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See also: Background (about the Atcherley surname) and News (how you can take part)
Atcherley has been described as a “good old Shropshire name”, and the earliest known bearers of this surname, who lived around the 1300s, certainly hailed from the northern part of that English county. But were they natives of Shropshire, or were they perhaps from elsewhere – might they have been descendants of Norman invaders for example. This is a question which might be answered by analysis of the DNA of Atcherley men living today, who have genetic information on their Y chromosomes which has been passed down from their paternal ancestors.
Another question which could be answered in this way is whether the Atcherleys of northern Shropshire were from the same stock as the Atchleys from the south of the county, or the Ackerleys of Cheshire. DNA testing may even throw up surprises which haven’t been considered! Update: see News for the DNA project's first results, which do indicate links between Atcherley and Ashley!
I myself am the son of a female Atcherley, so my own Y chromosomes will tell me nothing about my Atcherley ancestors. I am therefore looking for Atcherley men who would be happy to take part in this project, by providing a sample of genetic material (by way of a cheek swab) for analysis by Family Tree DNA. On paper at least, participants should be able to trace their Atcherley ancestry back by a continuous line of male Atcherleys to those who were alive in the early 1600s. I would also welcome the participation of Atcherley men who are descended from Samuel Atcherley of Moortown in Shropshire (1764–1847), including those who are not direct male line descendants – i.e., descendants of Samuel's grandson Henry Atcherley (1822–1886).
Photo: Charles Hedley Atcherley in WW1 uniform.
Atcherley has been described as a “good old Shropshire name”, and the earliest known bearers of this surname, who lived around the 1300s, certainly hailed from the northern part of that English county. But were they natives of Shropshire, or were they perhaps from elsewhere – might they have been descendants of Norman invaders for example. This is a question which might be answered by analysis of the DNA of Atcherley men living today, who have genetic information on their Y chromosomes which has been passed down from their paternal ancestors.Another question which could be answered in this way is whether the Atcherleys of northern Shropshire were from the same stock as the Atchleys from the south of the county, or the Ackerleys of Cheshire. DNA testing may even throw up surprises which haven’t been considered! Update: see News for the DNA project's first results, which do indicate links between Atcherley and Ashley!
I myself am the son of a female Atcherley, so my own Y chromosomes will tell me nothing about my Atcherley ancestors. I am therefore looking for Atcherley men who would be happy to take part in this project, by providing a sample of genetic material (by way of a cheek swab) for analysis by Family Tree DNA. On paper at least, participants should be able to trace their Atcherley ancestry back by a continuous line of male Atcherleys to those who were alive in the early 1600s. I would also welcome the participation of Atcherley men who are descended from Samuel Atcherley of Moortown in Shropshire (1764–1847), including those who are not direct male line descendants – i.e., descendants of Samuel's grandson Henry Atcherley (1822–1886).
Photo: Charles Hedley Atcherley in WW1 uniform.