Proof Of Liverpool's Viking Past

The Guardian (UK) ^ | 12-3-2007 | James Randerson

[blam]

Proof of Liverpool's Viking past

James Randerson, science correspondent
Monday December 3, 2007
The Guardian (UK)

The region around Liverpool was once a major Viking settlement, according to a genetic study of men living in the area. The research tapped into this Viking ancestry by focusing on people whose surnames were recorded in the area before its population underwent a huge expansion during the industrial revolution. Among men with these "original" surnames, 50% have Norse ancestry.

The find backs up historical evidence from place names and archaeological finds of Viking treasure which suggests significant numbers of Norwegian Vikings settled in the north-west in the 10th century. "[The genetics] is very exciting because it ties in with the other evidence from the area," said Professor Stephen Harding at the University of Nottingham, who carried out the work with a team at the University of Leicester led by Professor Mark Jobling.

They used historical documents, including a tax register from the time of Henry VIII, to identify surnames common in the region. They then recruited 77 male volunteers with "original" surnames, and looked for a genetic signature of Viking ancestry on the Y chromosome. They report in Molecular Biology and Evolution that a Y chromosome type, R1a, common in Norway, is also very common among men with original surnames.

[SunkenCiv]

;’)

[JerseyHighlander]

Webpage by lead author of study:
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/-sczsteve/

University hosted webpage hosting the study in pdf, also including a html list of all used surnames:
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/-sczsteve/survey.htm

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks!

[pax_et_bonum]

Maybe so, but I have 100% ‘USa’ DNA.

;-)

[BluH2o]

I heard they also found thousands of empty Spam cans that dated back to the time of the Vikings.

I wondered how Spam got to the Hawaiian islands ... now I know.

[Constitutionalist Conservative]

The Beatles were the first Vikings to conquer America in the 1960s with their hit Norwegian Wood.

That would be John, Paul, George and Hagar, right?

Someone ought to Photoshop some Viking helmets on these guys.

[Blind Eye Jones]

exactly ;-)

[blam]

Norwegian Wood

[GoLightly]

The industrial age seems to have begun firing up in Liverpool between 1815 and 1835. According to the article, the industrial revolution led to a large import of people into the area, so by “original” one might assume they meant prior to then. Starting in 1766, there was a street directory for Liverpool that listed the names of inhabitants.

http://www.liverpool.gov.uk/Images/tcm21-82110.pdf

If you want something from earlier, may check to see if the area was included in the Domesday Book. I read that London was not.

[ken21]

thanks.

[SunkenCiv]

Oh, that’s right... it was Gerry across the Mersey...

[SunkenCiv]

I just love those sack and pillage pings.

[Ciexyz]

"We come from the land of the ice and snow, and the Midnight Sun where the hot springs flow...."

[SunkenCiv]

melee!

[Ciexyz]

Thanks for that link! I'm entranced by all things Viking.

[SunkenCiv]

My personal favorite was the one I consider the quintessential Viking, Harald Hardrada.