Study provides first genetic evidence of long-lived African presence within Britain

Wellcome Trust via Eureka Science News ^ | Jan 24, 2007 | Craig Brierley

[Pharmboy]

New research has identified the first genetic evidence of Africans having lived amongst "indigenous" British people for centuries. Their descendants, living across the UK today, were unaware of their black ancestry.

The University of Leicester study, funded by the Wellcome Trust and published today in the journal European Journal of Human Genetics, found that one third of men with a rare Yorkshire surname carry a rare Y chromosome type previously found only amongst people of West African origin.

The researchers, led by Professor Mark Jobling, of the Department of Genetics at the University of Leicester, first spotted the rare Y chromosome type, known as hgA1, in one individual, Mr. X. This happened whilst PhD student Ms. Turi King was sampling a larger group in a study to explore the association between surnames and the Y chromosome, both inherited from father to son. Mr. X, a white Caucasian living in Leicester, was unaware of having any African ancestors.

"As you can imagine, we were pretty amazed to find this result in someone unaware of having any African roots," explains Professor Jobling, a Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellow. "The Y chromosome is passed down from father to son, so this suggested that Mr. X must have had African ancestry somewhere down the line. Our study suggests that this must have happened some time ago."

Although most of Britain's one million people who define themselves as "Black or Black British" owe their origins to immigration from the Caribbean and Africa from the mid-twentieth century onwards, in reality, there has been a long history of contact with Africa. Africans were first recorded in the north 1800 years ago, as Roman soldiers defending Hadrian's Wall.

To investigate the origins of hgA1 in Britain, the team recruited and studied a further eighteen males with the same surname as Mr. X. All but one were from the UK, with paternal parents and grandparents also born in Britain. Six, including one male in the US whose ancestors had migrated from England in 1894, were found to have the hgA1 chromosome.

Further genealogical research to identify a common ancestor for all seven X-surnamed males suggests that the hgA1 Y chromosome must have entered their lineage over 250 years ago. However, it is unclear whether the male ancestor was a first generation African immigrant or a European man carrying an African Y chromosome introduced into Britain some time earlier, or even whether the hgA1 Y chromosome goes back as far as the Roman occupation.

"This study shows that what it means to be British is complicated and always has been," says Professor Jobling. "Human migration history is clearly very complex, particularly for an island nation such as ours, and this study further debunks the idea that there are simple and distinct populations or 'races'."

In addition, Professor Jobling believes that the research may have implications for DNA profiling in criminal investigations.

"Forensic scientists use DNA analysis to predict a person's ethnic origins, for example from hair or blood samples found at a crime scene. Whilst they are very likely to predict the correct ethnicity by using wider analysis of DNA other than the Y chromosome, finding this remarkable African chromosome would certainly have them scratching their heads for a while."

[Hegemony Cricket]

Neat house - if only it could talk, what stories it would tell...

[GeorgefromGeorgia]

Great Photos. My ancestors came from the area around Cardigan. My Mother's ancestors on both sides came from Galway. There is a story that a little Spanish blood came in from stranded Spanish sailors that crashed on the Northern coast of Ireland after the defeat of the Spanish Armada.

[Myrddin]

Ifor tells me the house was built in 24 hours. The rules for making a claim on "common" land called for tossing a hammer as far as possible to the north, south, east and west. That determined the property lines. Once that was determined, the house had to be constructed and have smoke going up the chimneys before sundown. That house has two chimneys. As you enter the front door, there are stairs directly ahead to the 2nd floor. An immediate turn left takes you to the dining room and kitchen. An immediate turn to the right was the living room. The bedroom areas were upstairs. It has been 60 years since anyone occupied the house. The nearby marsh is no longer being actively drained. Eventually the marsh will return to claim the land under the house.

The house is located 1/4 mile from the lead mine as Ysbty Ystwyth. My great great grandfather made shoes for the miners. The lead mine was full of sulphuric acid. It rapidly destroyed shoes, so there was a constant need for new ones. The wood soles of the shoes were carved from local trees. The uppers were made from sheepskin. Other members of the family in Llanfihangel y Creuddyn tended sheep to provide for wool, leather and meat.

[Myrddin]

My paternal grandfather was Welsh. Paternal grandmother was Scot/Irish. Maternal grandmother was Irish. Maternal grandfather was English. The genealogy on the paternal side is good to the 1400s. The maternal side is pretty sparse. I hope to get some records from the remaining family members on that side before they pass on.

[CobaltBlue]

Nice old house. Shame to see it looking so sad.

[CobaltBlue]

I don't think the article makes it clear, but the genotype Oppenheimer is talking about is R1b, especially R1b1, aka "generic white guy."

My husband is R1b1, Y-chromosome ancestors probably English, and my dad is R1b1, y-chromosome ancestors probably French.

These guys originate from a group of people who sat out the last glacial maximum on the coast of Spain and Portugal, where it makes a corner. The National Geographic had a story about this area last year, and people are inclined to say it's "Celtic" but I think it predates the Celtic culture by thousands of years.

The first known Celtic cultures showed up about 3000 years ago, the La Tene culture.

Although Britain was inhabited by Homo sapiens hundreds of thousands of years ago, they appear to have been wiped out by the last glacial maxium, and when the glaciers receded, they came back.

They spread out from coastal Spain to Britain, France, etc.

[Myrddin]

Nice old house. Shame to see it looking so sad.

If I had the inclination to live in Wales, I'd make some effort to rescue the house. I was reminded today of a good reason not to pursue it anytime soon. My periodic reinvestigation for my security clearance includes questions about whether you own any foreign property. The clearance and associated employment has more value to me than the house. I have no regrets that my great grandfather decided to emigrate to the U.S. in 1863. It's been a great decision for the family. Far more opportunity here. The U.S. has more railroads, canals, dams, ships and airplanes as a direct consequence of his descendants. Heritage and roots are fine things to study, but my home and loyalties are with the U.S.

[SunkenCiv]

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[SunkenCiv]

• Yorkshire clan linked to Africa