ABSTRACT
Genealogical practices are not often considered a component of family life. However, recent scholarship has begun to explore why families cared about ancestors and what function genealogy played within society. The Aldermanbury, London pedigrees were compiled by two experts in heraldic genealogy: Peter Le Neve and Barak Longmate. Le Neve and Longmate were part of a resurgence in genealogical and heraldric interest at the turn of the eighteenth century. While aristocratic and gentry families had long been recording, or maybe imagining, their lineage, this document represents a professional interest in recording families and arms. Le Neve and Longmate were part of a resurgence in genealogical and heraldric interest at the turn of the eighteenth century. The documents represent a patriarchal view of family descent that emphasized social connections and social or political prominence. .
