A couple of websites that may be of help with your research, if you haven't run into them already.
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The first is one of the many English County "Visitation" books, done in the 1500s and 1600s, mainly I think so the gentry could feel good about themselves and their lineage! (It was all the rage at the time.) But the best thing is, if - mostly a big IF for the "labouring" classes - if you can get your line back past 1700 you may just find a link to all the landed and titled families of England, and so Europe, in one of these publications. See those two pieces on "Gateway Ancestors" down to the left under Some Explanatory Notes.
This tag will pop up on Yorkshire, but if you dig around in this wonderful US website, you'll find all the other Counties. And a whole bunch of other stuff.
This one is to the New South Wales Govt Archives, well worth a visit if you have any Aust Colonial connections, including Convict Records I think.
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