"During the 1500s and 1600s, the Heralds visited each county and recorded the pedigrees of families. In many cases the pedigrees date back to Norman times (the 11th century). These records form an extremely important source of information for family historians. During the late 1800s and early 1900s, the Harleian Society published a large series of books containing transcripts of these ancient documents. The books also include descriptions or illustrations of the coats of arms of these people"--Container.