Your reactions to “Were Adam's ancestors Norman, Scottish or Egyptian?

I had expected to receive comments on the suggestion that Adam de Blencow, his full name being John Fitz Adam de Blencow of Greystoke. None came.

However the following statement set the tone of many responses on other aspects of the article. Celtic ancestors might be acceptable, but as for Egyptians! ‘Whow!’

I have included a range of opinions:

• The Celts probably originated in Egypt anyway! Coming to Britain via another route! What people don't realize is that the Egyptians were white — not Arab. The Arabs overran Egypt during the post Christian dark ages and we were well and truly established in Western Europe (just like the Celts) when that happened.
• One point about the family name raised in the Newsletter. Whether Adam's forebears came from Egypt, Languedoc, Normandy, Flanders or wherever, they certainly didn't bring our name with them. Adam and others were “OF” Blencow and Blencow was a Celtic place name that pre-dated their arrival there.
• The last newsletter was very interesting re our roots. It is a very big gap from Mary Magdalene and Joseph at Arimthea and the 13th century though! Our family bible recorded the ancestors being in France and escaping during the massacre of the Protestants to live in Northern England so we had always assumed we had French ancestry until family lines to Adam were traced.
• The expert who thought we could trace the Blencowe ancestry back to the Holy Land seemed a little vague and broadly sweeping - most Anglo Saxons did not have surnames, and the Normans often used a place name to differentiate between different men of the same name, so I think his opinion was very speculative - I'm afraid, absent a trunk full of old deeds turning up that we have hit a stone wall never mind a brick wall with Adam.

Thank you for all your carefully considered responses.

Anne