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The beauty with the DNA approach to researching one’s ancestral origin is that the DNA does not lie! The area identified in an Irish, Scottish, English or Welsh Origenes personalised DNA report can... More
Surnames evolve over both time and distance, and change usually at the whim of an administrator who simply records an unfamiliar surname as he hears it. In this manner similar sounding surnames... More
For cultural and historical reasons it can be more difficult to pinpoint one's English ancestral origin. But as more and more people test the success rate increases. I now have a 60% success rate... More
It is more challenging to pinpoint one's English Paternal Ancestral Genetic Homeland. This is mainly due to historical and cultural factors. However, one big advantage with English surnames is that... More
May 2015: Pinpointing you Kelly origins at the Kelly Clan Gathering (to be confirmed) January 17th 2015: Fermanagh Family History Society (contact fermanaghfhs@btinternet.com). October 2014: Genetic... More
For cultural and historical reasons pinpointing a paternal ancestral genetic homeland for people with English roots can be far more challenging compare to those with Irish and Scottish ancestry. For... More
Sometimes a quite remarkable Y-DNA Case Study comes along that I will try my best to get published in a Genealogical magazine. The latest one published in Family Tree Magazine details the Paterson... More
I was invited by the world’s largest commercial ancestral DNA testing Company 'Family Tree DNA' to give a talk entitled 'Pinpointing a Geographical Origin' at their 8th Annual Genetic Genealogy... More
The English Origenes is the latest website in the 'Origenes' chain (that includes Irish Origenes and Scottish Origenes) that sets out to show how one can use the results of a commercial ancestral 37... More
Today Britain (the island that includes England, Scotland and Wales) has about 1.6 million surnames, which is far in excess of the 420,000 surnames recorded in the 1881 census. In 1881 the population... More
Humans first arrived in England around 10,000 years ago after the last ice age. It is believed that their journey began in Northeast Spain in an area now known today as the Basque Country and took... More

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The Human Colonisation of England

Humans first arrived in England around 10,000 years ago after the last ice age. It is believed that their journey began in Northeast Spain in an area now known today as the Basque Country and took them North across western France and into Britain. These first humans were undoubtedly followed by others but how many, and when, remains a mystery, although genetic studies may eventually shed light on this.

In about 500BC Celtic culture arrived from Central Europe and Brythonic was the spoken language during this time. Although society in England at this time was tribal it enjoyed trading links with the Romans who successfully invaded Britain in 43 AD. In 410 AD Britain was left exposed by the withdrawal of Roman army and was subsequently invaded by the Angles, Saxons and Jutes from north-western continental Europe. By the 7th century England had coalesced into a dozen kingdoms including Northumbria, Mercia, Wessex, East Anglia, Essex, Kent and Sussex. In the 9th century the Vikings arrived and conquered the north and east of England, overthrowing the kingdoms of Northumbria, Mercia and East Anglia. The Vikings were followed by their distant relatives the Normans, who conquered in England in 1066 AD after arriving with their French, Flemish and Breton comrades. It was under the Normans that Surnames came into use in England. 

 

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