DNA testing (General)

by 10noyrum , Sunday, February 08, 2009, 23:17 (5861 days ago) @ Ernest Hatton

There is a further way of looking at this problem. I have used the FOD data base on this site to find out the percentage of people with Welsh names recorded therein. The names I consider Welsh are Morgan, Worgan, Jones, James, Probert, Roberts, Evans, Davies, Thomas, Williams, Powell, Howell, Edwards, Pugh, Hughes, Lloyd, Griffiths, Pritchard, Prosser, Lewis, Bennett, Baynham, Powys, Floyd, Merrett and Merry (corruptions of Meyrick), Perkins, Harries and Harris, Yarworth and Yorath (corruptions of Iorwerth), Gwilliam, Allan, Rees, Daws, Frowen, Goff, Gough, Gethin, Hopkins, Humphrys and Kear. If this is done the number of occurrences of these names rises from about 7% in the 1500s to just over 30% in about 1800. Thereafter the percentage falls as they moved back to Wales - as did my great grandfather - to take advantage of the mining opportunities in South Wales. The percentage falls to less than 20% in the middle of the 20th century.

This data is not surprising since the Act of Union of 1536 enacted by Henry VIII gave Welshmen access to England. This followed the elevation of his father the Welshman Henry VII to the English thrown following his victory at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485.

This more quantative data confirms the evidence of the Reverend Nichols in his book on the Forest of Dean written in 1858. He refers to many families bearing the following Welsh names: "Williams; Morgan; Pritchard; Watkins; Roberts; Gwilliam; Hughes; Jenkins; Griffiths; Llewellyn etc". This contrasted with the names in the list of “Free Miners of 400 years earlier which contained mostly English names". However, I do not have access to a list of Free Miners from 400 years ago to confirm this evidence.

A similar analysis should be possible using the censuses.

Chris Morgan