To the Viking Genes Map the Survey the UCL Genetics
BBC - History - Viking genetics survey results http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/vikings/genetics_results_01.shtml
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The survey
The UCL genetics survey set out to discover if any genetic traces of the Vikings remained in the British Isles - and what this might reveal about the Viking Age. We hoped to find out where Vikings settled and roughly how significant those settlements were. DNA samples were taken from men at a number of sites. In the main, small towns were chosen and the men tested were required to be able to trace their male line back two generations in the same rural area - within 20 miles of the town chosen. The aim was to reduce the effects of later population movements, assuming that in between the Norman invasion of 1066 and the 20th century movement would have been limited.
The tests looked at the Y chromosome, which is only carried by men. This chromosome is particularly useful for population genetics studies as it is passed directly from father to son with virtually no alteration. Other chromosomes exist in pairs, one member of which is passed on from the mother and the other from the father. But because women do not carry a Y chromosome, geneticists can always be sure that this part of a man's DNA has come from his father, and from his grandfather before him. This chromosome allows geneticists to begin to unravel the male ancestry of the British Isles.
Samples taken in modern day Norway were used to represent the Norwegian Vikings, and samples from Denmark represented the Danish input. The population of the British Isles before the invasions of the Saxons was considered to be the Ancient Britons, which would include the Celts.
The Blood of the Vikings Genetics Survey at UCL was headed by Professor David Goldstein. The members of the research team were Cristian Capelli, Nicola Redhead, Julia Abernethy, Neil Bradman and Jim Wilson. Extra sampling was done in the Wirral by Prof Steve Harding and in the Channel Islands by Frank Falle.
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1 of 1 26-02-03 12:15 BBC - History - Viking Map http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/vikings/vikingmap.shtml
CATEGORIES TV RADIO COMMUNICATE WHERE I LIVE INDEX SEARCH WEDNESDAY 26th February 2003 Text only BBC Homepage History For the BBC series 'Blood of the Vikings', University College London undertook a survey to uncover Viking genes in the British 긔 History Isles. Ancient Vikings Select a region on the map to see the my BBC historical and scientific evidence of a Viking Contact Us presence in that area.
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1 of 1 26-02-03 12:15 BBC - History - Viking Map http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/vikings/vikingmap.shtml?scotland
CATEGORIES TV RADIO COMMUNICATE WHERE I LIVE INDEX SEARCH WEDNESDAY 26th February 2003 Text only BBC Homepage History For the BBC series 'Blood of the Vikings', University College London undertook a survey to uncover Viking genes in the British 긔 History Isles. Ancient Vikings By 900, the Vikings had established bases on my BBC Orkney, Shetland and the Hebrides, as well as Contact Us at Caithness on mainland Scotland. Help These areas remained under Scandinavian control for centuries- Like this with Orkney and page? Shetland the last to be Send it to a lost in the 15th century. friend! The long period of Norse settlement suggests Viking genes will be found here.
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Viking genes were not prevalent in mainland Scotland but male DNA samples from the Hebrides were over 30% Norwegian. Those from the Northern Isles, Shetland and Orkney were 60% Norwegian.
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1 of 1 26-02-03 12:16 BBC - History - The Vikings in the British Isles http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/vikings/british_isles_03.shtml
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The Vikings raided, then settled in Scotland Scotland
According to written sources the Vikings began raiding across Europe in the late 8th century, and Scotland is no exception. The monastery at Iona was attacked at least three times, and the monks were eventually forced to relocate to the relative safety of Kells in Ireland. But the Vikings did not just raid. They also settled in the Hebrides, Orkney, Shetland and Caithness in the north of Scotland. As well as a large amount of archaeological evidence for the Vikings presence, there are a huge number of placenames which have their roots in the of Old Norse.
Although there can be no doubt that Vikings lived in Northern Scotland, a question which has caused much controversy is what happened to the Scottish natives, the Picts. In Shetland virtually all the placenames have roots which can Pictish artefacts were found within the be traced back to Old Norse, which remains of Norse buildings at Birsay, seems to suggest the Picts were Orkney wiped out, allowing the Vikings to rename everything. But archaeological evidence from the Northern Isles appears to show Pictish and Viking settlers living side by side.
Another piece of evidence which suggests the relationship between the Picts and Vikings was more peaceful than violent are some Pictish antler combs. Dated much earlier than the first recorded Viking attacks, some of these appear to be made from reindeer antler. Reindeer could only have come from Norway. So the Picts might have been trading with the Vikings long Bone combs decorated in both Pictish before the beginning of the 'Viking and Norse style were found side by side Age'. at Birsay
The Vikings remained in the Scottish Isles for longer than in any other part of Great Britain and Ireland. The Hebrides were part of the Viking kingdom on the Isle of Man until the 13th century, when they were lost at the Battle of Largs. Shetland and Orkney were part of Norway and then Denmark until they too were given to Scotland, as part of a dowry payment, in the 15th century.
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1 of 1 26-02-03 12:19 BBC - History - Viking genetics survey results http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/vikings/genetics_results_04.shtml
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Scotland
Testing sites: Durness (Highlands), Kirkwall (Orkney), Oban (Argyll), Pitlochry (Perthshire), Stonehaven (Aberdeenshire), Lerwick (Shetland), Lewis, Harris, Uist
The UCL team encountered difficulties in distinguishing between the DNA of Saxon and Danish invaders. The Saxons and Angles arrived in the 5th century AD. They came from northern Saxony, just to the south of Denmark, so it is not surprising that DNA samples from this region are very similar to that of the Danes. In mainland Scotland, as in England, these groups were lumped together as 'invaders' (Angles, Saxons and Danish Vikings). Most of mainland Scotland did contain some evidence for these invading groups, with the results being remarkably similar for this part of Scotland as for the South of England.
The outlying Scottish isles provided the most conclusive evidence of a Viking presence. In the Northern and Western Isles, as well as in the far north of the Scottish mainland, Norwegian genetic signatures were found. In Shetland and Orkney 60% of the male population had DNA of Norwegian origin, most probably passed on from the Vikings. Here the Y chromosomes of the rest of the population could be identified as similar to those of the Ancient Britons (Celts) - no evidence of an Anglo-Saxon or Danish influx was found.
In a special case study, Jim Wilson looked more closely at his native Orkney. It's known that immigration from Scotland occurred in centuries between the end of direct rule from Norway and the 20th Century. The extent of this immigration could have distorted our results significantly, so Jim focussed on a sub-group who had ancient Orcadian names which would date back roughly to the time of the end of Norwegian rule. He discovered that when he did this, the proportion of Norwegian Y chromosomes increased. While it's difficult to put an exact figure on it, we can say that as a result of Jim's study, Viking input in Orkney was somewhere between 60-100%. This figure does not rule out complete replacement of the indigenous Picts by Vikings - the genocide theory suggested by Brian Smith from his study of place-names.
In the Western Isles traces of Norwegian settlers were also prominent, although not in quite such high numbers as in the Northern Isles. Over 30% of the men tested in the Hebrides showed evidence of Norwegian ancestry in their DNA. The DNA results supported the historical and archaeological record, which shows the Vikings travelling from Norway across to the Northern Isles of Scotland, then around the west coast and into the Irish Sea.
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1 of 1 26-02-03 12:19 BBC - History - Viking Map http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/vikings/vikingmap.shtml?ne_england
CATEGORIES TV RADIO COMMUNICATE WHERE I LIVE INDEX SEARCH WEDNESDAY 26th February 2003 Text only BBC Homepage History For the BBC series 'Blood of the Vikings', University College London undertook a survey to uncover Viking genes in the British 긔 History Isles. Ancient Vikings After a series of battles in the 9th century, a my BBC treaty was drawn up between King Alfred Contact Us and the Danish 'Great Army', giving the north Help east region of the country to the Viking leader Guthrum. Many Like this Vikings are thought to page? have settled in this Send it to a region and so we expect friend! to see traces of Viking genes in the people there today.
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It was impossible to separate the Anglo-Saxon from the Danish input in the British Isles, but the North and East of England showed more signs of the invading groups than anywhere else in England.
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1 of 1 26-02-03 12:21 BBC - History - The Vikings in the British Isles http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/vikings/british_isles_04.shtml
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The Vikings came to England in search of rich pickings England
English monasteries were full of expensive goods and in the late 8th century the Vikings decided to take advantage of these rich pickings. Monastic artefacts have been found in Norway: precious mountings that have been ripped from book covers, and reliquaries - designed to hold the relics of saints - perhaps being used as jewellery boxes by the Vikings.
After a period of intermittent raiding, the Vikings arrived in England for good in the mid-9th century. The Great Army was a group of Danish leaders, who landed in East Anglia and quickly took a large part of the country. At Repton archaeologists have uncovered a warrior who might have been part of the Great Army and burial mounds at This reliquary was found in Norway, perhaps the spoil of a Viking raid Ingleby might also have been left by these Danish invaders.
It is King Alfred who is legendary for stopping the Viking advance, doing battle with the Danish leader Guthrum. The two drew up a treaty which split England in two- the north and east of the country going to the Vikings and the south and west to Alfred. The Viking-controlled part of the country later became known as the Danelaw. Today, remnants of the Vikings can still be seen in the placenames throughout this region.
The Vikings of the Great Army gradually merged with the English, who were to face a renewed threat from Denmark in the 11th century. When the Danes began to raid again, King Ethelred was forced to pay them tribute of silver in exchange for peace. Many of his silver coins have been found in hoards in Denmark. Eventually the English could no longer pay off the These silver coins of King Ethelred were Danes and Cnut conquered the all found in Denmark and were probably country in 1016, becoming King of part of a Danegeld payment England.
Cnut's son did not retain his power and England passed back into English hands. There was a final attempt by the Norwegian king, Harald Hardrada, to conquer England in 1066. The English king, Harold Godwinson, raced up from London to meet the Vikings at the Battle of Stamford Bridge, where the last of the Vikings were defeated, after a bloody battle. But Harold's victory was to be short lived. A mere three weeks later he This skull was found at Repton. It could be one of the last Vikings to faced William the Conqueror at attack English soil at the battle of Hastings, and the Anglo-Saxons lost the Stamford Bridge kingdom of England forever.
1 of 2 26-02-03 12:23 BBC - History - The Vikings in the British Isles http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/vikings/british_isles_04.shtml
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2 of 2 26-02-03 12:23 BBC - History - Viking genetics survey results http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/vikings/genetics_results_02.shtml
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North and East England
Testing sites: Uttoxeter (Staffordshire), Penrith (Cumbria), Morpeth (Northumberland), Horncastle (Lincolnshire), York (North Yorkshire), Sheringham (Norfolk), Wirral
Difficulties arose early on in the Blood of the Vikings survey as the geneticists tried to establish differences between DNA taken in Denmark (representative of Danish Vikings), Schleswig-Holstein and Northern Saxony (representative of the invading Angles and Saxons respectively, groups who invaded England in the 5th century AD). The two regions of Europe these settlers came from are very close, so it is not surprising their DNA is so similar. Because of this set-back the team at UCL was forced to take a different approach. By referring to both the Danish and Saxon DNA as 'invaders' a comparison could then be made against how much Ancient Briton (or Celtic) DNA was found.
The results were interesting. England (and most of mainland Scotland) were a mixture of Angles, Saxons, Danish Vikings and Ancient Britons. The highest percentage of DNA signatures from the invading groups (Angles, Saxons and Danish Vikings) was found in the North and East of England. Interestingly the place with the highest 'invader input' was York, a well-known Viking settlement site.
There was one result in the North and East of England which did not fit this pattern. In Penrith a significant proportion of the men tested had Norwegian DNA signatures on their Y chromosomes. It seems likely that the Norwegian Vikings who travelled along the sea road from Shetland down to the Isle of Man may well have stopped off in Cumbria. It may also have been a safe haven for Vikings expelled from Dublin at the beginning of the 10th century. This finding fits in remarkably well with archaeological finds of Viking burials, Norse-style place-names and stone sculpture. The input of the Angles and Saxons, who arrived in England in the 5th century AD, were represented by DNA samples from Schleswig-Holstein and Northern Saxony respectively.
The Vikings are also though to have settled in the north of the Wirral, but not to have reached as far as the south of this region. The evidence comes from place-names, archaeological finds on the coast and sculpture - although there isn't as much as in Cumbria. Samples were collected in the Wirral by a local man, Prof Stephen Harding from Nottingham University, and two of his students. However, the analysis by Golstein's lab was unable to see a significant difference between the north and south of this region, in terms of the Norwegian DNA. It appeared very similar to the rest of England, but very different from nearby North Wales, which is mostly Ancient Briton (Celtic).
Prof Harding is conducting a new Y-chromosome survey involving Nottingham colleague Prof Judith Jesch and Dr. Mark Jobling of Leicester University based on a list of surnames of all people in Wirral in 1542. The new survey will also include West Lancashire which, based on place name evidence, was also populated by Vikings. For more information, visit the University of Nottingham's website.
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1 of 1 26-02-03 12:25 BBC - History - Viking Map http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/vikings/vikingmap.shtml?sw_england
CATEGORIES TV RADIO COMMUNICATE WHERE I LIVE INDEX SEARCH WEDNESDAY 26th February 2003 Text only BBC Homepage History For the BBC series 'Blood of the Vikings', University College London undertook a survey to uncover Viking genes in the British 긔 History Isles. Ancient Vikings This area of England was the stronghold of my BBC King Alfred's Anglo-Saxon kingdom Contact Us when the Danish Great Army arrived in the Help country. Although the Vikings did carry out raids in the south-west Like this of England, they are not page? recorded as settling Send it to a here, so it is unlikely friend! many Viking genes will be revealed in the population of this region.
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It was impossible to separate the Anglo-Saxon and Danish input into the British Isles, but the South coast and Cornwall showed far more signs of the Ancient Britons (Celtic) than of the invading groups.
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1 of 1 26-02-03 12:26 BBC - History - Viking Map http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/vikings/vikingmap.shtml?ioman
CATEGORIES TV RADIO COMMUNICATE WHERE I LIVE INDEX SEARCH WEDNESDAY 26th February 2003 Text only BBC Homepage History For the BBC series 'Blood of the Vikings', University College London undertook a survey to uncover Viking genes in the British 긔 History Isles. Ancient Vikings Pagan Viking graves are found on the Isle of my BBC Man from the 9th century. The Isle of Man Contact Us became a powerful independent Viking Help kingdom, before being conquered by a Norwegian king in 1098. Like this Although the Isle of Man page? was ceded to Scotland Send it to a in 1266, its long Viking friend! history suggests Viking genes could be uncovered in the Manx population.
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Over 15% of the Y chromosomes from the Isle of Man showed traces of Norwegian origin, supporting the strong archaeological evidence for Viking settlement.
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1 of 1 26-02-03 12:29 BBC - History - The Vikings in the British Isles http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/vikings/british_isles_02.shtml
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Burial mounds on the Isle of Man show the Vikings' pagan roots Isle of Man
The Isle of Man was at the centre of a Viking kingdom that included the Western Isles of Scotland at its height. The written records describe the kingdom from the 11th century, including the story of the Viking leader Godred Crovan. He was a Viking from the Hebrides, who arrived and took over the kingdom of Man after a famous battle at Skyhill in 1079.
But although Godred is one of the first Viking leaders recorded in the Chronicles of the Isle of Man, archaeological evidence suggests the Vikings arrived well before this. The island is scattered with burial mounds, many of which are thought to date from the early Viking Age. Often found at prominent coastal locations, these mounds would have sent a clear message to any other Vikings approaching from the sea - this land had already been taken by the Vikings. At a critical spot for controlling the whole of the Irish Sea, the Isle of Man would have been a much sought after island.
Some of these burial mounds have been excavated, revealing these early Viking settlers as pagans. One even contains the remains of a warrior, alongside what looks like a human sacrifice. But later Viking evidence shows they probably adopted Christianity, perhaps marrying into the local Gaelic communities. Some crosses engraved with runic inscriptions - the Viking language - also show a mixing of Norse and Gaelic names. Perhaps Viking men were marrying local Gaelic women, Crosses on the Isle of Man show aand this explains why their sons were mixture of Norse and Gaelic names given Gaelic names.
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1 of 1 26-02-03 12:30 BBC - History - Viking genetics survey results http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/vikings/genetics_results_06.shtml
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Isle of Man
Testing sites: Ramsey
The genetics results from the Isle of Man show the Norwegian Vikings to have travelled right down from Shetland and Orkney, past the Hebrides, and into the Irish Sea. Of the men tested in the Isle of Man over 15% had Norwegian DNA signatures. This is not as high as in the Hebrides (over 30%) or Shetland, Orkney and the far north of the Scottish mainland (60%), but is still a significant proportion and suggests the Vikings did also settle here. The rest of the DNA sampled in the Isle of Man had an Ancient Briton (Celtic) or Anglo-Saxon/Danish signature.
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1 of 1 26-02-03 12:32 BBC - History - Viking Map http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/vikings/vikingmap.shtml?ireland
CATEGORIES TV RADIO COMMUNICATE WHERE I LIVE INDEX SEARCH WEDNESDAY 26th February 2003 Text only BBC Homepage History For the BBC series 'Blood of the Vikings', University College London undertook a survey to uncover Viking genes in the British 긔 History Isles. Ancient Vikings The Vikings began attacking monasteries in my BBC Ireland in the late 8th century. Soon the Contact Us Vikings had a permanent base at Help Dublin, and they also established settlements at Waterford, Wexford, Like this Limerick and Cork. page? Dublin in particular Send it to a became a major Viking friend! port, so genetic tests were done just outside this city.
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Central Ireland was virtually entirely Ancient Briton, but strangely no traces of Norwegian ancestry were found near Dublin, a city known to have been settled by the Vikings.
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1 of 1 26-02-03 12:33 BBC - History - The Vikings in the British Isles http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/vikings/british_isles_01.shtml
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The Vikings raided all across the British Isles
First arrivals
The Vikings arrived in the British Isles sometime in the 8th century. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles record a Viking raid on Lindisfarne monastery in 793, often regarded as the beginning of the Viking Age. But although they had a reputation for raiding and pillaging, the Vikings also settled in many places, living as farmers and traders. For over two centuries they influenced life in the British Isles and Ireland, and we can still see their legacy today.
Ireland Sometime in the late 8th century Irish monasteries, like those in England, became a target for Viking attacks. Later historical sources describe the Vikings as a vicious pagan enemy, and contemporary sources do record a number of Viking raids on monasteries. But the monasteries were fiercely competitive, often fighting each other, so the local Irish were just as likely to do the attacking themselves. The annals of Clonmacnoise monastery show that in a century where it suffered from only six Viking attacks the local Irish attacked it eleven times!
What began as hit and run raids became a more serious invasion when the Vikings founded a settlement at Dublin in the mid 9th century. Vikings also set up camp at Waterford and Limerick. They held their ground against the Irish, fighting against and making alliances with different Irish leaders Monasteries like this one at Clonmacnoise suffered at the hands of both Viking and Irishand sometimes fighting amongst attackers themselves.
In 902 the Irish forced the Vikings out of the country, but they returned just over a decade later. The Viking kingdom in Ireland was powerful again, but only briefly. But the military takeover became a commercial one, as the Vikings began to trade with the locals. Excavations of Viking Dublin have revealed goods from everywhere the Vikings travelled - amber, bone, and even silks. It's likely the Vikings also traded in people. DNA studies have revealed Celtic genes in Iceland - most probably due to the Vikings taking Irish slaves with them when they settled this remote island.
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1 of 1 26-02-03 12:35 BBC - History - Viking genetics survey results http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/vikings/genetics_results_07.shtml
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Ireland
Testing sites: Rush (north county of Dublin, Eire), Castlerea (Roscommon - Eire)
Samples were taken at two sites in Ireland. Castlerea, a site right in the heart of rural Ireland, was the first to be tested. Unsurprisingly, analysis of the DNA samples from the area within 20 miles of this small Irish town turned out to be almost completely of Ancient Briton (Celtic) ancestry. Historians had never suggested the Vikings had settled this far inland, so the UCL team was expecting this result. It provided a very useful reference for an example of an 'Ancient Briton' population. However the other testing site was quite different.
The team had chosen to sample within a 20 mile radius of Rush, in the north county of Dublin. They wanted to see if the Vikings had settled around Dublin, as history claims. The city is known to have been a very important Viking trading centre and town. The Irish historical record is supported by archaeological excavations undertaken near the River Liffey which revealed large numbers of Viking artefacts and suggested a prosperous trading site had existed here.
Because of the large amount of mixing of different populations which has happened in Dublin over the past centuries, the geneticists needed to take samples from another area, close by. They thought the rural area around Rush was such that the genetic contribution of people whose families went back two generations in the area would not have been influenced by later immigration. But it also seemed close enough to Dublin to give a picture of what might have been happening in this region during the Viking Age.
When the DNA samples from Rush were analysed it seemed there was virtually no genetic contribution from Norway here either. So how can we explain these similar results from both Rush and Castlerea? Perhaps the Vikings who settled Dublin never settled outside the city walls, so their genetic inheritance does not spread as far as Rush. Or perhaps they did move outside Dublin, but not into Rush. But because of the difficulties of finding suitable people to sample within Dublin itself, we may never find their genetic legacy here.
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1 of 1 26-02-03 12:36 BBC - History - Viking genetics survey results http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/vikings/genetics_results_03.shtml
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South and West England
Testing sites: Dorchester (Dorset), Midhurst (West Sussex), Faversham (Kent), Penzance (Cornwall)
Difficulties arose early on in the Blood of the Vikings survey as the geneticists tried to establish differences between DNA taken in Denmark (representative of Danish Vikings), Schleswig-Holstein and Northern Saxony (representative of the invading Angles and Saxons respectively, groups who invaded England in the 5th century AD). The two regions of Europe these settlers came from are very close, so it is not surprising their DNA is so similar. Because of this set-back the team at UCL was forced to take a different approach. By referring to both the Danish and Saxon DNA as 'invaders' a comparison could then be made against how much Ancient Briton (or Celtic) DNA was found.
Like in the North and East of England, a mixture of Angles, Saxons, Danish Vikings, and Ancient Britons were found in the South and West of England. But the percentage of DNA from the 'invaders' (Angles, Saxons and Danish Vikings) decreased as the test sites moved towards the south coast and Cornwall (the most Ancient Briton/Celtic part of England). It seems this part of the country has more genetic input from the Ancient Britons than the North and East of England. Curiously, mainland Scotland was not appreciably more Ancient Briton (Celtic) than southern England.
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1 of 1 26-02-03 12:37 BBC - History - Viking Map http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/vikings/vikingmap.shtml?wales
CATEGORIES TV RADIO COMMUNICATE WHERE I LIVE INDEX SEARCH WEDNESDAY 26th February 2003 Text only BBC Homepage History For the BBC series 'Blood of the Vikings', University College London undertook a survey to uncover Viking genes in the British 긔 History Isles. Ancient Vikings Evidence for the Vikings in Wales is sparse my BBC compared to other regions, but they did Contact Us raid here and there are some Scandinavian Help placenames. But as there is little evidence for long-term Like this settlement, it's unlikely page? any Viking genes will be Send it to a uncovered here. friend! More historical evidence >>
DNA samples from north and south Wales were virtually entirely Ancient Briton (Celtic). However, the test site not far from the Welsh border with England was predominantly Anglo-Saxon/Dane.
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1 of 1 26-02-03 12:39 BBC - History - The Vikings in the British Isles http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/vikings/british_isles_05.shtml
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The Vikings didn't raid Wales until into the 9th century Wales
Unlike the rest of the British Isles, Wales seems to have evaded the Viking threat until the mid 9th century. It is not until 855 that the Welsh annals report the first of a spate of attacks. The Vikings had numerous bases in the Irish Sea region, including at Dublin and on the Isle of Man, so it is not surprising they also explored the Welsh coast. On Anglesey, archaeologists have uncovered what could be the first evidence for one of these Viking raids.
Despite further raids in the 10th and 11th centuries the Vikings never settled in Wales in the way they did elsewhere. However they may still have influenced the natives. In the eleventh century Gruffudd ap Cynan, son of a Welsh king, attempted to re-establish his family's reign in
St Seiriol's church, Anglesey was built inAnglesey. He failed at his first attempt, the 11th century. It could be one of but was able to retreat to safety in many churches Gruffudd ap Cynan is said to have renovated. Dublin, as his mother was a Dublin Viking. When he returned he was more successful, and was accepted as the ruler of Anglesey by the English king.
As well as the excavation of a possible raid site, and Gruffudd ap Cynan's links to Viking Dublin, the very name Anglesey might have Norse roots. It is thought to come from Ongul's ey. Perhaps the Welsh island was named after a Viking called Ongul.
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1 of 1 26-02-03 12:41 BBC - History - Viking genetics survey results http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/vikings/genetics_results_05.shtml
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Wales
Testing sites: Llanidloes (Powys), Haverfordwest (Pembrokeshire), Anglesey
As in England the DNA typically found in Wales either had an Ancient Briton (Celtic) signature or had the signature of the 'invading' populations (Angles, Saxons and Danish Vikings). Large parts of Wales, in particular in the western area of the country, were virtually entirely Ancient Briton, suggesting no Vikings settled in these regions.
In central Wales, there was a significant amount of 'invading' DNA found. But the geneticists were unable to distinguish individual DNA types within this 'invading' population. A representative sample of Danish Vikings DNA came from Denmark, while that of the Saxons, invaders in the 5th century, came from Saxony. These two types of DNA were indistinguishable. So, in Wales, it is impossible to know whether the DNA of these 'invaders' reached east Wales as a results of Viking settlement or Anglo-Saxon settlement.
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1 of 1 26-02-03 12:42 BBC - History - Viking genetics survey results http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/vikings/genetics_results_08.shtml
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WEDNESDAY 26th February 2003 Text only
BBC Homepage History Viking genetics survey results Ancient To the Viking genes map By Nicola Cook Vikings
8 of 8 my BBC The survey N&E England Contact Us S&W England Scotland Wales Help Isle of Man Ireland Channel Islands Like this page? Printable version Send it to a friend!
Channel Islands
Testing sites: Jersey, Guernsey
The Channel Islands were once part of Normandy, a region of France founded by the Norwegian Viking Rollo. With the help of local historian Frank Fale, the UCL team decided to test the people of Jersey and Guernsey to see if any evidence of these early Viking settlers in France could be found in their DNA. The volunteers were split into two groups, those with Norman surnames, and those with English surnames.
The DNA of those with non-Norman surnames was found to be very similar to that from men in England. This was a mixture of Ancient Briton with those of the 'invading' populations. These invaders included both the Angles and Saxons who arrived in England in the 5th and 6th centuries and the Danish Vikings. These two types of DNA could not be distinguished but, like men tested in England, Channel Islanders with English surnames had a significant proportion of DNA from these 'invaders'.
The DNA of those with Norman surnames was markedly different. These men were found to be very similar to the Ancient Britons. But on top of this ancestry was a hint of the Norwegian DNA signature, indicating that Rollo could possibly have had an effect on the genes of people from the Channel Islands today.
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