Pedigrees
In researching UK family history back in time it soon becomes apparent that the information trail starts to fade as you approach the start of Parish Registers in the mid 16th Century. Some valuable sources of information often overlooked are the family pedigrees produced by genealogists in centuries past. Whilst often looking like a family tree in their own right these pedigrees should be used with caution and where possible verified with other information. Typical of the information available to do this includes;
- Parish Registers & Bishops Transcripts
- Memorial Inscriptions
- Church & graveyard records
- Estate Records held in Archives
- Historical notes kept by the Parish Church
- Wills & Probate Records
- Indentures
- Bonds
- Deeds
- Pedigrees maintained by the Church of Latter Day Saints
- Antiquarian books
In the table below are listed some of the sources used in my research. In most cases I refer to the source of information used in the family trees and pedigrees available by clicking the buttons on the right.
The two most significant Pedigrees used in my own North Wales research are those made by J.E Griffith and Lewys Dwnn referred to below.
Griffith's Pedigrees
John Edwards Griffith's Pedigrees of Anglesey and Caernarvonshire families were published in 1914 and, as might be imagined by the title, contain a series of pedigree (family tree) charts for important or wealthy families in North Wales. There are 5 separate Holland pedigrees included for those families listed on the right.
The historic locations of these families is shown on the map below (roll mouse over the red circle to reveal location).
Sources of information consulted by John Griffith and the various abbreviations to be found in the pedigree charts can be viewed here.
About John Edward Griffith
GRIFFITH, JOHN EDWARDS (1843-1933)
Born on 18th June 1843 he was a naturalist and antiquary. He had a prosperous pharmacy at Bangor in North Wales and took an early interest in archaeology and natural history writing accounts on the Flora of Anglesey and Caernarvonshire, published in 1894, and a Portfolio of Photographs of Cromlechs in the same two counties, published in 1900.
At his death he was one of the oldest members of the Cambrian Archaeological Association, having joined in 1888 and a prominent member of the Anglesey Antiquarian Society. Griffith was apparently painstaking in all he did and therefore well suited for pedigree making. He studied the Dwnn pedigrees, with genealogies collected by Bishop Humphrey Humphreys and also the pedigree collections of John Ellis of Tai Croesion in Llechylched, a noted antiquary and genealogist, who brought his researches down to 1721.
In his time at Bangor he used records of the diocesan registry and probate office subsequently confirmed by examination of numerous parish registers. His most prominent work was the Pedigrees of Caernarvonshire and Anglesey Families, with their branches in other counties of North Wales, published in 1914. The work is not perfect. The appearances of family papers in library repositories after his death have exposed many errors both of error and omission. He died on 4 July 1933, at Bryn Dinas, Bangor.
Lewys Dwnn Pedigrees
DWNN, LEWYS (c. 1550-c. 1616)
Lewys Dwnn was an eminent sixteenth/seventeenth century genealogist, descended from David Dwnn of Kidwelly. In 1585 he was appointed deputy to both the Clarencieux king-at-arms and Norroy king-at-arms and worked as the deputy herald-at-arms for the three provinces of Wales until the deaths of his superiors in 1588 and 1592. Despite this, Dwnn continued to work on his collection of pedigrees until 1614, two years before his death. Some of his pedigrees and papers are now held by the British Museum and the National Library of Wales.
Sir Samuel Rush Meyrick was born in London in 1783 and devoted much of his final years to the transcription and editing of Lewys Dwnn's Welsh genealogical manuscripts which were published in 1846.
J.E Griffith cites Lewys Dwnn as a source in many of his pedigrees.
Where available a links to the pedigrees produced by Lewys Dwyn will be found on the various Holland family pedigrees accessible from this page (click on the relevant button top right)Research still outstanding
To try and paint the fullest picture available I have started a process of adding to the information provided by the Pedigrees mentioned above using the sources cited below. Special mention should be made of Y Cwtta Cyfarwdd a publication that provides a unique source of BMD data in the Abergele and Rhyl areas covering the years between 1595 and 1607 then 1646 t0 1653.
The work to expand the Pedigree data by using the sources mentioned above is ongoing and tantalisingly holds the potential for making a link to my own Holland descendants.
For those who also have an interest in the Holland family in this area I have listed in the table below some of the reference sources found with, where possible, a link giving access to them. Note that for Ancestry you will need a subscription unless you access the site from a library or research facility with an Ancestry subscription.
Guidance on use
I should make it clear that the inclusion of other Holland family pedigrees here is simply to assist other Holland family researchers and as mentioned previously does not imply, at least at this stage, any link to my own Holland family tree.
It is probably helpful to point out that Pedigrees, in the main, focus on one notable individual and show his or her descendants. This is the reverse of most personal family trees which usually start with a living person and work back through his or her ancestors.
The effect of this, as you start to navigate backwards from the home person, is that initially there is little or no birth/marriage/death data, or more than one descendant. As you work forwards in time towards the 19th Century more detail is included.
Where you see a 
symbol in the html family tree you can click to see any notes I added to the original Family Tree Maker entry for an individual.
Where you see a 
symbol in the html family tree you can click to see any sources I used to complete the original Family Tree Maker entry for an individual.
I should also add a slight health warning when consulting historic pedigrees.You should expect to find both inaccuracies and omissions. Those putting these pedigrees together would have suffered, as we do, from the lack of a formal civil or ecclesiastical record system covering the earliest years. It would appear also that some families were happy to have recorded those families members which reflected well on them and in contrast were happy to see "black sheep" and less successful family members consigned to the waste bin of history.
See also my statement on Standards and Good Practice.
Important Note
Unless otherwise stated the pedigrees to be viewed by clicking on the buttons to the right are a transcription by me of the respective Griffiths Pedigree for that family.
Update January 2010
In collaboration with my first cousin Brian Holland we have started to develop the information provided by Griffith/Dwnn in their pedigrees using the various sources of information listed below. The first family for which this has now been completed is the Holland family of Pennant in Eglwysbach, Denbighshire.
These more detailed pedigrees will be added onto their respective pages as they are completed.
Some Sources Used
This table lists the more general categories of source used in researching the various Holland pedigrees. More specific lists will be listed for each Pedigree as the research progresses.
Title |
Author/Publisher |
Source |
| Parish Records & Bishops Transcripts | Relevant Churches | NLW |
| Various Estate Papers including;Coed Coch, Nanhoran, Pennant, Carreglwyd, Baron Hill (material includes Wills, Deeds, Indentures, Bonds etc) | Denbighshire, Flintshire, Carnarfonshire, & Conwy Archives | NLW |
| Wales Annals & Antiquities Vol I & II | Not known | www.ancestry.co.uk |
| Archaeologia_Cambrensis Vol's xii,xiii,xiv, xlv, xlix 3rd Series | J Russell Smith 1867 | Google Books |
| The Medieval History of Denbighshire | George Bailey 1890 | Google Books |
| The Royal Tribes of Wales | Philip Yorke 1799 | Google Books |
| Y Cwtta Cyfarwydd. | Peter Roberts 1902 | www.ancestry.co.uk |
| The Holland's of Lancashire | Bernard Holland 1917 | Google Books |
| Heraldic Visitations of Wales and part of the Marches | Lewys Dwnn. Samuel Rush Meyrick.Welsh MSS Society 1846 |
Brigham Young University |
| Conway Parish Registers 1541-1793 | St Mary's Church, Conway | S& N Genealogy |
| The History, The Princes, The Lords Marcher & The Ancient Nobility of Powys Fadog | J.Y.W Lloyd of Clochfaen, Whiting & Co 1887 | Brigham Young University |
| Ancient & Modern Denbigh | John Williams 1856 | Google Books |
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