April 5, 2015

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Elby Davis
Odgers Y DNA Project
Group Administrator volunteer

March 18, 2015

WellcomeTrust

First fine-scale genetic map of the British Isles

An international team, led by researchers from the University of Oxford, UCL (University College London) and the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute in Australia, used DNA samples collected from more than 2,000 people to create the first fine-scale genetic map of any country in the world.

Their findings, published in Nature, show that prior to the mass migrations of the 20th century there was a striking pattern of rich but subtle genetic variation across the UK, with distinct groups of genetically similar individuals clustered together geographically.

By comparing thisinformation with DNA samples from over 6,000 Europeans, the team was also able to identify clear traces of the population movements into the UK over the past 10,000 years.Their work confirmed, and in many cases shed further light on, known historical migration patterns.

Key findings

There was not a single "Celtic" genetic group. In fact the Celtic parts of the (Scotland, , and ) are among the most different from each other genetically. For example, the Cornish are much more similar genetically to other English groups than they are to the Welsh or the Scots.

 There are separate genetic groups in Cornwall and , with a division almost exactly along the modern county boundary.

 The majority of eastern, central and southern is made up of a single, relatively homogeneous, genetic group with a significant DNA contribution from Anglo-Saxon migrations (10-40% of total ancestry). This settles a historical controversy in showing that the Anglo-Saxons intermarried with, rather than replaced, the existing populations.

The population in Orkney emerged as the most genetically distinct, with 25% of DNA coming from Norwegian ancestors. This shows clearly that the Norse Viking invasion (9thcentury) did not simply replace the indigenous Orkney population.

The Welsh appear more similar to the earliest settlers of after the last ice age than do other people in the UK.

 There is no obvious genetic signature of the Danish Vikings, who controlled large parts of("The Danelaw") from the 9th century.

 There is genetic evidence of the effect of the Landsker line --the boundary between English-speaking people in south-west Pembrokeshire (sometimes known as"Little England beyond ") and the Welsh speakers in the rest of Wales,which persisted for almost a millennium.

 The analyses suggest there was a substantial migration across the channel after the original post-ice-age settlers, but before Roman times. DNA from these migrants spread across England, , and ,but had little impact in .

 Many of the genetic clusters show similar locations to the tribal groupings and kingdoms around end of the 6th century, after the settlement of the Anglo-Saxons, suggesting these tribes and kingdoms may have maintained a regional identity formany centuries.