Scientists are studying the extent of Viking ancestory in men who live in the north of England. They are are looking for volunteers for the DNA study. The scientists wish to recruit male volunteers whose grandfather was born in Cumbria, Lancashire, Cheshire, North Yorkshire, Durham or Northumberland.
It seems they are analysing the Y chromosomes, but are also interesed in the surnames, since they are passed down from generation to generation.
Read more about the Viking study in the article found in the January 29, 2009 edition of the Westmoreland Gazette.
My name is Russell. I grew up in North Yorkshire where my mothers family come from for the past few hundred years. My father was born and raised in the Wirral in Cheshire as was his father. I am particularly interested because of my surname. Most families spell it with only one S as in Alderson but i have come across a handful of Alderssons also. The earliest known Alderson I think did have x 2 ss though and became anglicised. I would like to put myself forward for the study?
I grew up in a village in North Yorkshire, Baildon. I was not allowed to play outside the garden because many children did not speak “good” English, stated my mother. I often left the back garden via the stream, called the beck! When mum asked where I had been, I said, “I’ve been int beck av been lakin int beck.” ‘At laker’ is the verb to play in Norwegian, ‘baek’ is stream. The dialect disappeared in the early 1950’s.
We had a summer house near Bridlington, Skipsea near Hull. The farmer who cut our lawn/grass spoke a dialect that seemed almost Danish. I learned Danish at 16, in Copenhagen,rushed back to our summer house to speak to the farmer, but he had died earlier that year.
I had a son in Istanbul, who is fair with blue eyes I am sure from Viking Harem ancestry, he is fairer than I, and I haven’t blue eyes, but he has. The Viking ships visited Istanbul and Turkish shores, the Turks surrounded the Viking long boats, telling them “we will burn your boats if you do NOT give us your Viking Women”, who were later given to the Sultan for special gifts of jewels or land. Some of the high class Turks today look like Vikings. I know my son does. However, my daughter to my second husband has blue eyes, and dirty blond hair, is very fair. My mother-in-law to my 2nd husband was fair with blue eyes, from Kiev, her father was the Wise man of Kiev, a Jewish Rebba. The Vikings were there too.
I personally think the Vikings have strong influences in many countries, more than historians realize. I feel very close the Scandinavians.
Oh! I forgot to mention, Robert Huntington, known as Robin Hood, my ancestral family name, was of Viking blood, but I only intinctively feel that, I have no scientific knowledge. But he’s from the right area. We Vikings spread out, always adventuring, my son is in Japan,He is a lawyer with several language skills, (a safe area I hope, from the radiation). My daughter has been in 10 movies, small speaking parts in Hollywood. She is a small Viking type, look her up on Google Gillian Vigman Mad Tv “The Contraceptive Patch” is one of the comedy sketches. She is a serious actress too. Well educated, Colegate University.
Tracing my Family tree on my mothers side. In 1537 Robert Baildon alias Cogman the son of Lord Robert Baildon was born, on the death of Lord Robert Baildon 1551 he inherited the title Lord of the Manor of Baildon .
On the death of his mothers ( Margaret Muirfield) Robert the son inherited a land grant” within the graveship of Bradford with building thereon”.
Robert was a husbandman in Hardingham Norfolk.we can trace all the family roots so too Osmund son of Gamel Fitz Osmund still tracing the line further.Roberts had a child john who married a Dorithye Lincolne of the family of Samuel Lincolne.