Scottish DNA: What’s The Genetic (DNA) History of Scotland?
Channel: Celtic History Decoded
Date: 2023-01-29

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Scottish DNA: What’s The Genetic (DNA) History of Scotland?

A 2019 study managed to group Scotland into 6 genetic clusters: the northeast, the southwest, the Borders, the Hebrides, Orkney, and Shetland. More broadly, Scotland is defined by a southwest versus northeast division near the River Forth, a division that reflects the historical territories of the Gaels versus the Picts. This 2019 study managed to group The Isle of Man with the southwestern Scottish individuals, and also found that the Hebrides is genetically distinct from the rest of mainland Scotland, a genetic island so to speak. 

A 2012 study led by Edinburgh University found that 1% of all Scotsmen are direct descendants of the Berber and Tuareg tribesmen of the Sahara, a lineage which is around 5600 years old. This study also found that 15% of male participants in the study with the Stewart surname are directly descended from the royal line of kings.  

A 2013 study also found an Irn Bru gene in the Scottish population which means we burn easy. Just joking, I’m just making sure you’re still paying attention. 

In Orkney, there is a remarkable Viking genetic legacy. The population in Orkney is the most genetically distinct across Britain according to various studies. The People of British Isles study found that 25% of DNA from the people of Orkney comes from Norwegian ancestors, corresponding to the existence of a Norse Viking Earldom in Orkney from 875 to 1472. 

This shows that the Norse Viking invasion (9th century) did not simply replace the indigenous Orkney population however, but intermarried with the indigenous Pictish population. More broadly, there was a notable Norwegian signal in all Scottish samples, the genetic footprint of the Vikings. Unsurprisingly, Shetland also has a large influence from the Vikings, with Norwegian ancestry of around 20 to 25%. Norwegian markers are higher in people whose ancestry is from the north of both of Orkney and Shetland. Norwegian ancestry is lower in the Hebrides (7%), and is substantially lower in the north of Scotland (N Scotland) and southwest (Argyll), and the Isle of Man, averaging 4%.

There are links with groups in Northern Ireland and western Scotland, which is hardly surprising given the history of the Gaels and the Gaelic Kingdom of Dalriada. The Ulster plantation may be another reason for this link. The data from the People of British Isles study also suggested a large movement of people from Northern France into England and Scotland between 6,000 and 3,000 years ago. 

What your thoughts, and what other articles or studies have you came across about the genetic history of Scotland? Please let me know in the comments below. Thanks for watching. 

Sources:

Settlers: Genetics, Geography and the Peopling of Britain - Oxford University Museum of Natural History - http://www.oum.ox.ac.uk/settlers/
 
Oxford University Museum of Natural History - Genetic Ancestry and the People of the British Isles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8k9LMaFeRM&t=1s 

University of Oxford - Who do you think you really are? A genetic map of the British Isles https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2015-03-19-who-do-you-think-you-really-are-genetic-map-british-isles 

University of Oxford - People of the British Isles - Population Genetics and Facial Genetics https://www.peopleofthebritishisles.org/ https://www.peopleofthebritishisles.org/population-genetics 

The genetic landscape of Scotland and the Isles, PNAS, Edmund Gilbert, Seamus O’Reilly, Michael Merrigan, +16, and James F. Wilson, September 3, 2019 116 (38) 19064-19070 https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1904761116 
Study reveals 'extraordinary' DNA of people in Scotland, BBC https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-17740638 

#scotland #history #dna