Vol 8 Issue 9 January–March 2005 DNA and genealogy How genetic testing can advance your research Also in this issue... • Do many of us really have rare surnames? • Grey Owl and Amen Glass at Unusual Studies Seminar The world’s leading publication for one-namers • AGM news and other Guild reports GUILD OFFICERS CHAIRMAN Box G, 14 Charterhouse Buildings Ken Toll Goswell Road, London EC1M 7BA 20 North Road E-mail: [email protected] Three Bridges Website: www.one-name.org W Sussex RH10 1JX Registered as a charity in England 01293 404986 and Wales No. 802048 [email protected] Guild information Sales VICE-CHAIRMAN Peter Walker AS well as Guild publications, the 24 Bacons Drive Sales Manager has a supply of Jour- Cuffley nal folders, ties, lapel badges and President Hertfordshire back issues of the Journal. The Derek A Palgrave MA FRHistS FSG EN6 4DU address is: 01707 873778 Vice-Presidents [email protected] Howard Benbrook Peter Goodall 7 Amber Hill Ernest Hamley SECRETARY Camberley John Hebden Kirsty Maunder Surrey Peter Towey 11 Brendon Close GU15 1EB Tilehurst, Reading England Guild Committee Berkshire RG30 6EA E-mail enquiries to: The Committee consists of the 0118 9414833 [email protected] Officers, plus the following: [email protected] Rob Alexander Forum Howard Benbrook REGISTRAR THIS online discussion forum is Jeanne Bunting FSG Roger Goacher open to any member with access to Rod Clayburn Springwood e-mail. You can join the list by John Hanson Furzefield Road sending a message with your mem- Barbara Harvey East Grinstead bership number to: Cliff Kemball W Sussex RH19 2EF [email protected] Paul Millington 01342 326663 To e-mail a message to the forum, Roy Rayment [email protected] send it to: [email protected] Librarian TREASURER Sandra Turner Vacant Regional Representatives Regional Reps Co-ordinator 2 St Annes Close Barbara Harvey Winchester A LIST of Regional Representatives Bookstall & Sales Manager Hants SO22 4LQ of the Guild in a number of UK counties and overseas can be found Howard Benbrook 01962 840388 [email protected] on the inside back cover of this Forum Manager Journal. If you are interested in Sharon Symons EDITOR becoming a Regional Rep, please Website Manager Roy Stockdill contact the Regional Representa- Paul Millington 6 First Avenue tives Coordinator, Barbara Harvey Publicity Manager Garston, Watford (address and phone number on the Roy Rayment Herts WD25 9PZ inside back cover). Data Processing Manager 01923 893735 John Hanson [email protected] The Journal of One-Name Studies is published quarterly by the Guild of SUBCOMMITTEE CHAIRMEN One-Name Studies and printed by Executive Ken Toll Flexpress Ltd, 5 Saxby St, Leicester Publications Ken Toll ISSN 0262-4842 Seminars Jeanne Bunting FSG © Journal of One-Name Studies Vol 8 Issue 9 January–March 2005 MAIN ARTICLES 6 DNA Testing comes of age – COVER STORY CHRIS POMERY, a Guild pioneer of family history by genetic testing, reviews some of his early predictions 9 Do many of us really have rare surnames? – COVER STORY DONALD HATCH suggests that the number of very rare surnames is fewer than we imagine 14 Webwatch – is Genes Reunited just for beginners or one-namers, too? COVER STORY A look at the well-known website by KEN TOLL GUILD REPORTS • NEWS • EVENTS 18 Grey Owl, Jacobite Glass, slave records and settlement certificates in Unusual Studies Seminar at Swindon 19 Seminars update 23 Book early for 2005 Guild Conference and AGM at Wyboston Lakes • Notice of Guild election • Guild One-Name Publication Awards 24 Civil registration review is all off, at least for the time being REGULARS 4 Chairman’s Notes KEN TOLL 5 Just My Opinion ROY STOCKDILL 20 A View From The Bookstall HOWARD BENBROOK 21 Registrar’s Notes ROGER GOACHER 24 Letters – your views on issues in the one-name world ARTICLES, letters and other contributions are welcomed from members, especially accompanied by illustrations, and should be sent to the Editor. Publication dates will normally be the first day of January, April, July and October. Copyright of material is to the Editor and Publishers of the Journal of One- Name Studies and the author. No material may be reproduced in part or in whole without the prior permission of the publishers. The views expressed in the Journal are those of individual contributors and are not necessarily those of the Committee of the Guild of One-Name Studies. 3 Guild members will help advise on production of online probate calendars month or so back I order to located the correct a member. Can I please remind received the Minutes of image. The main question is everyone that we have a process the Probate Depart- what should be in the Index for for Members’ Feedback. Initially, ment Copies Service free, and how much extra would any issues should be taken up Users Group, which gave a pro- there be in the image to make it with the Committee member gress report on the Digitisation worth paying for. concerned. Only then should it Project for the Probate Calen- Initial suggestions are that be escalated. Page 10 of the dars. It is hoped to be out to the index should contain: Members Handbook refers. tender early in 2005. • Name (including middle Having recently tried to use names). Constitutional Review the existing computerised calen- • Location (I presume deceased’s The Committee is making dars, for probate from 1998 last address). good progress, but at least one onwards, at First Avenue House • Date of death. more meeting is required before and, finding them less than • Clearly, each of these must I can table the outline proposals ideal for one-namers, I con- have facilities for wildcard and to members. I have written tacted the DCA (Department for range searching. again to the Charity Commis- Constitutional Affairs, the suc- By the time you read this I sion, seeking further clarifi- cessors to the Lord Chancellor’s will have already opened up the cation on some of the projects Department), to offer advice debate on the Guild Forum. I we may wish to undertake in and assistance on future on-line would welcome constructive the future. data. suggestions on online probate calendar access and my contact And finally Unique details are at the front of the The Guild year ended on I believe Guild members are Journal. November 31 2004. Subscrip- in an almost unique position as tions for 2004/5 were due to be genealogical data users and Welcome, Cliff paid by November 1. At the time many have considerable experi- Cliff Kemball, already of writing (early December), a ence in using online facilities for Regional Rep for Kent, was co- significant number of members obtaining information. To cut a opted onto the Committee on still had not re-subscribed. long story short, I have agreed September 18. I’m sure you will This year the Committee have to consult Guild members and join with me in welcoming him agreed as a goodwill gesture to co-ordinate responses to DCA on to his additional role. mail out this copy of the Journal what an online probate calen- to all members, including those dar should ideally contain and Member’s studies of you whose renewal is over- how it should be accessed. The Committee has discussed due. As it is paid for by the public member’s deposited research (or Membership and registration purse, such online facilities are lack of it) several times recently. of those not renewing will lapse unlikely ever to be completely I fully support the Registrar’s on February 1, resulting in loss free, so we need to take a prag- recommendations elsewhere in of all membership benefits. matic approach. What I under- this Journal. I strongly suggest Can I please urge you to stand to be envisaged is a pay- that we ALL re-evaluate what renew as soon as possible and per-view solution to look at we want to happen to our avoid having to re-register at a images of the existing calendars. studies long term, and start later date. Please contact our I believe pricing is planned to be making arrangements NOW! Renewals Secretary, Rod Clay- 10p per page viewed, with a burn, 4 Winnham Drive, Fare- minimum purchase of £5 which Complaints procedure ham, Hampshire PO16 8QE, e- would be valid for 30 days. The Guild Officers recently mail: guild.renewals@one- Clearly, an index is required in received a complaint direct from name.org 4 Journal of One-Name Studies, January–March 2005 What was civil registration review all about, exactly? ON'T governments get ation of the older records, this, than 25 years old. their nannying knickers too, was unclear, since no-one As a journalist, I am automati- in a twist sometimes? seemed to have much of a clue as cally opposed to censorship and Cynics might say rather to how this would be undertaken my views on unnecessarily strin- too often! Can there have been a – or who by. gent privacy laws are far too bigger surprise than the recent The principle of it being under- well-known for me to repeat announcement – reported on taken on a not-for-profit basis is them here. However, speaking as page 24 of this Journal – that the not one that would appeal to any a family historian, there is no much-heralded and controversial, large commercial organisations, doubt that even these watered- in some aspects, changes in civil and there was a real fear that if it down proposals would have seri- registration will apparently not ended up being undertaken by ously hampered our research.