The English being mainly of Anglo-Saxon origin, distinct from their Celtic neighbours in Scotland, Wales and Ireland, has been shown to be nothing but a myth. In fact, the the Welsh and Scots have almost as much Anglo-Saxon DNA in them as the English, but all three are mainly Celtic.
For the first time, researchers have been able to directly estimate the Anglo-Saxon ancestry of the British population from ancient skeletons.
Human remains excavated from burial sites near Cambridge provided the material for the first whole-genome sequences of ancient British DNA.
Using a new analysis method to compare these ancient genomes with modern-day sequences, researchers have estimated that approximately a third of British ancestors were Anglo-Saxon immigrants.
Researchers discovered that the Anglo-Saxon immigrants were genetically very similar to modern Dutch and Danish, and that they contributed 38% of the DNA of modern people from East England, and 30% for modern Welsh and Scottish.
The English are 'one third' Anglo-Saxon: Study reveals for the first time how immigrants mixed with British population
Anglo-Saxon immigrants genetically similar to modern Dutch and Danish
Contributed 38% of the DNA of modern people from East England
Figure dropped to 30% for modern Welsh and Scottish
By Mark Prigg For Dailymail.com
20 January 2016
Daily Mail
For the first time, researchers have been able to directly estimate the Anglo-Saxon ancestry of the British population from ancient skeletons.
Human remains excavated from burial sites near Cambridge provided the material for the first whole-genome sequences of ancient British DNA.
Using a new analysis method to compare these ancient genomes with modern-day sequences, researchers have estimated that approximately a third of British ancestors were Anglo-Saxon immigrants.
An Anglo-Saxon woman is carefully excavated from a fifth and sixth century burial ground in Oakington, Cambridgeshire. DNA from Cambridgeshire archaeological sites were sequenced to reveal Anglo-Saxon immigration history in England.
According to historical accounts and archaeology, the Anglo-Saxons migrated to Britain from continental Europe from the 5th Century AD.
They brought with them a new culture, social structure and language - which later mixed with Norman French to create modern English.
Recently excavated skeletons dating to the late Iron Age and from the Anglo-Saxon period gave researchers the opportunity to solve this question with genomics.
'By sequencing the DNA from ten skeletons from the late Iron Age and the Anglo-Saxon period, we obtained the first complete ancient genomes from Great Britain,' said Dr Stephan Schiffels, first author from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridgeshire and the Max Plank Institute in Germany.
'Comparing these ancient genomes with sequences of hundreds of modern European genomes, we estimate that 38% of the ancestors of the English were Anglo-Saxons.
'This is the first direct estimate of the impact of immigration into Britain from the 5th to 7th Centuries AD and the traces left in modern England.'
It is nearly 13 centuries since the English nation first appeared in the historical record thanks to the Venerable Bede, the monk who chronicled how the Anglo-Saxons moved to Britain and became Christian.
This triple burial from Oakington, Cambridgeshire included metal and amber grave goods with continental European characteristics. DNA of ten samples from Oakington and from nearby sites were sequenced to reveal Anglo-Saxon immigration history in England.
Previous DNA studies have relied entirely on modern DNA and suggested anything between 10% and 95% contribution to the population.
One such study suggested that Anglo Saxons didn't mix with the native population, staying segregated.
However, this newly published study uses ancient genetic information and disproves the earlier idea, showing just how integrated the people of Britain were.
The ancient skeletons from Cambridgeshire were carbon dated, proving they were from the late Iron Age (approximately 50BC) and from the Anglo-Saxon era (around 500-700 AD).
Complete genome sequences were then obtained for selected DNA samples to determine the genetic make-up of these Iron Age Britons and Anglo-Saxons.
'Combining archaeological findings with DNA data gives us much more information about the early Anglo-Saxon lives.
Genome sequences from four individuals from a cemetery in Oakington indicated that, genetically, two were migrant Anglo-Saxons, one was a native, and one was a mixture of both.
The archaeological evidence shows that these individuals were treated the same way in death, and proves they were all well integrated into the Oakington Anglo-Saxon Community despite their different biological heritage.' said Dr Duncan Sayer, archaeologist and author on the paper from University of Central Lancashire.
Modern British and continental European genomes from the UK10K project and the 1000 Genomes Project were compared with the genomes from the ancient skeletons.
Researchers discovered that the Anglo-Saxon immigrants were genetically very similar to modern Dutch and Danish, and that they contributed 38% of the DNA of modern people from East England, and 30% for modern Welsh and Scottish.
The Anglo-Saxons first settled in the South East of England so this pattern is consistent with their migration pattern.
Tour: This map shows the various locations in England and Scotland where Anglo-Saxon sites dating back to the eighth century can still be visited
It is nearly 13 centuries since the English nation first appeared in the historical record thanks to the Venerable Bede, the monk who chronicled how the Anglo-Saxons moved to Britain and became Christian.
The country has changed almost unimaginably since then, with waves of migration, war and industrial development remaking the landscape.
In all corners of the seven ancient kingdoms known as the 'Heptarchy' – Kent, Northumbria, East Anglia, Essex, Mercia, Sussex and Wessex – it is still possible to catch a glimpse of the distant past.
WHAT THEY FOUND
Modern British and continental European genomes from the UK10K project and the 1000 Genomes Project were compared with the genomes from the ancient skeletons.
Researchers discovered that the Anglo-Saxon immigrants were genetically very similar to modern Dutch and Danish, and that they contributed 38% of the DNA of modern people from East England, and 30% for modern Welsh and Scottish.
The Anglo-Saxons first settled in the South East of England so this pattern is consistent with their migration pattern.
BEDE, THE BRILLIANT MONK WHO GAVE THE ENGLISH AN IDENTITY
An Anglo Saxon Chieftain
Bede (c. 673-735) was a monk from the North of England who composed the first ever history of the English, just over a century after the coming of Christianity had brought literacy to the Anglo-Saxons.
He was born in the Newcastle area and stayed there nearly all of his life, brought up from boyhood in the great monastery at Jarrow.
Despite his limited experience of the world beyond his church walls, Bede was extremely well read, versed in a Latin culture which connected him to the rest of Europe, and he wrote a total of 30 books including biblical commentaries and theological treatises.
He is best known for his Ecclesiastical History of the English People, an account of the coming of the Anglo-Saxons to England and the subsequent spread of Christianity.
The great work is not only the first known book to treat the English – then divided among several different kingdoms – as a single unified group, but it also pioneered the practice of counting dates from the birth of Christ, as we still do today.
Bede – later known as 'the Venerable' – died shortly after reciting an Old English poem, and his grave is now in Durham Cathedral.
HOW THEY DID IT
The genomes of northern European populations are similar and it is difficult to accurately distinguish between them.
To help solve this problem, the study developed a sensitive new method, called rarecoal, which could identify subtle genetic traces in individuals, using rare genetic variants identified in hundreds of present-day people.
Earlier methods of mapping ancient DNA looked at common genetic variants from the very distant past, which are present in most people.
The new rarecoal method did exactly the opposite, allowing researchers to map more recent events and unravel very closely related populations.
'We wanted to determine where ancient DNA samples would fit with respect to a modern population model and to map individuals into that model.
'This study, using whole-genome sequencing, allowed us to assign DNA ancestry at extremely high resolution and accurately estimate the Anglo-Saxon mixture fraction for each individual,' said Richard Durbin, senior author at the Sanger Institute.
'More full genome sequences and further improvements in methodology will allow us to resolve migrations in even more detail in the future.'
Read more: The English are 'one third' Anglo-Saxon, reveals study | Daily Mail Online
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
For the first time, researchers have been able to directly estimate the Anglo-Saxon ancestry of the British population from ancient skeletons.
Human remains excavated from burial sites near Cambridge provided the material for the first whole-genome sequences of ancient British DNA.
Using a new analysis method to compare these ancient genomes with modern-day sequences, researchers have estimated that approximately a third of British ancestors were Anglo-Saxon immigrants.
Researchers discovered that the Anglo-Saxon immigrants were genetically very similar to modern Dutch and Danish, and that they contributed 38% of the DNA of modern people from East England, and 30% for modern Welsh and Scottish.
The English are 'one third' Anglo-Saxon: Study reveals for the first time how immigrants mixed with British population
Anglo-Saxon immigrants genetically similar to modern Dutch and Danish
Contributed 38% of the DNA of modern people from East England
Figure dropped to 30% for modern Welsh and Scottish
By Mark Prigg For Dailymail.com
20 January 2016
Daily Mail
For the first time, researchers have been able to directly estimate the Anglo-Saxon ancestry of the British population from ancient skeletons.
Human remains excavated from burial sites near Cambridge provided the material for the first whole-genome sequences of ancient British DNA.
Using a new analysis method to compare these ancient genomes with modern-day sequences, researchers have estimated that approximately a third of British ancestors were Anglo-Saxon immigrants.
An Anglo-Saxon woman is carefully excavated from a fifth and sixth century burial ground in Oakington, Cambridgeshire. DNA from Cambridgeshire archaeological sites were sequenced to reveal Anglo-Saxon immigration history in England.
According to historical accounts and archaeology, the Anglo-Saxons migrated to Britain from continental Europe from the 5th Century AD.
They brought with them a new culture, social structure and language - which later mixed with Norman French to create modern English.
Recently excavated skeletons dating to the late Iron Age and from the Anglo-Saxon period gave researchers the opportunity to solve this question with genomics.
'By sequencing the DNA from ten skeletons from the late Iron Age and the Anglo-Saxon period, we obtained the first complete ancient genomes from Great Britain,' said Dr Stephan Schiffels, first author from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridgeshire and the Max Plank Institute in Germany.
'Comparing these ancient genomes with sequences of hundreds of modern European genomes, we estimate that 38% of the ancestors of the English were Anglo-Saxons.
'This is the first direct estimate of the impact of immigration into Britain from the 5th to 7th Centuries AD and the traces left in modern England.'
It is nearly 13 centuries since the English nation first appeared in the historical record thanks to the Venerable Bede, the monk who chronicled how the Anglo-Saxons moved to Britain and became Christian.
This triple burial from Oakington, Cambridgeshire included metal and amber grave goods with continental European characteristics. DNA of ten samples from Oakington and from nearby sites were sequenced to reveal Anglo-Saxon immigration history in England.
Previous DNA studies have relied entirely on modern DNA and suggested anything between 10% and 95% contribution to the population.
One such study suggested that Anglo Saxons didn't mix with the native population, staying segregated.
However, this newly published study uses ancient genetic information and disproves the earlier idea, showing just how integrated the people of Britain were.
The ancient skeletons from Cambridgeshire were carbon dated, proving they were from the late Iron Age (approximately 50BC) and from the Anglo-Saxon era (around 500-700 AD).
Complete genome sequences were then obtained for selected DNA samples to determine the genetic make-up of these Iron Age Britons and Anglo-Saxons.
'Combining archaeological findings with DNA data gives us much more information about the early Anglo-Saxon lives.
Genome sequences from four individuals from a cemetery in Oakington indicated that, genetically, two were migrant Anglo-Saxons, one was a native, and one was a mixture of both.
The archaeological evidence shows that these individuals were treated the same way in death, and proves they were all well integrated into the Oakington Anglo-Saxon Community despite their different biological heritage.' said Dr Duncan Sayer, archaeologist and author on the paper from University of Central Lancashire.
Modern British and continental European genomes from the UK10K project and the 1000 Genomes Project were compared with the genomes from the ancient skeletons.
Researchers discovered that the Anglo-Saxon immigrants were genetically very similar to modern Dutch and Danish, and that they contributed 38% of the DNA of modern people from East England, and 30% for modern Welsh and Scottish.
The Anglo-Saxons first settled in the South East of England so this pattern is consistent with their migration pattern.
Tour: This map shows the various locations in England and Scotland where Anglo-Saxon sites dating back to the eighth century can still be visited
It is nearly 13 centuries since the English nation first appeared in the historical record thanks to the Venerable Bede, the monk who chronicled how the Anglo-Saxons moved to Britain and became Christian.
The country has changed almost unimaginably since then, with waves of migration, war and industrial development remaking the landscape.
In all corners of the seven ancient kingdoms known as the 'Heptarchy' – Kent, Northumbria, East Anglia, Essex, Mercia, Sussex and Wessex – it is still possible to catch a glimpse of the distant past.
WHAT THEY FOUND
Modern British and continental European genomes from the UK10K project and the 1000 Genomes Project were compared with the genomes from the ancient skeletons.
Researchers discovered that the Anglo-Saxon immigrants were genetically very similar to modern Dutch and Danish, and that they contributed 38% of the DNA of modern people from East England, and 30% for modern Welsh and Scottish.
The Anglo-Saxons first settled in the South East of England so this pattern is consistent with their migration pattern.
BEDE, THE BRILLIANT MONK WHO GAVE THE ENGLISH AN IDENTITY
An Anglo Saxon Chieftain
Bede (c. 673-735) was a monk from the North of England who composed the first ever history of the English, just over a century after the coming of Christianity had brought literacy to the Anglo-Saxons.
He was born in the Newcastle area and stayed there nearly all of his life, brought up from boyhood in the great monastery at Jarrow.
Despite his limited experience of the world beyond his church walls, Bede was extremely well read, versed in a Latin culture which connected him to the rest of Europe, and he wrote a total of 30 books including biblical commentaries and theological treatises.
He is best known for his Ecclesiastical History of the English People, an account of the coming of the Anglo-Saxons to England and the subsequent spread of Christianity.
The great work is not only the first known book to treat the English – then divided among several different kingdoms – as a single unified group, but it also pioneered the practice of counting dates from the birth of Christ, as we still do today.
Bede – later known as 'the Venerable' – died shortly after reciting an Old English poem, and his grave is now in Durham Cathedral.
HOW THEY DID IT
The genomes of northern European populations are similar and it is difficult to accurately distinguish between them.
To help solve this problem, the study developed a sensitive new method, called rarecoal, which could identify subtle genetic traces in individuals, using rare genetic variants identified in hundreds of present-day people.
Earlier methods of mapping ancient DNA looked at common genetic variants from the very distant past, which are present in most people.
The new rarecoal method did exactly the opposite, allowing researchers to map more recent events and unravel very closely related populations.
'We wanted to determine where ancient DNA samples would fit with respect to a modern population model and to map individuals into that model.
'This study, using whole-genome sequencing, allowed us to assign DNA ancestry at extremely high resolution and accurately estimate the Anglo-Saxon mixture fraction for each individual,' said Richard Durbin, senior author at the Sanger Institute.
'More full genome sequences and further improvements in methodology will allow us to resolve migrations in even more detail in the future.'
Read more: The English are 'one third' Anglo-Saxon, reveals study | Daily Mail Online
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
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