All branches of the Girdlestone family alive today appear to trace back to North Norfolk. There are several competing theories about how the family's branches connect to one another before the 1700s, and this project uses Y-Chromosome DNA testing and autosomal (regular DNA) testing to find out which are correct, and to push the trail back further than paper records alone can manage. With ten YDNA testers now from right across the family (Kelling, Wramplingham, Kings Lynn, Little Walsingham and Burnham Westgate), we can now confirm all branches do share a common descent, and are beginning to prove how the early family developed in the first few generations after 1600. If you carry the Girdlestone surname (or a variant - there are many!), we'd love to hear from you. Testing is free for anyone from a branch we haven't yet placed, or who can add depth to a branch we already have — see Goals below. If you've already had autosomal DNA testing done elsewhere (AncestryDNA, 23andMe, MyHeritage), you can transfer your results to FamilyTreeDNA for free and compare them against other project members here. Chris Girdlestone David Addy