VISITATIONS, HERALDS', periodical circuits which were in use to be performed by the provincial kings-of-arms in England, in order to take cognizance of the arms, pedi grees, and marriages of the nobility and gentry. A visitation is said to have been held as early as the reign of Henry IV.; but the earliest visitation, in pursuance of a royal commission, was made by Thomas Benolti, Clareucieux, in 1528-29, and comprehended the counties of Worcester, Berks, Oxford, Wilts, Gloucester, and Stafford. From that time, the visitations were repeated at periods varying from 25 to 30 years; never, how e'er, extending to Wales, except on one occasion, in 1581. The latest commission was dated May 13, 1086, and under it sonic pedigrees were recorded as late as 1703-4. The cessation of the visitations seems to have arisen from the frequent prohibitions granted by the court of king's bench to stay proceedings in the earl marshal's court, and the abolition of the constable as a permanent officer, in consequence of which the officers of-arms found it difficult to enforce attendance. The records of the visitations, though not absolutely free from error. contain a mass of historical and genealogical information of great value. They form the principal source of evidence regarding the hereditary right to bear arms in England. The register-books have been scattered among various
public and private libraries, including the 13ritish museum (which possesses 312 visita tion books), the college-of-arms in andon, and the Bodleian library. Some of them are no longer extant. A. number of the visitations have lately been printed, and others are in the press. A catalogue of the visitations preserved in the British museum was printed by sir N. H. Nicolas hi 1825; and an index to the pedigrees and arms in about 250 of the principal MSS. there was published by Mr. Sims in 1849; and an index to all the printed visitations by Mr. George Marshall appeared in 1866.
In Scotland there was no such regular system of visitations. A statute of James VI. (1592, c. 125) empowered Lyon king-of-arms to visit the whole arms used within the realm; and visitations were undoubtedly made in pursuance of this act; but they seem to have been very partial, and no record of them is preserved. Something like a general visitation of Scotland again took place after the restoration, under act 1672, e.21, the statute instituting the armorial register in the Lyou office, which record was constituted the sole legal evidence of a right to bear arms, and has been continued to the present day.