Mr. Gough mentions one by Sir Richard St. George, Norroy, and Sir William Segar, Garter. This, no doubt, is a mistake: if it is right, the visitation must have been in the reign of Charles I., when Sir Richard St. George was Clarenceux: for as Norroy he had no power in the county, it being south of Trent. Segar, Garter, must have been his deputy, otherwise, as Garter, he had no visitorial power in either of the provinces. Eliz. Ja. 1. Cha. II. WARWICKSHIRE. 1563. Harvey, Clarenceur, by his deputy, Cooke, Chester. In the College. 1619. Camden, Clarenceux, by his deputies, Lennard, Blue-mantle, and Vincent, Rouge-rose. In the College, containing 148 pcdigrees 1682. St. George, Clarenceux, by his deputies, began by May, Chester, and King, Rouge-dragon; and finished, in 1683, by Dethick, Richmond, and King, Rouge-dragon. Hen. VIII. 1530. 1615. Cha. II. 1664. WESTMORLAND. Tonge, Norroy. In the College. St. George, Norroy. This visitation contains 80 pedigrees. WILTSHIRE. Hen. VIII. 1531. Benolte, Clarenceux. In the College. 1565. Harvey, Clarenceux. In the College. 1623. Camden, Clarenceux, by his deputies, St. George, Richmond, and Lennard, Blue-mantle. In the College, containing 545 1569. Same. Cha. I. 1634. Cha. 11. Same. A copy was in Garter Anstis' Collection. St. George, Clarenceur, and Burroughs, Norroy, by their deputies, Owen, York, and Lilly, Rouge-rose. In the College, containing 189 pedigrees. 1682. St. George, Clarenceux, by his deputies. Began by May, Chester, and King, Rouge-dragon; and finished, in 1683, by Dethick, Richmond, and King, Rouge-dragon. Ε Hen. VIII. 1530. Edw. VI. 1552. YORKSHIRE. "The Tonge, Norroy. Harvey, Norray. Intituled, "The Vysytacion of the Northe " made by William Harvye, principal herald, and kinge of " arms of the northe, este, and west parts of England, from "the ryver Trente, northwardes; began at the manor of Leken-fielde, John Egglesfyld then keeper thereof, undre "the hyghe and myghtie Prynce, John Duke of Northum"berland, &c. the 24th day of --, in the syxt yere of "the most noble and vertewous Prynce, Kinge Edward the syxt." Mary. 1. 1557-8. Dalton, Norroy. It was began March 8. Flower, Norroy. In the College. Assisted by his deputy, Glover, Somerset.. Same. By his deputy, Glover, Somerset, who finished it in 1585. It is intituled, "The Booke of Entrances, made in the tyme of the vysitacion of Yorkshire, " began 1584, and continued anno domini 1585, by Robert "Glover, alias Somerset herald of arms, marshall and deputy to William Flower, Esq., alias Norroy kinge of armes, " and principal herald of the east, west, and northe partes " of the relm of England, from the ryver Trent north"ward." It is peculiarly curious, being the first that was signed by the gentlemen who certified their pedigrees, and wretchedly scrawled names or marks (for many of the heads of families of the gentry could not then write) shewing the low condition of literature at that period in England.. The general antiquary, Glover, besides the pedigrees, collected, whilst in this county, every thing that was interesting, such as church notes, returns of the gentry who had lived at different ages since the reign of Henry II., to his own, with extracts of deeds, and other records, serving, to elucidate the descents of the lands in this county.. St. George, Norroy. In the College, containing 419 pedigrees. That That " accomplished antiquary," Richard Gascoigne, of Bramham Biggin, Esq. second son of George Gascoigne, of Oldhurst, Esq., and of Mary Stokely, sixth son of John Gascoigne, of Parlington, Esq., ancestor of the baronets Gascoignes, left fifteen volumes of 4to, in MS., being, as he expressed it, "A Catalogue of all "such Knightes, Baronetts, Knightes, Esquires, Gentlemen, or any of meaner qualitie, " whose evidences, cowcher, or leager booke, olde rooles, or ancient transcripts, I have, "mera gratia et pleno favore (ad libitum) perused, and copied, by my alliance, ac"quaintance, or mediation of any of my worthy friends, to enriche my poore under" standinge with worn-eaten antiquities. I profess not heraldrie, non equidem tale " me dignor honore, to marciall any man's ranke, but as I had excess, and ever, deo " gratias, good successe, I intend here to enroll them." My friend, the late most respected Mr. Brooke, Somerset, had made great collections of this widely extended county, preparatory to writing its History, which his premature and unhappy death perhaps only prevented. WALES. Hen. VIII. 1530, or 1531. Benolte, Clarenceux, by Flower, Lancaster. In the College. This appears to have been the only general visitation of Wales. There have, however, been two of the counties visited. Cha. 11. 1670. Same. 1683.. FLINTSHIRE. St. George, Clarenceux, by Chaloner, Lancaster, and Sandford, MONMOUTHSHIRE. St. George, Clarenceur, by Dethick, Richmond, and King, Besides these three visitations, there are heraldic and genealogical collections, by persons who were private, not public characters; or if public, as Owen, Norroy, in his private, not public capacity. John Salusbury of Erbistock, Esq., in the middle of the preceding century, made a curious collection of pedigrees, with great accuracy, of all the gentry of North Wales. The late Sir Watkin Williams Wynne, Bart. was in possession of the manuscript. " In the Harleian Library, N. 35-38 contains " ancient Welch pedigrees and "draughts of some churches, principally in Brecknockshire." In the same library, No 6823, 6831, and 6870, comprize descents and genealogies of many ancient and E2 and present families of the nobility and gentry in the Principality, taken from records, monumental inscriptions, collections, and visitations of all the churches and principal places in Wales and the adjacent parts, made by Mr. Hugh Thomas, comprizing in the whole about 700 different pedigrees. "George Owen, of Henllys in the county of Pembroke, Esq., in 1602, made a collection of curious particulars relative to Wales, intituled, "The Number of "Hundreds, Castles, &c., in all the Shires of Wales, with the Names of the chief "Gentry, &c., Nature of the Soils, Qualitie of the People, &c." in one volume 4to.-Garter Anstis possessed this. In the College is Vincent's Wales, placed amongst his books, and marked 135 and 136, folio, containing pedigrees chiefly, but interspersed with miscellaneous anecdotes, relative to the Principality. Owen, the usurping Norroy, left an History of Pembrokeshire in manuscript, which was lately in the possession of Howel Vaughan, of Hengwrt, Esq.; and in the Harleian MSS., No 6824, is a folio, intituled, "The first Book of the De" scription of Pembrokeshire in general, 1603," containing ancient and modern owners of places, their descent and arms. Many other small collections are dispersed amongst the curious, giving the arms and pedigrees of the Welch gentry. Some few things of this nature are in print; they all, however, fail in a great essential, dates. The want of surnames until these last centuries, is another defect. It will be allowed, however, that the gentry of Wales have kept themselves more distinct than any others in the British Dominions. In general they have small paternal inheritances, upon which they live content, keeping up that hospitality which has ever been their characteristic trait. The boast of ancestry silences the envy of wealth. The Welch gentleman looks down from his small mansion, seated upon his native mountains, with contempt upon the merchant rolling in his carriage, and commanding all that the four quarters of the world can offer, who in return beholds the descendant of ancient chieftains with equal scorn. The one boasts uncontaminated blood, unmixed with any foreign stain; the other prides himself with being descended from families who have settled here from many countries, brought hither under the victorious banners of heroes, the conquerors of the aboriginal inhabitants, fled from foreign persecution, religious or civil, or allured by commerce. These dissimilar and discordant characters have virtues which do honor to humanity; virtues distinct, indeed, but such as each should honor and applaud. We may form an idea of the number of gentry in England from the total of the pedigrees in the last visitation books in the time of Sir William le Neve, who having been deprived by the usurping powers of his office of Clarenceux, and never restored, these visitations must all have been made during the government of Charles I. Sir William estimated them thus: on the side of Clarenceux, 6550; on that of of Norroy, 1223; total 7773. "Bloome, in his Britannia," has given the names of all the gentry in each county, including also the nobility and bishops. He states From the vast influx of wealth from commerce, our possessions in the East and West Indies, as well as other parts of the world, and the opulent of most kingdoms and states in Europe having, from various motives, emigrated hither, there can be no doubt but that the gentry have much increased in the south part of Britain. The number of seats around the capital and most great towns are multiplied within the present century prodigiously. L. Of the Earls Marshal of England, taken from Mr. Dallaway, as far as it relates to the College at Arms, from its Establishment until the present Time. - The office is the eighth in precedency. Before it became hereditary it constantly passed by grant from the Crown, but was never held by tenure or serjeantry, as |