The 1871 Burke’s Landed Gentry of Great Britain and Ireland is now available through TheGenealogist.
This Burke’s is not about the titled peerage. It focuses on the “Landed Gentry,” the influential families who held land and local power but had no hereditary titles, notably the squires, magistrates, or clergy who effectively ran the parish.
The entries, in alphabetical order, include detailed pedigrees that may trace a family back several centuries. There’s extensive information on marriages, which helps connect to other families, university attendance, military service, and lists of children. They also name the family estates, which is a crucial clue for land records.
Finally, be a bit skeptical. L. G. Pine, who edited Burke’s in the mid-20th century, derided the fanciful family trees he published. He is quoted as saying:
“If everybody who claims to have come over with the Conqueror were right, William must have landed with 200,000 men-at-arms instead of about 12,000.”