Harelian Manuscripts
Harelian Manuscripts
Grimshaw Entries in Heralds' Visitation Records for 1567, 1613 and 1664-65
Image from Manuscript 1468, Folio 72 of Harleian Manuscripts (see also the homepage of this website)
The Grimshaw coat of arms and crest are described on a companion webpage. The right to use a coat of arms and crest in England has been granted by the College of Arms in London for many centuries. In medieval England, the King periodically dispatched his representatives (Heralds) to different parts of the country to grant heraldic rights and to verify the validity of armorial bearings being used by various families. The Grimshaw arms were recorded, along with family pedigrees, during three of these Heralds' Visitations to Lancashire County:
William Flower, 1567
Sir Richard St. George, 1613
Sir William Dugdale, 1664-65
The Harleian Manuscripts are a major collection, now at the British Library in London (formerly at the British Museum), that contain records of (among other things) the visitations of the King's heralds to various parts of England. Seven Grimshaw entries are to be found in the Harleian manuscripts and are included on this webpage. The images were obtained from the British Library in May 2000.
Contents:
Description of the Harleian Manuscripts from Wikipedia
Grimshaw Entries in the Harleian Manuscripts
Records of Herald Vistations in Chetham Society References
Four of the Grimshaw entries include both coat of arms and pedigree information, and three contain coat of arms diagrams only. The coat of arms and pedigrees recorded during the three principal Heraldic Visitations have also been published by the Chetham Society; the Grimshaw entries are described on this webpage below the Harleian Manuscript descriptions.
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Thanks very much to Hilary Tulloch for providing most of the resources for background information on heraldry and the Harleian Manuscripts. However, any lingering ignorance of the complex area of English heraldry, as reflected on this webpage, is strictly the responsibility of the webpage author!
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The Harleian Collection is described as follows on Wikipedia.
Harleian Collection
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Harleian Collection (or Harley Collection) is one of main collections of the British Library, London, England.
The manuscript collection of more than 7,000 volumes and more than 14,000 original legal documents, formed by Robert Harley (1661–1724), and his son Edward Harley (1689-1741). In 1753, it was purchased for £10,000 by the British government and together with the collections of Robert Bruce Cotton (1571–1631), and Hans Sloane were formed the basis of the British Museum library (after 1973 British Library).
The collection contains illuminated manuscripts span the early Middle Ages to the Renaissance. The manuscripts came from France, Germany and Italy.
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Sims1 has prepared an index to the pedigrees and arms contained in the Heralds' visitations. His index indicates Grimshaw entries in the Harleian Manuscripts as shown below.
For Grimshaw, of Grimshaw and Clayton:
|
Manuscript |
Folio |
|
1437 |
28 |
|
1468 |
72 |
|
1549 |
52b |
|
2086 |
32 |
|
6159 |
39 |
For Grimshaw (shows Coat of Arms only):
|
Manuscript |
Folio |
|
891 |
103 |
|
1468 |
102 |
These manuscripts and folios include information on the first two of the three Heralds' Visiations (1567 and 1613) and are presented below on this webpage. The overall contents of each folio are described in the British Library's "Catalogue of the Harleian Manuscripts2." The parts that are relevant to the Grimshaw entries are given below with each folio.
| Manuscript 1468, Folios 72 and 102 (Flower, 1567) |
This manuscript is described in the "Catalogue of the Harleian Manuscripts2" (vol. II, p. 61) as consisting of twelve (12) parts, two of which contain Grimshaw entries. The description is abstracted as follows:
An Heraldic Book in fol(io) done by divers hands; wherein are contained,
(2 parts, followed by...)
Pedigrees of the Lancashire Gentry, as registered (narratively) in the Visitation-book of that County, made in A.D. 1567 by William Flower Norroy.
Additional Descents & Arms inserted into this book...
The Arms of the Lancashire Gentry (including those of the younger Branches) tricked in alphabetical order
(...plus 7 more parts)
Please click on the thumbnails below to see the manuscript entries (Folio 72 and Folio 102) in detail.
| Manuscript 2086, Folio 32 (Flower, 1567) |
This manuscript is described in the "Catalogue of the Harleian Manuscripts2" (vol. II, p. 457) as consisting of five (5) parts. The description is abstracted as follows:
An Heraldic Book in fol(io); on the book entitled thus "Lancashire Pedigrees" but within it I find,
written & tricked (for the greatest part) by Mr. Mundy; & containing:
(3 parts, followed by...)
The Visitation of the Countie of Lancashire made by William Flower Esquire, alias Norroy King of Armes, anno Domini 1567
(...plus 1 more part)
Please click on the thumbnail below to see the manuscript entry in detail.
| Manuscript 6159, Folio 39 (Flower, 1567) |
This manuscript is abstracted in the "Catalogue of the Harleian Manuscripts2" (vol. III, p. 333) as follows:
A Book in folio, containing the pedigrees with the Arms in colours of families in Lancashire, taken at a Visitation made A.D. 1567 anno R. Eliz. 90. At the bottom of the title Page is written, "Visitatio ista Lancastriae & Argumentata fuit in a0 1598. per me W. Smith, (als) Rouge-dragon, prosecutorem ad arma." A work carefully executed, but unfinished. There is an alphabetical index at the beginnin; & at the end a Table of Matches.
Please click on the thumbnail below to see the manuscript entry in detail.
| Manuscript 891, Folio 103 (Flower, 1567) |
This manuscript is described in the "Catalogue of the Harleian Manuscripts2" (vol. I, p. 468) as consisting of ten (10) parts. The description is abstracted as follows:
An book in fol(io) written by different hands; wherein I find,
(6 parts, followed by...)
Visitation of Lancashire described in words a length; as taken A.D. 1567? by William Flower, Esquire, Norroy King of Arms?
Amrs of the Lancashire Gentry tricked perhaps as entered in the last mentioned Visitation
(...plus 2 more parts)
Please click on the thumbnail below to see the manuscript entry in detail.
| Manuscript 1549, Folio 52b (Flower, 1567 or St George, 1613) |
This manuscript is described in the "Catalogue of the Harleian Manuscripts2" (vol. II, p. 123) as consisting of seven (7) parts. The description is abstracted as follows:
An Heraldic Book in fol(io) written & tricked (for the greatest part) by Mr. Mundy; & containing:
(1 part, followed by...)
Armes of many of the Lancashire Gentry; hastily tricked in printed Escocheons; in alphabetical method - fol(io) A
The Visitation of Lanckeshire made in Anno 1567 by William Flower, Norroy
A Collection of the Descents of Lancashire Families, made chiefly from the Visitation-book of that County, as taken A.D. 1613 by Mr. Richard St. George Norroy, & in his company Henry St. George Blew-mantle.
(...plus 3 more parts)
Please click on the thumbnail below to see the manuscript entry in detail.
| Manuscript 1437, Folio 28 (St George, 1613) |
This manuscript is described in the "Catalogue of the Harleian Manuscripts2" (vol. II, p. 51) as consisting of eight (8) parts. The description is abstracted as follows:
A book in fol(io) wherein are contained
1. Many, if not most, of the loose papers wherein the descents of the Lancashire Gentry were taken & registered at the Visitation of that County A.D. 1613 by Richard St. George Norroy, and Henry St. George Blewmantle, his son, in his company. Which Gentry subscribing the same this Book (so far as it goes) is therefore the Original Book of this Visitation
(...plus 7 more parts)
Please click on the thumbnail below to see the manuscript in detail.
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The records of the visitations of the Heralds in 1567, 1613 and 1664-65 have also been recorded in three reports published by the Chetham Society in 1870, 1871, and 1872-73. The Grimshaw entries in these reports are described below.
| Herald's Visitation of 15673 |
Raines3 (1870, P. 31) published the Grimshaw pedigree recorded by Flower in 1567 as shown below. This pedigree is the same as the one shown in Folio 32 of Manuscript 2086 above. Note below the title the reference to [Harl. MS. fo. 32. Chetham MS. fo. 10b.] (Many thanks to Hilary Tulloch for obtaining this image from the British Library.)
| Herald's Visitation of 16134 |
Raines4 (1871, p. 26) published the Grimshaw pedigree recorded by St. George in 1613 as shown below. This pedigree is the same as the one shown in Folio 28 of Manuscript 1437 above. Note below the title the reference to [Harl. MS. 1437, fo. 28.]
| Herald's Visitation of 1664-655 |
Raines5 (1872-1873, p. 127-128) published the Grimshaw pedigree recorded by Dugdale in 1664-65 as shown below (in two parts, with connection indicated by letter "a".)
| References |
1Sims, R., 1970, An Index to the Pedigrees and Arms Contained in the Heralds' Visitations, and Other Genealogical Manuscripts in the British Museum: Baltimore, MD, Genealogical Publishing Company, 330 p.
2Author Unknown, 1808, A Catalogue of the Harleian Manuscripts in the British Museum, with Indexes of Person, Places, and Matters: Printed by Command of His Majesty King George III in Pursuance of an Address at the House of Commons of Great Britain
3Raines, F.R., ed., 1870, The Visitation of the County Palatine of Lancaster, Made in the Year 1567, by William Flower, Norroy King of Arms: Chetham Society, Old Series (First Series), v. 81.
4Raines, F.R., ed., 1871, The Visitation of the County Palatine of Lancaster, Made in the Year 1613, by Sir Richard St. George, Norroy King of Arms: Chetham Society, Old Series (First Series), v. 82.
5Raines, F.R., ed., 1872-1873, The Visitation of the County Palatine of Lancaster, Made in the Year 1664-5, by Sir William Dugdale, Knight, Norroy King of Arms: Chetham Society, Old Series (First Series), v. 84, 85, 88.
Webpage posted October 2000, revised November 2000. Updated March 2010 with addition of images in addition to thumbnails of manuscripts as well as Wikipedia description of the Harleian Collection.
