The most distant Plunkett ancestor in British Peerage records traces the Meath and Louth Plunkett branches to John Plunkett who died in 1352. He m. Alice/Alison Rochfort/Talbot who was living in Drogheda in 1359. By the 17th century there were approximately 15 landed branches of the Plunkett family in Ireland. Vital records in Ireland are largely unavailable, not only because of the destruction caused by Oliver Cromwell, but also because of the burning of the Dublin Public Records Office in 1922. Not all Plunketts originating in Ireland are related, however. This is due to surname adoption, or due to adoption of a male child, or due to marriage to a subsequent husband and the adoption of that man's surname by the child of a different husband, or due to a non paternity event such as adultry. Since most Plunketts cannot prove their relationships prior to 1800 through Irish vital records, DNA testing offers the next best alternative.