Richard Munday

[Richard Smith]

Several of published Heralds' Visitations are taken from MSS in the
Harleian Collection which are copies of pedigrees made by Richard Mundy.

Can anyone tell me who Mundy was, and when he was active? He doesn't
seem to be on the lists of heralds, so I'm guessing he was just a
(seventeenth century?) gentleman with an interest in heraldry and genealogy.

When the Harleian Society has published copies made by Mundy, is this
because originals no longer exist in the College of Arms? (The 1634
Visitation of Middlesex is my main interest at the moment.) Or is it
simply because the Harleian Society's remit is to publish Harleian MSS,
regardless of whether they are copies of extant originals?

Does anyone have an opinion on how faithful Mundy's copies were to the
originals? Was he known to make additions or amendments where felt
inclined to?

Richard

[jhigg...@yahoo.com]

This comment, from "Middlesex Pedigrees, as Collected by Richard Mundy" (Harleian Society, Visitation Series, vol. 65, 1914), may be of interest - although it doesn't necessarily address all your questions:

"Richard Mundy, as is well known, was a prolific collector of Heralds'
Visitations and Pedigrees, and had every opportunity of obtaining
accurate information, for he not only accompanied the Heralds on their
Visitations as their draughtsman, but frequently lent them his copies of
earlier Visitations for their use and guidance. There are over forty
Manuscripts of Visitations in the Harleian Collection alone in his
handwriting, and his masterly drawing of the Arms must be well known
to most Genealogists."

[Richard Smith]

On 05/06/15 22:02, jhigg...@yahoo.com wrote:

> This comment, from "Middlesex Pedigrees, as Collected by Richard
> Mundy" (Harleian Society, Visitation Series, vol. 65, 1914), may be
> of interest - although it doesn't necessarily address all your
> questions:
>
> "Richard Mundy, as is well known, was a prolific collector of
> Heralds' Visitations and Pedigrees, and had every opportunity of
> obtaining accurate information, for he not only accompanied the
> Heralds on their Visitations as their draughtsman, but frequently
> lent them his copies of earlier Visitations for their use and
> guidance. There are over forty Manuscripts of Visitations in the
> Harleian Collection alone in his handwriting, and his masterly
> drawing of the Arms must be well known to most Genealogists."

Thanks. It was actually reading that earlier this evening that prompted
my email. Before today, I'd not given much thought to who Mundy was,
but had half-assumed he was a herald. It was only while investigating a
surprising link in one of the Middlesex pedigrees that I asked myself
the thing I should probably have asked right at the start -- what is the
provenance of this document?

Richard