Are You A Norman, Viking or Anglo-Saxon?

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In 1066, the Anglo-Saxons (led by Harold Godwinson) and Vikings (led by Harold's brother) were having a jolly old bash up, in what is now England. Our Anglo-Saxon King (Harold) pissed off the Normans (French). So, led by a chap called William Duke of Normandy, they came over here to first 'duff up' the English then take the English crown and give it to Billy boy, after he was supposedly promised it by Harold a couple of years earlier. The Anglo-Saxons clobbered the vikings up north somewhere and much of what was left of their lot disappeared back to Viking land. Which left the Anglo Saxons and Normans. The Normans won by a late penalty and the rest is history.
What was left, were remnants of Vikings, Anglo-Saxons and loads of bloody Normans. Those people together formed the backbone of the present-day Britain. An awful lot of our ancestry involves those three peoples.
So, what do you think your background is.....and why? Should have some fun here. Apparantly, I've got a family tree from the Anglo-Saxons. Tell us yours. Your family surname tells a lot about you. A lot of Cudds were farm labourers (well, cows chew the cud - makes sense; its something to do with farm animals)
If you tell me your surname, I might be able to tell you something. Don't worry if its embarrassing. My gran's name was Hoblyn and I walk with a stick, 'cos I 'hobble' along!
 
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I don't believe the vikings actually existed, it's all a conspiracy from the nordic tourist boards, going back to the early 1900s.look at their boats, no way they had the technology back then to row across seas when we can hardly do it now. Never happened ?
 
I've done quite a lot of family history research over the years, starting back in the time when you actually had to go to record offices, libraries and even churches to look at records, rather than just tapping on a keyboard.
My dad was born in a fishing village on the south east Devon coast and his family were from this village and the one next door from the mid 1600's. Mum's lot were from the Wychwoods area of Oxfordshire from at least as far back as the 1700s. I guess that would most likely make me Anglo-Saxon.

The Vikings descendants are that lot from up North aren't they?
 
I don't believe the vikings actually existed, it's all a conspiracy from the nordic tourist boards, going back to the early 1900s.look at their boats, no way they had the technology back then to row across seas when we can hardly do it now. Never happened ?


I can verify this. I've been punting several times and it's slightly tricky at first. No way could anyone punt all the way from Norland or Denway. The North Sea is also more than 20ft deep in places.
 
I'm actually descended from aliens who live on the far side of the moon, Cuddy!
 
There is, of course, the complication that the Normans were actually largely Vikings ethnically - hence being called Nor(th)men.

My paternal grandfather's family came from, umm, Sunderland. My grandmother was from West Bromwich. My mother was born in Watford. What colour shirt should I wear?
 
got a family tree (on my Dads side) that goes back to 955... bit of Britton, bit of of Saxon, bit of Norman, bit of celt' (Scottish, Cornish and Welsh) from centuries ago

me Dad,... n me Dad's dad were born in Oxford.... as I was.... that makes me100% Oxford :)
 
A bit of all I suspect as well as a bit of Celt (for want of a better word)

Have you got something against Celts, Dave? ;)
 
I'm a direct offspring of Anachitil, a close friend of William the Conquerer. Bill gave him a bit of ground now know as Puttenham where my name originates from. Now I own a large manor house in the Netherlands.

So I'm a Norman. A direct relative of mine had her DNA tested and her roots show 50% french and 20% italian origins. That must go back a long way.

The first two sentences are true. The third is also true if 245 square metres can be classified as large.
 
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Born and bred in Oxford to an Irish father & a Welsh mother, about 3 doors away from The Bell in Old Headington.
The oldest written record of my ancestors translates as "Dalcassian troops of the Royal House of O'BRIEN" .
Never defeated militarily until the 16th Century, when Henry VIII cut them a good deal to become nobility of the Kingdom of Ireland.
Then the populations, and family name, became more widespread.

Fight,fight wherever you may be....................... original family crest...
1549629692725.png

there is a later version, from the 1600`s which is a bit poncy..... but I like the colours... :LOL:

1549629876727.png
 
I don't believe the vikings actually existed, it's all a conspiracy from the nordic tourist boards, going back to the early 1900s.look at their boats, no way they had the technology back then to row across seas when we can hardly do it now. Never happened ?
The Vikings happened, but the photographs taken of them are a bit grainy and iffy.
 
A bit of all I suspect as well as a bit of Celt (for want of a better word)

Have you got something against Celts, Dave? ;)
I do apologise resoundly! Of course we had the Celts, as well!

Here's one; the first place (according to historians) the Vikings landed in, in Britain, would have been Scotland. For any uneducated Swindon fans who troll us on here, you may notice that many Scottish folk have surnames that begin with Mac or Mc. Mac means 'son of', so the name MacDonald meant that someone was the son of someone called Donald. The Norse had a way of naming their folk this way.

As a side note: the Vikings did NOT have horns coming out of their helmets (I got that from that absolutely brilliant childrens' history comedy show, 'Horrible Histories'. They should show kids at school that programme, because its not only informative, but bloody funny too! And all their facts are 100% accurate.
 
So, what do you think your background is.....and why?

Dave, Dave, Dave - this is such a bogus waste of time, the chances are that you, like me, are a human. Live with it, mate.

To answer your question, Wikipedia tells me my background is from a mammal, by a lizard and then it gets into complicated s**t about cells and stuff. But it does have a picture of my great, great ....... grandad, who was one of the first things you could call an animal.

greatgrandad.png
 
Dave, Dave, Dave - this is such a bogus waste of time, the chances are that you, like me, are a human. Live with it, mate.

To answer your question, Wikipedia tells me my background is from a mammal, by a lizard and then it gets into complicated s**t about cells and stuff. But it does have a picture of my great, great ....... grandad, who was one of the first things you could call an animal.

View attachment 1115
Was he a Viking, Celt, Norman or Anglo-Saxon? ;)
 
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