The residents of the Cotswold village of Bledington were entitled to see themselves as the quintessential English villagers, blessed with a village green, stream, medieval church, Kings Head pub, mention in the Domesday Book, even a Victorian maypole. However, a DNA survey, one of the most comprehensive attempts to capture an entire village, has revealed their surprisingly diverse origins.

The village was classified as white British in ethnic origin from census data, but the saliva samples contributed by almost 120 of the residents – including the pub landlord, a farmer, an artist, a marketing director and the village historian – told another story: not a single individual of those tested was 100% English.

Just 42.5% of their DNA was Anglo-Saxon in origin: other ancestry derived from Europe, from Finland to Spain, the Celtic nations, including Scotland, Wales and Ireland, Native American, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Melanesia.

More than half of those tested, 56%, were convinced the results would show they were entirely English, a fact that struck many of them as very dull. “I’m really hoping to find out that I’m not as dull as I think I am,” one woman said. Most were delighted at the results: “I have got some Viking!” one happy man said.

The census gives the people of Bledington as 94.5% British White but only 42.5% of their DNA is Anglo-Saxon. Photograph: Simon Pizzey/AncesteryDNA/PA

The tests also revealed unsuspected relationships between villagers, particularly surprising those who moved there and those whose families had lived there for generations.

Sylvia Reeves, a local historian, is 93 and has lived in Bledington for more than half a century, but is still an incomer. She has now learned she is a distant cousin of Steve Tyack, slightly less than half her age, a builder and member of the village council. Both are thrilled.

“I’ve known Steve’s family ever since I have been here,” she said. “I even watched his parents courting, so to find out we are related is amazing. I would never have dreamt it, especially because he is rooted round here whereas I came to Bledington by chance after being born in London.”

Tyack said: “Of everybody in the village, I’m really happy to be related to Sylvia. This whole experience has been wonderful – a real opportunity. It’s really brought the community spirit back to Bledington.”



Six further villagers found fourth cousins or closer, and most of those tested – 61 people in all – found some relationship links.

The tests, carried out by the family history company Ancestry UK, revealed 18 different DNA regions among the villagers. Kristen Turner, a marketing manager, discovered she has south Asian ancestry and is now planning her next holiday. “It does make the world feel like a smaller place,” she said. “ I love to travel and I would like to pinpoint the exact part of south Asia my ancestors come from so I could make a point of going to visit.”

A photograph of sheep grazing on Bledington Green appeared on the BBC’s Domesday Reloaded website, a project to create a contemporary version of the Norman records. The image was captioned “a typical village scene”. Typically gloriously diverse, as it turns out, with the sheep perhaps the only true natives.

