As I related in the Families' Association Newsletter (Vol 15 No.4 Winter 2000) a number of Blencowes in U.K. were invited to take part in a survey of the DNA in their male chromosome. For those of you who do not receive the newsletter the gist of the article follows this page.
I had a further meeting this morning with Professor Sykes and we both recorded a programme for the BBC that will deal mainly with the Blencowe part of his researches. This will be broadcast on 26 June so, if you live in U.K., you can tune and hear all about it. I shall be spared the embarrassment of listening to myself for I shall be in the air, returning from the Families' Association Reunion in Williamsburg Virgina.
Exactly half of the samples he collected from participants show that their male chromosomes are identical, in other words they all spring from the same male ancestor. One other sample was from an individual where there had been a single mutation. The remaining samples were quite unrelated to the main group although some of them were related to one another. These would be persons descended from families where there had been an adoption or an illegitimacy in years gone by.
Spurred on by the obvious interest of the BBC and the enthusiasm of the presenter, it now appears more likely that Prof. Sykes will extend his research project to include samples from family group members in other countries and with other name-spellings.
I will keep you posted!
Jack Blencowe
Oxford, U.K.
3 May 2001
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updated: 6 May 2001