Myths of British Ancestry

Came across this article that may be of general interest to people.
http://www.prospect-magazine.co.uk/printarticle.php?id=7817

After doing extensive family history research I found nothing but english blood with a hint at possible Irish, now I have an excuse for my latin temprement possible basque blood, and here was me thinking with fair skin and blond hair I might be viking.

Marion

Bill Barber <bbarber@...> wrote: Came across this article that may be of general interest to people.
http://www.prospect-magazine.co.uk/printarticle.php?id=7817





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>After doing extensive family history research I found nothing but english blood with a hint at possible Irish, now I have an excuse for my latin temprement possible basque blood, and here was me thinking with fair skin and blond hair I might be viking.
>
>Marion
=============================================
Plenty of blond, blue-eyed Spaniards around: my father, from the south of Spain, and his family, are all very fair skinned, and many of them have light-brown hair (isabel the Catholic was also a very white-skinned lady with red-blond hair and blue-green eyes, famous in the Trastamara line, the "ojos garzos de los Trastamaras". Daughter Catherine of Aragon was also red-haired and fair. Don't recall the description of Pedro el Cruel, but his father, Alfonso, was a short, skinny, blond gent).

We had DNA testing on my Spanish father (and me), and discovered the most popular aspects of his make-up are Scottish. So now we tell him that that Sean Connery is his fellow countryman. From my mother's side, we get a heaping helping of Ashkenazi from all over Eastern Europe, so between the two branches, our family has pretty much all of Western Europe taken care of.

Maria
elena@...

To me, the article's argument makes great sense.

First, traditionally our knowledge of migrations has been only as good
as the graphic record. Now, through various means, we can trace our
European roots back at least to the end of the last ice age (ca.
10-12,000 years ago). The Indo-European expansion is traditionally set
at about 7,000 years ago, roughly half way between the end the of ice
age and the present. There must have been many migrations since the ice
age, and since populations were likely not large by our standards,
cultural influences were likely gradual.

Secondly, coming several thousand years closer to our time, the argument
for ongoing cultural diversity over a period of millenia is likely
evident in the various dialects in Britain. The people of pre-Celtic
Britain must have spoken one or more language, and these languages were
more likely to have been assimilated than they were to have been decimated.

Another possible example of long-standing cultural diversity is the
wealth of regional pagan customs that turned up in local Christmas
traditions. Christmas customs through Britain and, indeed, throughout
Europe, display striking differences in type and execution. Such customs
have no obvious connection with Christianity; therefore, they must have
been rooted in localized pre-Christian practices.

It is unlikely that there was widespread cultural homogeneity at any
time in our past.

And it's amazing the uses to which the study of genetics is being applied.

marion cheatham wrote:
>
> After doing extensive family history research I found nothing but
> english blood with a hint at possible Irish, now I have an excuse for
> my latin temprement possible basque blood, and here was me thinking
> with fair skin and blond hair I might be viking.
>
> Marion
>
> Bill Barber <bbarber@... <mailto:bbarber%40eol.ca>> wrote: Came
> across this article that may be of general interest to people.
> http://www.prospect-magazine.co.uk/printarticle.php?id=7817
> <http://www.prospect-magazine.co.uk/printarticle.php?id=7817>
>
>
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------
> Get your email and more, right on the new Yahoo.com
>
>
>
>

Perhaps his "nordic" genes were acquired when Spain was conquered by
the Vandals in the 5th century.

--- In , Maria <ejbronte@...>
wrote:
>
> >After doing extensive family history research I found nothing but
english blood with a hint at possible Irish, now I have an excuse for
my latin temprement possible basque blood, and here was me thinking
with fair skin and blond hair I might be viking.
> >
> >Marion
> =============================================
> Plenty of blond, blue-eyed Spaniards around: my father, from the
south of Spain, and his family, are all very fair skinned, and many
of them have light-brown hair (isabel the Catholic was also a very
white-skinned lady with red-blond hair and blue-green eyes, famous in
the Trastamara line, the "ojos garzos de los Trastamaras". Daughter
Catherine of Aragon was also red-haired and fair. Don't recall the
description of Pedro el Cruel, but his father, Alfonso, was a short,
skinny, blond gent).
>
> We had DNA testing on my Spanish father (and me), and discovered
the most popular aspects of his make-up are Scottish. So now we tell
him that that Sean Connery is his fellow countryman. From my
mother's side, we get a heaping helping of Ashkenazi from all over
Eastern Europe, so between the two branches, our family has pretty
much all of Western Europe taken care of.
>
> Maria
> elena@...
>

I scanned the article and did not notice any actual references to
his source material. I have been intrigued with this issue and last
year had my m-DNA tested by OxfordAncestors a lab run by Dr. Bryan
Sykes who wrote "The Seven Daughters of Eve". This is a great book
about the vatious ways m-DNA can be used to determine a person's
heritage back to the 7 European "tribes" who settled England between
45,000 and 10,000 years ago. It is a wonderful read and quite
understandable to a layman.
Anyway, 2 "daughters" whose descndants contributed their m-DNA to
England were from the Basque region. My "tribe", that of Jasmine,
was the most recent arrival - around 10,000 years ago - and is the
same tribe that spawned Richard III's family. Dr. John Ashdowne-Hill
tells me that my branch of Jasmine's "tribe" is 3 mutations away from
Richard's branch, but our "tribe" came from the area around Syria and
was the last incursion - we probably intoduced farming to the hunbter-
gatherers prceding us.
I recommend anyone interested in genetics and DNA read "The Seven
Daughters of Eve". I'm sure you'll enjoy it.