Sir Ralph Bigland THE BIGLAND PEDIGREE INDEX 1990
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Sir Ralph Bigland THE BIGLAND PEDIGREE INDEX 1990
New Series Volume 9 for the year 1990 of the Harleian Society publications hardback of THE BIGLAND PEDIGREE INDEX, An Index to the Pedigrees in the Genealogical Manuscripts of Sir Ralph Bigland, Garter King of Arms. Prepared for Publication by P. Ll. Gwynn-Jones, M. A. Lancaster Herald and Susanna Tovey. Published by The Harleian Society, London, in 1990.The book is in very good condition (Clean original red cloth with gilt lettering & stamp on front and lettering on the spine which has very slight bumping to the bottom corner of the spine). No dust jacket as issued. Internally, the pages are clean and tight and there are no tears and no inscriptions.
The 1911 Index which forms the basis of the present edition is the copyright of the College of Arms.
"In 1839 the Chapter of the College of Arms acquired from the executors of Sir Ralph Bigland, Garter king of Arms. 49 volumes of considerable genealogical importance...
The 49 volumes of the Bigland Collection contain the manuscripts of the elder Ralph Bigland; but of these only four specifically relate to pedigrees ... "
Ralph Bigland (1712 1784) was an English officer of arms and cheesemaker.
Much of Bigland's antiquarian work was focused on Gloucestershire. Over time, he travelled the whole county, accumulating historical information and making it his business to record the inscriptions on everything from great monuments to modest gravestones. These antiquarian concerns brought about a change of career in 1757. In that year, he was appointed Bluemantle Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary at the College of Arms.
Bigland was working until his demise when he died in his rooms in the College of Arms on 27 March 1784. He was buried on 8 April in Gloucester Cathedral. Practising what he preached, he had himself drafted the inscription, which contains a quantity of genealogical information.
Bigland was promoted to the office of Somerset Herald of Arms in Ordinary in 1759. He was a skilled draftsman, and he was a methodical genealogist. He advocated the inclusion of much greater detail in church registers and called for better safekeeping and detailed indexing of such records. Along with his friend and colleague Sir Isaac Heard, he helped to reestablish the College of Arms as the center of genealogical study in England. Bigland climbed steadily in the heraldic hierarchy and was a king of arms for the last eleven years of his life. He became Norroy King of Arms in 1773, Clarenceux King of Arms in 1774, and Garter Principal King of Arms in 1780.
The Harleian Society was organized on May 28, 1869 in England. Its chief objective was the publication of the Heraldic Visitations of Counties and any manuscripts relating to genealogy, family history, and heraldry.
Three different series of volumes were published: The Visitation Series, The Register Series, and The New Series. The Library of Congress has most of these volumes. Beginning about 1530, and continuing into the late 1600s, heralds visited regions throughout Britain, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland for the purpose of establishing pedigrees and ancestry relationships. Many of those regions were visited more than once over a period of years.
This project of gathering pedigrees began because of rampant misuse of coats of arms and false declarations of nobility. As the heralds visited each region, they summoned people who were using titles, or arms, and had them present their arms and proof of their right to use them. If an official grant of arms was made, it was recorded.
The visitation series includes a narrative description of each family, as well as a pedigree chart. Branches of large families were labeled by region, and relationships were clearly defined. Birth and death dates were not usually given. Remember, the visitations are not infallible. The documents presented may not have been accurate, and the heralds may have recorded details incorrectly.
The Register Series includes records of baptisms, marriages, and burials in various regions of England beginning in the 1500s. The New Series contains information left out of the other two series.
278 pages.
ISBN: 0 9513335 1 8
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Sir Ralph Bigland THE BIGLAND PEDIGREE INDEX 1990