By Ben Kerrigan
A research study by Ancestry DNA has shown Yorkshire to be the most British ancestrally. Samples of DNA studied shows Yorkshire people to have more people with ancestral ties with England than any other part of Britain.
Yorkshire people have the more Anglo-Saxon heritage above all other regions in the UK, according to DNA analysis conducted by Ancestry DNA- a family history site.
The study claims that the average person in the county has 41% Anglo-Saxon ancestry, compared with the UK average of 37%.
The research study assessed data from more than 15,000 saliva samples submitted by people using its home DNA test. The study then extrapolated that the genetic ethnic makeup of the “average” person in the UK, and went as far as tracing their ancestry back to the past 500 years and beyond.
The average UK resident is 36.94% Anglo-Saxon, 21.59% Irish and 19.91% western European (French/German). Also among the highest regional ethnicities in the average UK resident were Scandinavia (9.20%), Spain and Portugal (3.05%), and Italy and Greece (1.98%).
London lived up to its reputation as being the most ethnically diverse region. DNA samples showed that the average Londoner has the highest percentage of ancestry from 17 out of the 26 global regions studied. The 26 heritage regions included north Africa, the Middle East, Polynesia, the Caucasus and Scandinavia.
The broad research shows that Brits hail from all over the world as far as their ancestry is concerned, and not many Brits have the right to look down on others from different countries, in light of this study.
Brad Argent, from Ancestry DNA, said: “At a time when the concept of British identity is at the forefront of many people’s minds, it’s interesting to see that when it comes to our ancestry, we’re not as British or Irish as we may think. The UK has been a cultural and ethnic melting pot for not just generations, but centuries and our DNA data provides a fascinating glimpse into our ancestors, including hints of immigration and emigration.”
The East Midlands revealed more Scandinavian ancestry, with 10.37% of its inhabitants showing Scandinavian roots. They also revealed the most connection to eastern European roots despite a relatively low percentage of 2.47% depicting DNA traces eastern Europe.
The east of England has the most Italian/Greek ancestry at 2.53% and western European withFrench/German ancestry (22.52%), as well as the highest amount from Spain/Portugal (3.43%).
Within England, the north-east is home Brits with the most Irish (Celtic) ancestry of 27.58% are base in the North East of England, whilst the percentage is significantly higher in Scotland (43.84%), Wales (31.99%) and Northern Ireland (48.49)
This study shows that most Brits do not have their original roots in England, despite their lack of knowledge of this fact. Being British is essentially based on being born in England and having British values instilled from birth, though there are many people with British passports obtained due to marriage to a British national, or given due to permanent residence once granted by the home office.
