Are the WELSH the truest Brits? English genomes share German and French DNA - while Romans and Vikings left no trace
- Scientists found that Britain can be divided into 17 distinct genetic 'clans'
- The Welsh have the most DNA from the original settlers of the British Isles
- English genomes are a quarter German and 45 per cent French in origin
- French DNA dates from before the Norman conquests of Britain in 1066
- Despite their reputation for raping the Vikings left little trace of their DNA
- The ancient Romans also left little of their DNA behind after their conquest
- People in Cornwall and Devon form two distinct groups that rarely mixed
We like to think of ourselves as being different from our European neighbours.
But the English owe a lot to the French and a fair amount to the Germans – at least as far as our genes are concerned.
For
a study has mapped the genetic make-up of Britain. Researchers analysed
the genetic code of 2,000 white Britons and compared the results to
data on more than 6,000 people from ten European countries.
The study found that Britain can be divided into 17 distinct genetic 'clans', as shown in the map above
They found that many of us have DNA that is 45 per cent French in origin while many white Britons are a quarter German.
Surprisingly,
given that they invaded and occupied large parts of the British Isles
for four centuries, there is little genetic trace of the Romans.
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Similarly,
the Vikings may have a reputation for rape and pillage but the genetic
evidence shows they did not have enough children with the locals for
their Danish DNA to be present today.
The
Anglo-Saxons, in contrast, did leave a genetic legacy, with about 20
per cent of the DNA of many English people coming from the invaders who
arrived 1,600 years ago.
The diagram above shows the European
ancestry of each of the 17 genetic clusters found in the new genetic
study of the UK. The Welsh were found to have DNA that dates back to the
earliest settlers of Britain
Further DNA comes from earlier migrants from what is now Germany.
The French contribution to our genes did not come from the conquering Normans but from much earlier.
Some
is from the earliest modern Britons who arrived after the last Ice Age
and more came from a mystery set of migrants who settled before the
Romans invaded.
Other countries to contribute genes to English DNA include Belgium, Denmark and Spain.
The
Oxford University study, which examined people whose grandparents had
all been born near each other and were white European in origin,
revealed that Caucasian Britons can be separated into 17 distinct
genetic groups.
Remarkably,
many of these modern-day ‘clans’ are found in the same parts of the
country as the tribes and kingdoms of the 6th century – suggesting
little changed in Britain for almost 1,500 years.
The people of Orkney are the most distinct, a result of 600 years of Norwegian rule.
The Welsh are the next most distinct.
They have so much DNA from the first modern settlers, that they could claim to be the truest of Britons.
But
even within Wales there are two distinct tribes, with those in the
north and south of the principality less similar genetically than the
Scots are to the inhabitants of Kent.
Clear
differences can be seen between the inhabitants of Cornwall and Devon,
while West Yorkshire and Cumbria also have their own genetic heritage.
The scientists found Caucasians in
Britain can be divided into 17 genetic groups living in different parts
of the country, as shown in the diagram above. Each group had varying
amounts of European DNA in their genes
Britain
today is much more genetically diverse than 125 years ago, when the
grandparents of those who took part in the study were around, but the
same technique could be used to read someone’s DNA and work out which
parts of the UK their ancestors came from.
The research, published in the journal Nature, did not find any obvious genetic footprint from the Romans or Danish Vikings.
However,
this is not down to a lack of virility – merely that they were not here
in large enough numbers to have had enough children for their genes to
live on today.
Study
co-leader Sir Walter Bodmer said: ‘You get a relatively small group of
people who can dominate a country that they come into and there are not
enough of them, however much they intermarry, to have enough of an
influence that we can detect them in the genetics that we do.
‘At
that time, the population of Britain could have been as much as one
million, so an awful lot of people would need to arrive in order for
there to be an impact.’
The map of
the UK on the left shows how the country can be divided into 17 distinct
groups that have a striking relationship with geography. Each of the
clusters is represented by a different symbol while the ellipses give a
sense of the geographical range of each genetic cluster. The map on the
right shows the regions of ancient British, Irish and Saxon control
which relate to many of the modern genetic clusters
His colleague Professor Peter Donnelly added: 'Genetics tells us the story of what happens to the masses.
'There
were already large numbers of people in those areas of Britain by the
time the Danish Vikings came so to have a substantial impact on the
genetics there would need to be very large numbers of them leaving DNA
for subsequent generations.
The study is the first detailed look
at the genetic make up of Caucasian Britons and establish that they form
17 distinct groups. A stock photograph of a scientist examining the
results of DNA sequencing is shown above
'The
fact we don't get a signal is probably about numbers rather than the
relative allure or lack thereof of Scandinavians to English women.'
Others
said that the Danes may actually have been more attractive to local
women because their habit of washing weekly meant they were seen as
cleaner.
THE WEST COUNTRY NEIGHBOURS WHO HAVE REMAINED RIVALS
They may be neighbours but they have never been close. Now, genetics could explain why.
The genetic map of the British Isles has revealed that the inhabitants of Cornwall and Devon are two distinct groups.
And,
remarkably, the divide in their DNA is an almost exact match for the
modern geographical boundary between the two countries.
In
other words, people with Cornish genes tend to live on one side of the
river Tamar, while those with Devon DNA are on the other.
Dr Magdalena Skipper, of the journal Nature, described the match as 'truly stunning'.
Oxford University researcher Sir Walter Bodmer said: 'It's an extraordinary result.'
The study also showed that the Cornish have fewer genes in common with the rest of the UK than the people of Devon.
Sir
Walter said this can likely be explained by the Anglo-Saxons taking
longer to reach Cornwall – and so contributing less DNA to the gene pool
there than in Devon.
He added that there would also have been political and cultural barriers 'not to cross into Devon'
He said: 'People from Cornwall wanted to keep to themselves more.'
They may
share a coastline, but the people living in Devon, shown left in the
picture of Woolacombe, and in Cornwall, shown right in the picture of
Mawgan Porth, were found to make up two distinct genetic groups
It
includes contributions from some of the earliest modern Britons who
arrived after the last Ice Age and mystery set of migrants who came here
after these first settlers but before the Romans.
Britain
today is much more genetically diverse that 125 years ago but the same
technique could be used to read someone's DNA and work out which parts
of the UK their ancestors came from.
The study took into account the fact that Roman soldiers came from many different countries and not just Italy.
Sir
Walter said: 'At that time, the population of Britain could have been
as much as one million, so an awful lot of people would need to arrive
in order for there to be an impact.
'You can have a huge impact culturally from relatively few people.
'There is no evidence of a Roman genetic signature but there is evidence of what the Roman's achieved.'
Dr
Michael Dunn, of the Wellcome Trust, which funded the study, said:
'These researchers have been able to use modern genetic techniques to
provide answers to the centuries' old question – where we come from.
'Beyond the fascinating insights into our history, this information could prove very useful from a health perspective.
'Building
a picture of population genetics at this scale may in future help us to
design better genetic studies to investigate disease.'
VIKINGS PILLAGED BUT APPEAR NOT TO HAVE DONE MUCH RAPING
The
Vikings may have a ferocious reputation for raping and pillaging their
way across the British Isles, but it appears they may not have been as
sex mad as was believed.
Analysis
of thousands of DNA samples from the UK, continental Europe and
Scandinavia revealed a surprising lack of Viking genes in England,
despite the Norsemen once occupying much of the country.
Even
in Orkney, which was a part of Norway from 875 to 1472, the Vikings
contributed only about 25 per cent of the current gene pool.
It suggests that the Vikings mixed very little with the indigenous population they initially terrorised and then conquered.
The
international team led by scientists from Oxford University and the
Wellcome Trust wrote in the journal Nature: 'While many of the
historical migration events leave signals in our data, they have had a
smaller effect on the genetic composition of UK populations than has
sometimes been argued.
'In
particular, we see no clear genetic evidence of the Danish Viking
occupation and control of a large part of England suggesting a
relatively limited input of DNA from the Danish Vikings and subsequent
mixing with nearby regions, and clear evidence for only a minority Norse
contribution (about 25 per cent) to the current Orkney population.'
The
Vikings, from Norway, Sweden and Denmark, carried out extensive raids
and occupations across wide areas of northern and central Europe between
the eighth and late 11th centuries.
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