The Irish Book of Arms
(In full color and b&w) The most comprehensive display of Irish
families and coats of arms. This is the largest Documented, illustrated
collection of Irish Coats of Arms in print, with rare family history
and genealogy from sources in the 18th and 19th centuries. (Note: This
is a book produced for serious historians and genealogists. Many are
taken from original sources centuries old, and are worn with age as in
the originals.)
Over 1500 entires in all, this book includes the arms from the Irish
Peerage of the 18th century and later. Old genealogies are extracted,
giving genealogists a line into the family tree back several
generations in some cases. The works whose vital information appear in
this #1 source book include:
Arms and commentary from:
1. The Irish Compendium (1722)
2. The Peers of Ireland by Kimber(1768)
3. The Irish Peerage by DeBrett (1806)
4. The Visitations of Ireland (1897)
5.The original Irish Book of Arms
6. and The archives of the Irish Genealogical Foundation.
Includes the Old and the NewThe old Irish Families are found in
a section in front of the book, with color arms and black and white
arms. That section is titled 'Irish Septs '.
The second section of
this book is based upon the arms granted under the British regime,
containing over 1,000 families, many of which have never been noted as
'Irish' in modern research works. Many are from Scotland, England and
Wales originally. Some family legends are included. Sources are noted
for most entries.
The Complete Picture. Previous works
have often been misleading and outright fictitious. No other work
covers Irish heraldry both under the British regime and after the
coming of the Irish Free State in the 20th century in such detail.
The story of Irish heraldry begins with the coming of the Norman
invasions in the 12th century. Hundreds of families have been ignored
in previous works, and understandably so, limited by space and
resources. This is the first major work in the field to combine
families from all time periods into one comprehensive volume.
Includes Date Granted and to whom
Older entries will tell you the date of the arms displayed and the name
of the holder of the arms, details sadly lacking in other Irish
heraldic works. Irish septs are identified, along with a discussion of
the peculiarities of Irish heraldry.
Many arms displayed here appear exactly as found in the books and
manuscripts of the
I.G.F. library. Some are very legible, others only serve to document
that something appeared in print in the 18th century! Our purpose is
not to redraw these arms in detail, but to show that they did exist,
inviting the researcher to pursue the matter further if so desired.
Author and editor, Michael C. O'Laughlin served as president of the
Irish Genealogical Foundation for 20 years and holds the position as
editor-in-chief of the journal of Irish Families. He has published over
35 titles on Irish history and family research. These include rare book
reprints such as Keatings History of Ireland, and The Annals of Ireland
by the Four Masters.
From the Introduction to this work
"You have here my notes from the collection in our library, known as
the 'Irish Book of Arms'. That compilation is several thousand pages in
length. My hope is that helpful information is uncovered in this work,
and that new resources are introduced to you here... My notes attempt
to reflect the times and thoughts of the original author, and it is
best to take note of the date of each entry.
Hence, when Kimber (circa 1768) makes mention of the descent of the
Fitzgeralds from Tuscany; or the DeBurghs from William Fitz-Adelm
(today considered in error), I leave it as given. My intent is to show
the historical record as written. I also hesitate to challenge a writer
who is 200 years closer to the facts than I, without the most extensive
research on my part. (Although I am quite aware that, there are errors
by all the original authors).
I urge the reader to think and research on his own."
Genealogy
"This volume was prepared with a particular view to genealogy, as many
of our patrons are serious family researchers. We try to make note of
some names and dates in every entry. As researchers know, sometimes
even a first name can provide a link to a certain branch of a family.
If you find an interesting clue in my notes, please do go back to the
original source for more information. There are often several pages of
history given in the Irish Peerages for a single name. Researchers are
reminded that they may also discover families of the same name that
they are not related to.
This information may save the reader from being 'taken in' by those who
would sell fictitious coats of arms. All of the arms in this work are
of Ireland. (That does not mean, of course, that you are related to any
family that has the same surname as yours.). When possible we have
given the full name of the holder of the arms. The arms are arranged by
the surname of the holder of the arms, as recorded at the approximate
date given.
The arms given in this work granted under the 'British' system, may not
allow you to claim any usage. Normal rules of heraldry more strictly
hold that the arms belonged to an individual - not to a family name or
group at all.
The first section of arms in this work gives the families most
recognized after Ireland became a free state in the 20th century .
These families have a freer claim to the usage of arms, due to Irish
tradition regarding the land and chieftaincy. This is the concept
peculiar to Ireland, known as 'Sept Arms' or 'Irish Clan Arms' (More on
that later)........ "
Armigerous Families" It is in the 18th century that we begin the
research into the printed pedigrees and armories of families in
Ireland. In the Irish Compendium (1722); the works of Kimber (1768);
and the deBrett Peerage (1806); the power structure in Ireland was
being confirmed as legitimate. There are, of course, other works that
we have not included in this study, but for our purposes it is a good
starting point in the study of Irish heraldry.
Let us now take a look at the family names found most often in part two
of this book. The names and number of occurrences are set down below:
Multiple Arms for Many Families:
Butler: 17......... Hamilton: 15
Smith & Smyth(e): 13....... Moore: 12
Bourk(e)+ Burke+ DeBurgh: 11
Fitzgerald; Boyle; Brown(e): 10 each
Barry: 9....... Coote; Nugent; Stewart: 8 ea.
Following the above names, are those of Plunket; Dillon; Annesley;
Talbot; Gore; Wilson; Percival; Lloyd; King; Knox; and Jones, each with
6 or 7 listings each. Obviously there are no names with 'O' or 'Mac' on
the list of the top 20 most numerous armigerous families.
Contents:
List of Books
Old Heraldic Display for Ireland
Irish Heraldry and Genealogy
Part 1: Irish Septs
- Full Listing from the Book of Arms c1690
- Most Recognized Septs after the Irish Free State
Part 2: The Book of Arms Under the English Regime
Part 3: Appendix
Index of Family Names
