An Account of One's Descent

Genealogy as a social phenomenon has, if you will excuse the pun, a long pedigree. Historically it was a method of social definition for the established, aristocratic and landed classes, and for the Victorian nouveau riche a way of insinuating themselves into polite society. The emphasis was on blood lines, power, position and rank, and the printed texts echo this feeling. Examples are: Joseph Foster, The Royal Lineage of our Noble and Gentle Families (1885); George W Marshall, The Genealogist's Guide (1903); plus The Complete Peerage, Burke's Landed Gentry, Debrett's Peerage, Walford, The County Families of the United Kingdom et al. In many ways these books are the human equivalent of Ruff's [Bloodstock] Guide to the Turf.