O’HART, John. Irish Pedigrees; or, the Origin and Stem of the Irish Nation. Portrait frontispiece of the author. Two volumes.

Dublin: James Duffy and Sons, 1887. Fourth edition. Octavo. pp. (1) xxxii, 912 (2) xxiii, 948, 22 [Opinions of the Press]. Green cloth over bevelled boards, heraldic device in gilt on upper cover, title in gilt on spine. Previous owner’s signature on titlepage. A very good set.
John O’Hart (1824-1902), genealogist, was a native of Crossmolina, County Mayo. Although it was his wish to join the priesthood, family circumstances prevented this. He joined the Royal Irish Constabulary, but left after two years to take up a teaching post with the Commissioners of National Education. Included in this volume are the genealogies of many of the Huguenot families, the Protestant Refugees who were driven from their homes in the ‘Palatinate’ by the French during the reign of Louis XIV. There is also an excellent appendix containing lists of Irishmen who have served in the Spanish army, Austria, Irish Legion, Irish Brigade, Spanish Netherlands, with various lists of Irish and Anglo Irish families and descendants of the ‘Wild Geese’. This work contains a wealth of information for the students of sixteenth and seventeenth century Ireland. Its chief value lies in the extracts of documents appended to the main text. The originals of these documents which relate to seventeenth century land settlements, were lost in the destruction of the Public Record Office in 1922, making the appendix more valuable than the author ever imagined. Includes a three page list of subscribers.