however, is extremely doubtful, and we have the authority of Camden for declaring that, "Whosoever considereth it well shall find it always to be forged."[310]

It has been asserted that many records of great value were destroyed at the dissolution of the religious houses, and there is probably truth in the allegation; for John Bale, a contemporary observer, writes, that the library books of [some of] the monasteries were reserved by the purchasers of those houses to scour their candlesticks, to rub their boots, and even for still viler uses. Some again, he says, were sold to grocers and soap-sellers, or sent over sea to the book-binders. A merchant bought two noble libraries for forty shillings. Peacham, in his 'Compleat Gentleman,'[311] and several other authors declare that Polydore Vergil, the historian, _burnt_ many of the best and most antient records he could find in the conventual and cathedral libraries;[312] but the learned Italian has been most ably defended against this heavy charge.[313] 3. _Antient Charters_ and Deeds transferring lands, &c. are most excellent authorities for genealogical particulars. Such documents are immensely numerous. By series of these in the muniment-rooms of our nobility and gentry, and other places, both family lines and territorial descent may be clearly established for a great length of time. 4. _Monumental Inscriptions_ are documents of great interest. Many of them are of very high antiquity. That of King Arthur, described by Camden, is, if genuine, more than thirteen centuries old. The legend is, "HIC JACET SEPVLTVS INCLYTVS REX ARTVRIVS IN INSVLA AVALONIA." There are several remains of this description belonging to the Norman period whose genuineness is not questioned. There are two in my own locality; namely, the epitaph on Gundred, wife of William de Warren, and daughter of William the Conqueror (ob. 1085), in the church of Southover, Lewes, and that on Mangnus, a Danish prince of the eleventh or twelfth century, in the wall of St. John sub Castro.[314] Unfortunately _most_ of the monuments of those early times have no inscriptions; so that, without the evidence of concurrent tradition, they can scarcely be regarded as monuments at all. Monumental _brasses_, a most interesting class of memorials, occur from the thirteenth century to the era of the mural tablets now in use. Regular genealogical series of them are sometimes to be found in our country churches. 5. The _Public Records_, many of which have been printed at the national expense, contain an inexhaustible mine for the genealogist and historian. Particulars relating to knights' fees and other feudal matters are found in the 'Black and Red Books of the Exchequer,' the 'Testa de Neville,' the 'Nomina Villarum,' and the 'Hundred Rolls.' These are all of very early date. The fine, charter, close, patent, nona, and numerous other rolls, and particularly the Inquisitiones post mortem[315] and Escheat rolls are rich in materials for pedigrees. Lists of English gentry for certain counties occur temp. Edw. II; and the celebrated list of temp. Hen. VI purports to contain the names of all the gentry in thirty counties. 6. The _Wills_ proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury at Doctors' Commons commence so early as 1383, and those in several of the local registries are of considerable, though not of equal, antiquity. These are of all documents the most confidently to be relied on, containing as they do much information respecting the family-connexions of the testators. From a single will a descent of four generations can frequently be traced. 7. The _Heraldic Records_, gathered from documents no longer extant, are most valuable. The Visitation-books, extending from 1528 to 1687, are in the College of Arms; and there are numerous other collections of pedigrees in public and private MS. libraries. The funeral certificates of the nobility and gentry preserved at the College are most authentic and useful documents, though apparently little known even amongst antiquaries. The following is a specimen:

"1578. Sire John Gefferay, knyght, Lord Chief Baron of the quenes
majesties exchequer Died at his house in London on Twesday the xiij
daye of Maye, and from thense was conveyed to his Maner house at
Chettingligh in the County of Sussex & was buryed at the p[ar]ishe
churche of Chettingligh the xxij{th} daye of the same monthe A{o}.
1578, he maryed to his fierst wiff Alis doughte{r} & heire aperante to
John Apesley of London, gent. & by her had yssue Elizabethe his only
doughte{r} and heire; secondly he maryed Mary doughter to George
Goringe of Lewis in the county of Sussex, esquier, & by her had no
yssue. The offycers of armes that se{r}vid their was Ric. Turpyn alias
Windsor and Edmond Knyght alias Chester, herauldes. In Witnes of the
truthe of this certyfycatt these [pt=]ies hereunder writen have
subscribed their names the xxiij{th} daye of Maye a{o} 1578.

(Sign'd) GEORGE GORINGE.
W{M}. APSLEY. RICHARD JEFFERAY."[316]

8. Last, though not least, among the aids in tracing pedigrees, are _Parish Registers_. The dispersion of the monks, who had previously been the great register-keepers, gave rise to the necessity of these local records. A mandate was issued in 1538, by Thomas Cromwell, the king's vicar-general, for the keeping, in every parish, of registers of baptisms, marriages, and burials. Many of the existing registers begin with that year, but more generally they commence in 1558, the first year of Elizabeth.[317]

Parish registers, when carefully kept, are amongst the most useful of public records. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and in the earlier part of the eighteenth, they are in many instances a sort of chronicles not only of the rites of baptism, marriage, and burial, but also of interesting parochial events; such as fires, unusual mortalities, storms, alterations in the churches, and short remarks on the baptisms or burials of distinguished persons. The following extracts from various registers may not be unamusing to the reader:

"_Mr._ Henry Hastings, son & heir of Mr. Francis Hastings, was born on
St. Nicholas' even, April 24, between the hours of 10 & 11 of the
clock at night. Sign. Sagit. secund. die plenilunii Marte in Taurum
intrato die precedente, & was christened May 17." _Eaton, co.
Rutland._

"1597. M{m}. forgotten until now, that Edmond Denmark & Alice Smyth
were married the 24th. of May, 1584." _Thorington, Essex._

"1618. License to Lady Barbara Hastings to eat flesh in Lent, on
account of her great age." _St. Mary, Leicester._

"1643. Richard Snatchall, a stout yong man, a curious blacksmith, died
of y{e} small-pox." _Chiddingly, co. Sussex._

"1656. A time of mortality upon the Dicker. Richard Luccas, w{th}out
any buriall was buried!" _Ibid._

It would be difficult to say how this was managed.

Some of the entries are occasionally very loose.

"1658. Buried. Wickens, a lame boy. 1659. A maide of N. M. A maide of
R. B." _Ibid._

"An infant crisaned!"--Burials. "A mayde from the mill." "Black John."
"A prentice of M{r}. Kirford." "A Tinker of Berye in Suffolk." Vide
_Grimaldi's Orig. Geneal._

"Richard Cole and _his wife_ were marryed the xixth. of May 1612.
Symon Fuller was marryed the 3rd. of October, 1612." _Alfriston, co.
Sussex._

"The son of a mason, buried x Feb. 1593."

"Mother Fowler buried 18th. Nov. 1603."

"Goody Hilton bur. April 7. 1699." _Ibid._

During the protectorate of Cromwell marriages were solemnized by justices of the peace. The following entry of such a marriage, cited by Mr. Grimaldi, is a curious specimen of magisterial literature:

"_Marriadges._

_Begone_ the 30. September, 1653.

John Ridgway, _Bricklar_ and Mary Chart _widdow_ according to _a_ Act
of Parliament _baringe_ date the 24. August 1653, _was_ three several
times _publissed_ in the market-place, and afterwards _maried_ by
_mee_ upon Tuesday, the _six_ of December, 1653.

"THOMAS ATKIN."

"1707. Married William Thunder and Eliz. Horscraft as is reputed but
not certainly known _Anab.: Chiddingly._

"1718. M{r}. Thomas Shirley, a young Gentleman of great hopes, who in
all probability had he lived longer would have been very useful to his
country and neighbours." _Ibid._

"1722. This day were married by M{r}. Holloway, _I think_, a couple
_whose names I could never learn_, for he allowed them to carry away
the license." _Lincoln's Inn Chapel._

"1705. Buried M{r}. Matt. Hutchinson, vicar of Gilling, worth L50 a
year. 1706. M{rs}. Ursula Allen worth L600." _Richmond, co. York._

Many of the entries respecting local events are very curious; but as they belong still less than the foregoing to my subject, I must resist the temptation to transcribe any of them.

To these several principal sources of genealogical materials may be added the private memoranda preserved in many families, correspondence, entries in family bibles, and others which it is unnecessary to mention.

* * * * *

There are some persons who cannot discriminate between the taste for pedigree and the pride of ancestry. Now these two feelings, though they often combine in one individual, have no necessary connexion with each other. Man is said to be a hunting animal. Some hunt for foxes; others for fame or fortune. Others hunt in the intellectual field; some for the arcana of nature and of mind; some for the roots of words or the origin of things. I am fond of hunting out a pedigree. _Parva decent parvum._

Family pride, abstractedly considered, is one of the coarsest feelings of which our nature is susceptible.

"Those who on glorious ancestors enlarge,
Produce their debt instead of their discharge."

A great and wise man among the antients said

"----Genus, et proavos, et quae non fecimus ipsi,
Vix ea nostra voco."

"The glory of ancestors," says Caius Marius, "casts a light indeed upon their posterity, but it only serves to show what the descendants are. It alike exhibits to full view their degeneracy and their worth."

"Boast not the titles of your ancestours,
Brave youths! They're _their_ possessions, none of _yours_;
When your own virtues equall'd have their names,
'Twill be but fair to lean upon their fames,
For they are strong supporters; but, till then,
The greatest are but growing gentlemen."
_Ben Jonson._

I do not know that I can more appropriately close this last chapter of my essay than by citing a passage from Lord Lindsay's introduction to his 'Lives of the Lindsays,' a passage which entitles its author to as high a place among "virtue's own noblemen" as he deservedly occupies among the great ones of man's creation.

"Be grateful, then, for your descent from religious as well as noble ancestors: it is your duty to be so, and this is the only worthy tribute you can now pay to their ashes. Yet, at the same time be most jealously on your guard lest this lawful satisfaction degenerate into arrogance, or a fancied superiority over those nobles of God's creation, who, endowed in other respects with every exalted quality, cannot point to a long line of ancestry. Pride is of all sins the most hateful in the sight of God; and of the proud, who is so mean, who so despicable as he who values himself on the merits of others? And were they all so meritorious, these boasted ancestors? were they all Christians? Remember, remember, if some of them have deserved praise, others have equally merited censure; if there have been "stainless knights," never yet was there a stainless family since Adam's fall. Where, then, is boasting? for we would not I hope glory in iniquity.

'=Only the actions of the Just
Smell sweet and blossom in the dust.='

"One word more. Times are changed, and in many respects we are blessed with knowledge beyond our fathers, yet we must not on that account deem our hearts purer, or our lives holier, than theirs were. Nor, on the other hand, should we for a moment assent to the proposition, so often hazarded, that the virtues of chivalry are necessarily extinct with the system they adorned. Chivalry, in her purity, was a holy and lovely maiden, and many were the hearts refined and ennobled by her influence; yet she proclaims to us not one virtue that is not derived from and summed up in Christianity. The age of chivalry may be past--the knight may no more be seen issuing from the embattled portal-arch on his barbed charger, his lance glittering in the sun, his banner streaming to the breeze,--but the spirit of chivalry can never die; through every change of external circumstances, through faction and tumult, through trial and suffering, through good report and evil report, still that spirit burns like love, the brighter and purer;--still, even in the nineteenth century, lights up its holiest shrine, the heart of that champion of the widow, that father of the fatherless, that liegeman of his God, his king, and his country, the noble-hearted but lowly-minded Christian gentleman of England."