Bond, you got Viking blood!

Non Sufficit Orbis - The World is Not Enough

BOND D.N.A. PROJECT

Where did the original BOND’s come from? is a very interesting question, and one that perhaps only a D.N.A. project can resolve.

Returning back to the Erth (Earth) story (see http://website.lineone.net/~peter.bond/page2.htm),

I did mention the possibility of some Bonds arriving up North for the Berwick conflict, and perhaps they settled there, but there is another aspect, which given time could indicate exactly where the Bond’s, Bonde or Bonder came from. Allow me to expand on the idea. As an example, the Bonds of both East Anglia and Cumberland apparently came from Norwegian Vikings who settled there and were kin to the ‘Bonder’, but they arrived via different routes.

The B.B.C. Television produced a series of programmes titled “Blood of the Vikings.” The final episode was the “Last of the Vikings”, and this featured the research carried out by scientists from the University College, London, led by a Professor Goldstein. It was reported that the project concerned seeking a Viking Genetic Legacy. A survey was carried out across the British Isles to determine the magnitude of Viking blood present and its whereabouts. Random DNA tests were carried out on over 2,000 men from Britain and Scandinavia, using the DNA cheek swab test, and this was supported by some blood and dental findings. The ‘Y’ chromosome (which only males have) changes very little over centuries, and can therefore provide a direct link to the past. Distinctive genetic markers were obtained in Scandinavia from men alleged to be direct descendents of Vikings, and these markers were checked against the ‘Y’ chromosome of Englishmen. The check was not to identify a direct relationship, but to highlight areas where Vikings had resided, and as such establish an indication of bloodline. Across the British Isles 30 sites were closely looked at where little migration had occurred over the centuries. It is known that there are two places where the Vikings came from, Norway and Denmark.The Norway Vikings first came to the Shetland and Orkney Islands, and also settled in Iceland AD 874, a statistical analyse showed that 60% of people there had Viking ‘Y’ Chromosome origins. Further down the sea route to the Hebrides, the Irish Sea and Isle of Man, all areas showed a fair percentage of Norwegian ancestry providing clear signals of a genetic contribution. Most of Northern Ireland showed Ancient Britain or Celtic lines rather that Viking, though Southern Ireland did have about 15% levels. Dublin, which featured Viking slavery, did not show up as a place of settlement, and was probably just a staging point. Results for Anglesey and Wales failed to show a genetic link, and again these areas were predominant Ancient Britain and Celtic. A genetic map was compiled by the UCL scientists, and throughout the British Isles, PENRITH in Cumbria produced the greatest evidence of Norwegian Viking settlements, and provided the largest number of ‘Y’ chromosome markers. The North East of the UK shared the legacy with both Denmark and Norway, yet in Yorkshire there was little to suggest that the Vikings actually settled there, and their presence may have only been through the elite army who (landed down the R.Humber) put up a good fight at Fulford, then battle weary moved on elsewhere. King Harold of England confronted and defeated the Norwegian army of Harold Hardrade at Stamford Bridge,

An architectural dig at Riccall some 10 miles away from Stamford Bridge discovered over 60 skeletons. The York Archaeological Trust examined their bones, and sent six skulls to the British Genealogical Survey Laboratories near Nottingham. Isotope tests on the teeth enamel could determined the status of the drinking rainwater, and it was found that the mix of ‘oxygen in water’ in this instance was ample proof that they came from Norway, not local British which had a much different value. The bones, which included female and children, showed damage consistent with that, sustained in a battle, so it seemed evident that they were part of the defeated Viking army.

In 878 AD, a line was drawn from London to the Wirral cutting through Mercia, it was known as the Danelaw, and was given to the Danes. Above the line showed Northern control by the Viking, and the Southern half (Wessex) by Angles and Saxon. The Danes in Britain was a complex affair.

Dr Allen Bond in his beginnings book of a Bond founding family, suggested that the name Bonde was not originally a family name; but was the designation of a class of Norse landholders, and Baring-Gould (himself of descent from the family of Earth) conferred in his research paper that “The old Norse Bonde was the man in highest position after the Earl. He was the freeholder responsible to none save the Earl. It was because Harold Fairhair resolved on introducing the feudal tenure of land into Norway, that a great exodus of the Bonder took place; and they migrated and colonised Iceland and the Faroe Isles.”

As such, with the Vikings settling first in the Northern parts of the U.K. then it is a fair consideration that amongst their numbers, some Bonde families could certainly have been included.

Many Centuries later, through development, progress, and the introduction of records, the quest to discover knowledge of our ancestors has become a subject of great interest. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has been very mindful of establishing ordinances in the furtherance of their family unity, and eternal family relationships, that they created Family History Research Centres throughout the world in keeping with their teachings and Church Programs. These centres provide access to an International Genealogical Index (IGI), compiled from records made available to them.

In researching the surname Bond(e), it is found that the earliest recorded on the British Isles IGI, there was a person born in London in 1234 ad., a John Bond married at St.Briavel’s, Gloucester abt. 1272 ad, a William Bond born in Wiltshire abt. 1334 ad, and a Robert Bond at Earth, Cornwall in 1374 ad. There are many Bond’s indexed for Somerset and Dorset, but the earliest in Lancashire was John Bond in 1527 ad. at Tatham. No doubt there are many reasons why so few early records exist for the Northern counties, but lack of Bond’s residing there is not one of them. It must be said that there are more Bond families in Lancashire than any other county.

To conclude, maybe the Bond or Bonde families of Britain actually originated in the North West, in Cumberland, Westmorland or Lancashire as shown by the Viking DNA survey, portraying the greatest evidence of Norwegian Viking markers in these counties, and maybe some Bond families moved Southwards, and had later established domains in Devon and Cornwall, even at Erth.

The advent of DNA testing has provided the opportunity of determining regions and areas where families were seated and probably where they originated.

STOP PRESS

“ In researching my own Family Tree I have traced my BOND family back to the North West of England, Westmorland & Lancashire, and I have now received the D.N.A. results from ‘Family Tree DNA’.

…. I am pleased to say that the results confirm that my BOND family do have VIKING origins, i.e ……

…. Haplogroup I (Northwestern Europe, Viking populations), Ethnic matches (8/119 Iceland, 4/53 Norway).

…. This in effect adds further weight to the above discussion and conclusion, namely that in the U.K. maybe the earliest BOND(e) familes were in fact well established in the North West of England .”

PRO-ACTIVE NEW SURNAME PROJECT

Today, by conducting just a ‘surname’ DNA test, and analysing the Y- Chromosome markers, actual family lineage matching is possible.

Andrew Bond, a biotechnologist who has studied molecular genetics has recently offered to head a special ‘BOND’ surname DNA project, he now has a Ph.D. in Genetics, and will analyse such tests and disseminate them to everyone participating in the project.

The project will allow linking some of the large BOND families together as well as allow those with BOND brickwalls to link to a specific BOND family, thus allowing the individual to focus on a small finite set of potential ancestors. As a result of this great interest, many BOND family researchers have now signed up to have their DNA tested as part of this surname Project.

The more researchers that participate then the better the BOND surname map will produce.

Andrew Bond say’s “Every man inherits their Y chromosome from their father (as well as their surname).  So the Y chromosome can act as a surname marker.  That is, by comparing the Y chromosomes of two men who have the same surname it should be possible to infer whether they had a common ancestor.” 

The testing company for this ‘BOND’ DNA project is ‘Family Tree DNA’, and through their surname database they will be able to match any other Bond person having common ancestors, and therefore be able to put them in touch with each other.

If you wish to find out more about Family Tree DNA go to : http://www.familytreedna.com

The simple test will be carried out using the cheek swab test method, and any BOND surnamed male person can ask to be included, - providing suitable financial arrangements are made.

Thus, if you are a male BOND named person, interested in Genealogy, wish to further your own ancestor research, and therefore want to participate in this Project, then please use the following link to order your DNA testing kit.  It is a simple easy process.

http://www.familytreedna.com/surname_join.asp?code=W35660

Incidentally there are two tests available to choose from, the 12 marker Y Chromosome test which has become the market standard, and the recently introduced refinement 25 marker Y-DNA test which yields the world's tightest parameters to the Most Recent Common Ancestor (MRCA). If you choose to just order the standard 12 marker test, you can always return to "refine" your test at a later time without the need to re-submit another DNA sample.

So, BOND where did you come from? … with the first Northern Viking settlers!!!.

And where are the rest of your BOND family, still lost?

Peter. W. Bond

Ó Copyright

Rev. 16/04/06