William Shakespeare's grandfather - Richard Shakespeare - is recorded in written records as spelling his surname at least "five" different ways! As most people were either illiterate or semi-literate - it is probably far more accurate to state that five different scribes (working in various official capacities) spelt Richard's name in five different ways. This was common - as spelling was not yet standardised in the UK and scholars were expected to write with flare - spelling names, activities and concepts in vastly different (and entertaining) ways! William Shakespeare demonstrates this convention - sometimes spelling the same word (appearing on the same page) as much as three different ways! A fully literate scribe was expected - in the old days - not only to "read" a text but also "decipher" what was being said and conveyed by the author! A lack of standard language usage made this process a highly skilled event - arguably far more difficult than reading modern English! The type of officials we are discussing included "Church" and "Civic" representatives. Invariably, these persons wrote according to how words "sounded" - rather than by any associated convention. This was usually the case as their illiterate clients had no idea (or preference) as to how their surnames were spelt. Indeed, this difference in spelling the Bard's surname is one of the planks in the "Oxfordian" verses the "Stratfordian" debate - but is it a red herring? Literate individuals could (and did) often insist on a certain way of spelling their surname if they were given the choice. It is equally true that if such individuals wished to disappear - the waters might be muddied by placing the odd letter in a different place when signing their names! Of course, it could also be the case that some people like to spell their names differently at various times - seeing this as an essential aspect of their individual freedom and identity. Who could blame them? Today, of course, with the modern standardisation of the English language, there has arisen an almost Confucian obsession with spelling surnames in a specific manner (the Chinese people venerate their ancient surnames). Surnames, like DNA, have become an important part of an individual's identity. In the 1500s (primarily through Tax Returns) all the people of my family living in Duddington and King's Cliff spell their surname "Wyles" without exception. During the early to middle 1600s - two individuals (spouses) - have their name spelt as "Wiles" on their gravestones. During the middle to late 1600s - two individuals (spouses) - possess a grave-marker which spells their names as "Wyles". From there on in - around 95% of the Wyles family occupants of the graveyard of St Mary's Church (Duddington) spell their surname "Wyles". One couple in the 1800s use "Wiles" - with one or two on official records having their surname spelt "Whyles" - when their gravestones clearly state "Wyles". Anthony Holden, William Shakespeare - His Life and Work, ABACUS, (1999), Pages 52-54
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Dear E
Thank you for your interesting email: Wyles Paternal DNA (Duddington) UK The above article provides the Paternal DNA results of our 'Wyles' name clan as associated with the Lincolnshire village of 'Duddington'. Both Scottish (Pictish) and Russian historians are of the opinion that 'Wyles' is the plural of 'Wyle' - and that 'Wyle' is an Anglicisation of the Viking (Cyrillic) title of 'Уайл' (Uayl) - meaning 'a dominant warrior whose fighting skills unite the people'. Sometimes, 'Uayl' is written today as 'Jarl' - with the 'J' retaining the 'U' sound. The Anglo-Saxons took this non-Germanic title and renamed it 'Earl' - using it as a noble status linked to 'birth' and not to 'ability' (within Viking culture any would could become a 'Uayl' providing they could 'fight' and quell any enemy). Today, in modern Russia the surname 'Wyles' is written as 'Уайлс' (Uayls) - and this is how I am referred to in all written communication, etc. The Vikings, as you know, settle vast parts of the UK and Eire, and so their DNA is everywhere, being particularly linked with the Celtic areas. However, as there are so many sounding similar names, such as 'Wills', 'Wells' and 'Willis', etc, all possessing different origins and distinct (unrelated) lineages, correct association can be difficult. I believe the Oxford definition of 'Wyles' (Wiles) - stating it is linked to eel traps and trickery - relates only to one lineage variant of an entire host of similar sounding but very different names! Of course, I know nothing about the 'van Wyk' surname as such, but 'Wyk' is written as 'Вик' in Cyrillic and pronounced 'Vik'. Within the Russian language this word is a noun meaning to 'cry', 'shout', and 'call-out', etc. I presume 'van' is Dutch for 'of' or 'from' and 'Wyk' refers to a place in the Netherlands. I have seen some people in the UK referred to as 'de Wyle' or 'de Wyles' on occasion - usually in the 12th and 13th centuries - with the 'de' (Norman French for 'of') eventually being dropped. There are theories that assume there were a number of disconnected places all over the UK - all carrying similar sounding names that possessed no direct historical association with one another. Perhaps a place with a water 'Well' might figure greatly in the old days (as we all need to drink) and at least in that sense the name 'Well' or 'Wells' might be laterally associated in a conceptual sense, whilst not sharing a DNA lineage. I personally believe that 'Wyles' is distinct from 'Wiles' - even though confusion is sometimes caused due to both lineages borrowing one another's spelling from time to time - usually by mistake. Therefore, we can be 'related' but by the 'error' of poor spelling! In the days before full literacy and the stabilisation of language - scribes would often spell exactly same word on a single page in many different ways! All Best Wishes Adrian PS: A Scottish historian stated that 'Wyles' is pronouced 'Wy-les' in in Scotland - and is the proper or correct surname associated with who is today known as 'William Wallace' - with 'Wallace' being a modern re-invention of his clan name. If this is correct - then this probably reinforces the Viking hypothesis! The above article explains a Neolithic burial mound in the Cotswolds (UK) - the occupants of which represent and extended family deriving form four different women having children with the same single man dating to around 3700-3600 BCE (or around 5700 years from the present time). As the Cotswolds are situated 58 miles North of the Stonehenge site (the construction of which began around 3100 BCE) - it is entirely logical to assume that the descendants of these people planned and /or participated in the designing and building of he stone circle and its environs. Of course, DNA studies alone cannot detect the language an individual spoke. This is because 'language' is a cultural construct that has developed in very different environmental and social conditions, despite language as an ability being part of general human evolution (the human brain developed the ability for 'language' which manifests in a myriad of different and divergent ways in the external world). When the Romans first arrived in Britain around 55 BCE - they encountered various 'Celtic' Tribes with thousands fighting on foot - with their leaders riding on war-chariots the likes of which had not been seen on the ancient battlefield for around a thousand years! The Romans were also aware that there were Celtic Tribes in Britain and France that possessed the same name and which appeared to be 'related'. Furthermore, despite the English Channel lying between the two land-masses - the Romans were aware that the the indigenous populations were in continuous communication (including via boats). Britain was isolated as a landmass, but its people were not 'isolated'. They simply did not have to confront any aggressive incursions from unknown or outside people for probably around a thousand year period. Indeed, the above research suggests that there was a substantial invasion of Britain between 1000-850 BCE - possibly the time the war-chariot were brought to the area.
Eydon is a village situated in Northamptonshire located around 52 miles South of Duddington. Within one of its graveyards there is a grave registered for a man named 'Thomas Bull' and dated to 1545. Thomas Bull is described as 'Niger'. Indeed, genuine historical records for the UK contain the details of a stead stream of Africans frequenting these Isles from at least the 15th century onwards - many hired as expert trumpeters employed by the royal court. Although I am not aware of any direct connection, the Wyles paternal DNA is well-known within Eastern Africa! I referenced the quote from the above book and found the story recorded in a local pamphlet written by historians living in Eydon.
'Geology, Generosity and Glimpses… Vol. 10 published May 2017. ISBN 978-0-9957-82402 £5.00 EHRG’s 10th booklet of Research Reports, published in 2017, is entitled ‘Geology, Generosity and Glimpses…’. Geology as it dominated the farming life of the village, as recorded 90 years ago; secondly also raises the question as to why the church font, the oldest relic in the village, is not made from the local sandstone? Generosity chronicles the village’s (mainly Victorian) benefactors, who gave the village a school and several other fine buildings. And Glimpses.. recording lost interiors of the pre-restoration church, and most intriguingly, a glimpse of Eydon’s Black history, about ‘Thomas Bull, niger’, buried in 1545. 70 pages, illustrated, with map and index.' You Vikings were popular with the local ladies:
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