Bledlington, village where it’s all relative

WHEN they agreed to take part in a unique DNA project, residents of a close-knit Cotswolds village thought they might, at best, discover a far-flung relative in an exotic location.

In fact, more than half of participants, including the pub landlord, an artist and a farmer, learnt they were instead related to each other.

The landmark project that involved testing the DNA of a Gloucestershire community also revealed that despite being overwhelmingly white British, the average resident was just 42 per cent Anglo-saxon.

Almost 120 residents of Bledlington, near Chipping Norton, aged between 19 and 93, provided saliva samples for the study, conducted by Ancestrydna and said to be the first of its kind. The village was selected for its size, scenic Cotswolds location and community spirit.

The findings challenged participants’ notions of their identities and those of the community as a whole, experts said. Sixty one residents discovered previously unknown genetic connections, despite the fact that half had moved to the village from elsewhere with no prior link to the people or area.

The closest link was that of Graham Harris and Gloria Warren, 74, who turned out to be third cousins, sharing a great great grandparent.

Camilla Bowditch, 68, and Andrew Packe, 66, were revealed to be fourth cousins and had no idea of their genetic link, despite living just minutes apart.

Mrs Bowditch is retired and has lived in Bledlington for two years, having lived and travelled across the UK and Africa, while Mr Packe had lived in the village for more than three decades.

Sylvia Reeves, 93, and Steve Tyack, 46, were also surprised to learn they were distant cousins.

Four other villagers were told of previously unknown local DNA matches – identified as fourth cousins or closer, while 59 others discovered they had distant cousins in the village.