Oxford Ancestors Ltd

We have added thousands of new entries to our Y-chromosome and mitochondrial DNA databases which you can now search. These new entries are taken from the genetic survey of Britain carried out by Oxford Ancestors founder Professor Bryan Sykes and his team as part of the Oxford Genetic Atlas Project which explored the genetic history of Britain and Ireland. This research formed the background for his 2006 book Blood of the Isles (published in the US as Saxons, Vikings and Celts). These new data include information on the geographical origin of DNA samples from the thousands of volunteers who took part in the Project and, for Y-chromosomes, the associated surnames.

As in Blood of the Isles, Britain is divided into geographical regions as follows: England - Northumbria, North, Central, East Anglia, London, South and Southwest, Wales - North, Mid and South, and Scotland -  Northern Isles (Orkney and Shetland), Hebrides, Highland, Grampian, Tayside, Strathclyde and Borders. Oxford Genetic Atlas Project samples are denoted by the acronym OGAP under the 'Country' column while the deepest known ancestor (DKPA or DKMA for paternal or maternal ancestries respectively) denotes the regional origin reported by the volunteers.

As these samples were collected in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the marker coverage was not as complete as it is now for Oxford Ancestors customers. For example, some early Y-chromosome samples were scored at seven markers (DYSs 19, 389a, 389b, 390, 391, 392, 393), later increased to ten with the addition of DYSs 388, 425 and 426. To locate partial matches, choose markers from these restricted lists on the drop-down menus. When this research was done the clan/clade system was in an early stage and displayed as a number. The approximate modern equivalents are as follows: Clan 1 is Oisin (R1b), Clan 2 is Wodan (I), Clan 3 is Sigurd (R1a), Clan 9 is Re (J) and Clan 21 is Eshu (E).

Mitochondrial sequences were also not as complete then as they are now, so try to avoid searching for mutations at positions below 50 and above 380 to find matches to the OGAP samples. Letters and numbers are used to denote maternal clans in the OGAP samples as follows: U5 = Ursula, X,I and W = Xenia, H = Helena, T = Tara, V = Velda, K = Katrine, J = Jasmine, U4 = Ulrike, U3 = Uma. Identifying notations for rarer British clans will be added shortly.

The necessary ethical permissions for the Oxford Genetic Atlas Project included a strict condition of anonymity, so unlike Oxford Ancestors customers who can opt to be contacted, this does not apply to the OGAP samples. 

Our hope is that including these results in our searchable databases will add to your enjoyment as you explore your own genetic roots.