genealogy

genealogy, the study of ancestry and family descent, is an indispensable handmaiden of history. In post‐Roman Britain, it was important for monarchs to claim impressive credentials, however unlikely. Bede insisted that Hengist and Horsa were descended from Woden. In the Middle Ages, genealogy was related to heraldry and of concern largely to the monarchy and nobility. As the status of the gentry improved, their own interest in genealogy kindled. Richard III established the College of Arms in 1484 and from the 15th cent. to 1688 the heralds conducted visitations to confirm or deny claims. Genealogical investigation was also a powerful motive behind the foundation of many 19th‐cent. local history societies. The Society of Genealogists was founded in 1911. In the later 20th cent. there was a remarkable growth of interest in tracing family history among ordinary people, using record offices and reference libraries.