366 The Heralds' Visitations of Wiltshire. 



Coronations, having been vacant since the attainder of Heniy, 

 Duke of Buckingham, in the reign of King Henry VIII. 1 



A very eminent judge, Mr. Justice Blackstone, in the third Vol. 

 of his "Commentaries," in treating of the Court of the Lord Con- 

 stable and Earl Marshal, and of the Heralds, says : — 2 



"Their original Visitation Books, compiled when progresses were solemnly 

 and regularly made into every part of the Kingdom, to inquire into the state of 

 families, and to register such marriages and descents as were verified to them 

 upon oath, are allowed to be good evidence of pedigrees, and it is much to be 

 wished that this practice of visitation at certain periods were revived, for the 

 failure of inquisitions post-mortem by the abolition of Military Tenures, com- 

 bined with the negligence of the Heralds in omitting their usual progresses, has 

 rendered the proof of a modern descent, for the recovery of an estate, or succes- 

 sion to a title of honor, more difficult than that of an ancient ;" and, after remark- 

 ing on the additional facilities afforded with respect to the proof of Peers' 

 descents under an order of the House of Lords, made on the 11th of May, 

 1767, 3 this eminent judge concludes with a statement that "the general incon- 

 venience affecting more private successions still continues without a remedy." 



III. The Visitation Books relating to Wiltshire. 

 1. General List of Wiltshire Visitation Books. 



A. D. 



1533. 25 Hen. VIII. Thomas Benolte, Clarencieux. The 

 original is in the Heralds' College, London. A copy is 

 in the Library of Sir Thomas Phillipps, Bart. 



1565. 8 Eliz. William Harvey, Clarencieux. Original in 

 Heralds' College. A copy in the Bodleian Library, by 

 Jekyll. A modern copy, by Hensley, in Sir Thomas 

 PhilHpps's Library, MS. No. 54. Also MSS. No. 172, 

 7428, 10487, 10646, 11182-3-4- [part]-6-7. An ancient 

 copy with Arms tricked, in the Library of Joseph Neeld, 

 Esq., M.P., at Grittleton. 



1 On this subject the reader is referred to the following decisions in the court : 

 Parker's case, 1 " Siderfin's Reports," 352; EusselVs case (1692), 4 "Modern 

 Reports," 128; s. c. nom. JRussell v. Oldish, 1 "Shower's Reports," 353, (the 

 pleadings probably of this case being in "Lilly's Entries," p. 316); Oldis v. 

 Domville, Cases in Parliament 58; Chambers v. Jennings, " Farresley Reports," 

 125, and 2 "Salkald's Reports," 553. 



2 Chap. 7, p. 105. 

 3 This order was rescinded by the House of Lords on the 18th of June, 1802. 



