College of Arms

[SpanishOwl]

Hi!

I apologise in advance if this is not the right place to ask this question. Feel free to move it to the most suitable forum.

The thing is that I have recently found out that I might be (more likely than not) a descendant of Henry II of England. The line is documented, if not by registers and baptism certificates for every generation, at least by some reliable independent genealogical articles that point to that connection. However, I would like to go a bit further and get some sort of official firsthand advice from professional genealogists. I came across the College of Arms in the UK (where you can register your pedigree) and I wonder if any of you have heard of it and, if so, whether you have contacted them. I also welcome other affordable, reliable options wherever they may be. Thanks.

[stanmapstone]

The College of Arms, http://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/ is the official heraldic authority for England, Wales, Northern Ireland and much of the Commonwealth including Australia and New Zealand, it has a range of functions and offers a variety of services. see http://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/services. I understand they are expensive.

Stan

[SpanishOwl]

Thanks for your swift response. Yes, I read the information before asking, but I found nothing about the fees. All I know is that they are non-for-profit.

[KGarrad]

Henry II reigned from 1154 to 1189
His great-grandson Edward III has descendants estimated at over 4 million!

See: http://www.whodoyouthinkyouaremagazine.com/tutorials/miscellaneous/are-you-descended-royalty

A professional genealogist will insist on documentary evidence, including marriages and baptisms.

[SpanishOwl]

Thanks a lot for your answer. I read somewhere that Henry II is likely to have 100 million descendants. That's a lot but probably within the possibilities. We are talking about a timespan of 1.000 years. It's "only" 26 generations between Henry II and me (it sounds easier that way)

[AntonyMMM]

You could ask the College of Arms to research your family - they do offer genealogy research as a service, they will be very thorough but very expensive.

Alternatively  if you are not experienced enough yourself to fully research your pedigree you can employ a suitable researcher to do it for you - and then submit the finished research to the College of Arms to register. Anyone can do that, but any research they agree to register (royal connection or not) will require fully evidenced and documented links.

If you want a quote for the work you can submit a request through their website to the duty herald (known as the Officer in Waiting).

But - as previously noted, a probable connection to medieval royalty is not unusual or rare - but many who believe they have such a link don't always have a fully documented history able to prove it .

[SpanishOwl]

Thanks, Antony. I think I do. I have created the pedigree and I have provided sources and details for every single generation. Since I share a close common ancestor with the current queen consort of the Netherlands, most genealogists have done the hard work already and her line (which is my line too) is well documented. I have all the documents from my generation up to that common ancestor. I wonder if the College of Arms has the pedigree of all royal houses (including consorts) of neighbour European monarchies since they are interrelated. But that's something they will have to answer, I guess. Thanks for all your comments. You have helped me a lot. :-)))