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Georgina R. Bowden
Georgina R.
Bowden
Patricia L. Balaresque
Patricia L.
Balaresque
Turi E. King
Turi E.
King
Ziff Hansen
Ziff
Hansen
Andrew C. Lee
Andrew C.
Lee
Giles Pergl-Wilson
Giles
Pergl-Wilson
Emma Hurley
Emma
Hurley
Stephen J. Roberts
Stephen J.
Roberts
Patrick Waite
Patrick
Waite
Judith Jesch
Judith
Jesch
Abigail L. Jones
Abigail L.
Jones
Mark G. Thomas
Mark G.
Thomas
Stephen E. Harding
Stephen E.
Harding
Mark A. Jobling
Mark A.
Jobling
Excavating past population structures by surname-based sampling: the genetic legacy of the Vikings in northwest England
University of Leicester
2007
IR content
2007-12-07 11:55:39
Journal contribution
https://figshare.le.ac.uk/articles/journal_contribution/Excavating_past_population_structures_by_surname-based_sampling_the_genetic_legacy_of_the_Vikings_in_northwest_England/10080299
The genetic structures of past human populations are obscured by recent migrations and expansions, and can been observed only indirectly by inference from
modern samples. However, the unique link between a heritable cultural marker, the
patrilineal surname, and a genetic marker, the Y chromosome, provides a means to
target sets of modern individuals that might resemble populations at the time of
surname establishment. As a test case, we studied samples from the Wirral peninsula
and West Lancashire, in northwest England. Place names and archaeology show clear evidence of a past Viking presence, but heavy immigration and population growth since the Industrial Revolution are likely to have weakened the genetic signal of a thousand-year-old Scandinavian contribution. Samples ascertained on the basis of two generations of residence were compared with independent samples based on known ancestry in the region, plus the possession of a surname known from historical records to have been present there in medieval times. The Y-chromosomal haplotypes of these two sets of samples are significantly different, and in admixture analyses the surname-ascertained samples show markedly greater Scandinavian ancestry proportions, supporting the idea that northwest England was once heavily populated by Scandinavian settlers. The method of historical surname-based ascertainment promises to allow investigation of the influence of migration and drift over the last few centuries in changing the population structure of Britain, and will have general utility in other regions where surnames are patrilineal and suitable historical records survive.