This book details a genetic survey that has taken place focusing on men from old families from Wirral and West Lancashire. These 'Viking hot spots' in North West England exhibit many archaeological and historical features proving them to have had a clear Viking presence. The book explains-with the help of full color illustrations-what DNA is and how DNA methods can be used to probe both individual and population ancestry, and how information such as Henry VIII's tax rolls can be used to help establish the volunteer base for specific regions of northern England.

This book combines linguistic and historical approaches with the latest techniques of DNA analysis and shows the insights these offer for every kind of genealogical research. It focuses on British names, tracing their origins to different parts of the British Isles and Europe and revealing how names often remain concentrated in the districts where they first became established centuries ago. In the process the book casts fresh light on the ancient peopling of the British Isles. The authors consider why some names die out while others spread across the globe. They use recent advances in DNA testing to investigate whether particular surnames have single, dual, or multiple origins, and to find out if the various forms of a single name have a common origin. They show how information from DNA can be combined with historical evidence and techniques to distinguish between individuals with the same name and different names with similar spellings, and to identifty the name of the same individual or family spelt in various ways in different times and places. The final chapter of this paperback edition, looking at the use of genetics in historical research, has been updated to include new work on the DNA of Richard III.