Thank you Adrian, Roy and Gavin for your replies and assistance. In another section of this pedigree, as well as "accepted" it adds "examined, and passed" by the College of Arms, so have emailed an enquiry to them, as suggested. Before posting to the list I actually used Google's Advanced Search to try and determine what was the "Huntbach manuscript" and whether the document was available for public access ... but nothing of any real assistance came up. Have now tried again with a little more success ... and established that Huntbach was referring to John Huntbach, but the actual manuscripts, and who possibly holds them (if they still exist) remains a mystery. So, have sent an enquiry to the William Salt Library, Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Archives, so hopefully they may know the answers. Thank you again Marg Smith ----- Original Message ----- From: "Roy Stockdill" <roy.stockdill@btinternet.com> To: <DUR-NBL@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, September 16, 2010 7:32 PM Subject: Re: [DUR-NBL] College of Arms > On 16 Sep 2010 at 10:47, Marg Smith wrote: > >> Hi List >> >> This posting may not be relevant to the list, but with so many >> talented people, someone may be able to help! I have had access to a >> very extensive genealogy, written by an American author, and which has >> been >> >> "Accepted by the College of Arms, 7 January 1932" >> >> I understand College of Arms is also involved in genealogy and have >> many pedigrees in their records, so am I correct in believing that a >> pedigree accepted by this organisation would be considered as very >> credible?? >> >> The "Huntbach manuscript" is also mentioned as having a pedigree for >> this particular family. What is the "Huntbach manuscript" and is this >> document available for public access please? > > > Several thoughts arise..... > > 1) Just because a work is claimed by an author to have been accepted by > the College > of Arms, it doesn't necessarily mean this was the case. Have you checked > with the > College to query the authenticity of this statement? > > 2) The College of Arms, while certainly an ancient genealogical body, is > not infallible! > It was the College that instituted the much-vaunted Heralds' Visitations, > which I have > always regarded with some suspicion as to their 100 per cent accuracy. > Let's > remember that the Heralds who were calling on "gentleman" claiming a right > to arms, > by and large, accepted what the applicant told them. How much independent > evidence > did they assess? I have also had my suspicions that the applicant would > wine and dine > them right royally and that even on the odd occasion a plain brown > envelope might > have exchanged hands! > > Remember that in genealogy there have always been fakes and frauds and I > doubt > the College of Arms is immune. And then there were the infamous pedigrees > perpetuated by John Burke (of Burkes Peerage) in the 19th century when > nouveau > riche Victorian industrialists paid money to have a pedigree to go with > their newly > acquired wealth and Burke was happy to take their cash and give them what > they > wanted. > > It seems to me that a good piece of advice is never to accept anything > until you have > proved it yourself by your own researches. > > 3) A simple spot of Googling will turn up several references to the > Huntbach > manuscripts. > > -- > Roy Stockdill > Genealogical researcher, writer & lecturer > Newbies' Guide to Genealogy & Family History: > www.genuki.org.uk/gs/Newbie.html > > "There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, > and that is not being talked about." > OSCAR WILDE > > > > ==== DUR-NBL Mailing List ==== > To Post a message to this list send it to, > DUR-NBL-L@rootsweb.com > > ==== DUR-NBL Mailing List ==== > List Web Page > http://www.communigate.co.uk/ne/durhamgenealogy/index.phtml > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > DUR-NBL-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > >