British pensioner creates world's biggest family tree - after tracing 10,000 ancestors

A pensioner is claiming a world record for the biggest family tree after tracing nearly 10,000 relatives and ancestors.

Roy Blackmore says he had discovered that his ancestors include farmers, monks, a Wild West cowboy, Civil War soldiers, a king of France - and even William the Conqueror and Alfred the Great.



The 76-year-old from Taunton, Somerset, has spent 28 years and around £20,000 piecing together his family history.



Roy Blackmore has traced 10,000 ancestors in his family tree

Most of his research was carried out before the arrival of the internet, meaning he had to travel the country to study archives, cemetery records and census registers.



His tree stretches back to the Cerdick family in AD 500 and includes William the Conqueror in the 11th century and Alfred the Great in AD 880.



He has listed 9,390 ancestors and relatives and has applied to the Guinness Book of Records to claim the title for the world's largest documented family tree.



Roy, of Taunton, Somerset, said: "It's been a very interesting journey which has taken some surprising twists and turns. One of the most shocking discoveries was that I'm a descendant of Alfred the Great.

"My interest started after I was orphaned as a child and and became curious about my family background. Since then, I have been searching high and low for information on my family.

"There have been some very frustrating times when I seemingly hit a brick wall. But there is always a way around or over an obstacle and you just have to persevere.

Roy traced his family back through the ages - pictured here is his grandmother Elizabeth Blackmore.

"When I started I never planned to go back that far but the more I looked the more interested I became. It's been incredibly interesting.

"I could go back further into my French descendants but I think I'll leave it as it is. I think I'll leave it there."

Roy, a former buyer for a perfume company, was fostered along with three of his six brothers and sisters when their parents Hubert and Ida died in 1931.

He began developing his family tree in 1980 and spent up to five hours a day scouring documents he collected from archives, libraries, cemetery records and census registers in London.

His tree stretches back to the Cerdick family in AD 500 and includes the French Royal family and Hugh Capet - a 10th century king of France.

Roy can also link himself through 37 generations to William the Conqueror in the 11th Century and 45 generations to Alfred the Great in AD 880.

He said: "The records show that my family were yeoman from around the 10th century when monks first started recording births.

Alfred the Great who turned out to be one of Roy's ancestors

"They haven't moved far and have lived around the south west during that time. A lot of my family members have fought in wars and the Stawells were involved in the battles between Cromwell and Charles I."

Roy, a dad of two, says his wife Sigrid, 77, remained patient as he spent hours sifting through documents and travelling around the country.

He said: "My wife has been very supportive. My grandchildren aren't too interested but I'm sure they will want to know more about their family as they grow older.

"I was never really all that interested in history at school but as you get older you take an interest in where you come from."



Genealogist Nick Barratt, who worked on BBC family history programme 'Who Do You Think You Are?', says Roy's family tree could be a record.

He said: "To research 10,000 family members is a unique and amazing achievement. Many claim to have traced their family back to the Domesday Book but have actually used short cuts on the internet.

"But to actually follow the paper trail is an incredible feat and I cannot praise it enough. Most people struggle when they get to the 18th Century.

"In terms of being a record I can't think there will be many who have an authentic family history of 10,000 people dating back that far."



Grandfather-of-two Roy will be exhibiting a range of his certificates and wills as part of an exhibition at Taunton library, Somerset on July 14.