06-04-2011, 06:11 PM
Quote:I often wonder whether these guys, when they came running up our beaches, stopped briefly to place their beach towels ... this is my spot now! :lol:
A bit chilly for that on the Farne Islands.
Actually this is a good example of cashing in on the interest of genetic genealogy. Jim Wilson is an academic but also has a business interest in Ethnoancesntry, a commercial testing company. He has cooperated with Moffat in the production of a book The Scots: A Genetic Journey which aims to popularise the subject, http://www.amazon.co.uk/Scots-Genetic-Jo...511&sr=8-1 You may have noticed that they also used the opportunity to plug their new book covering the whole of Britain.
Whilst it is true that his L22 marker is centered on Scandinavia, they use the Ethnoancestry term S142, the rest of the story must be a case of filling in the blanks, either that or there is more information which they haven't stated. It's highest frequency is in Sweden and it is also found in northern Germany, south of the area known as Angeln. It is an area that encompasses many different groups.
When it arrived in Scotland is an entirely different matter. I have the same marker plus one more recent marker but as far as I can tell, my lot didn't arrive until the 12th cent. and came from French Flanders. The assumption that in Naughtie's case it must have arrived in Northumbria and therefore be 'Anglian' is conjecture and the MacBeth story no more than a possible explantion of how it moved further north. It could just as easily be the result of trade with the Hanseatic League or any one of number of other possible explanations. In fact, Flemings were resettled in Scotland and it could be the result of that too. Perhaps Moffat has some paper trail however which was not discussed but, on the basis of the genetic marker alone, it is no more than a more likely explanation amongst several other possibilities.
best
authun
Harry Amphlett
