Haplogroup R1b marker L1335

The is now a project for marker L1335 (also known as S530) a branch of haplogroup R1b at Family Tree DNA administered by Robert Hughes http://www.familytreedna.com/public/R1b-L1335/

This SNP (Single Nucleotide Polymorphism) is a marker which notates the group commonly known as STR47-Scots or the 'Scots Cluster'.  The marker is found particularly in western Scotland, but also as far north as the Orkney Islands and Sutherland.  There is also a cluster emerging in Wales.  The results page can be found here http://www.familytreedna.com/public/R1b-L1335/default.aspx?section=yresults

You can see where L1335 fits in the bigger picture of Haplogroup R1b via this diagram produced by the chaps in the R1b-P312 Haplogroup and Subclades Y DNA group at Yahoo.
R1b-L21_Descendency_Tree.jpg 

Caithness and Sutherland DNA Project

A new project has been launched covering the counties of Caithness and Sutherland hosted by Family Tree DNA.

The project is open to both males and females who have a direct lineage back to the above areas on their paternal or maternal side.  The project also takes results for individuals who have taken the Family Finder test and who have ancestors from Caithness or Sutherland.

The name Caithness is derived primarily from a tribal rather than a place name and appears to have been given to the indigenous people in question, 'the Cats' by their Celtic-speaking neighbours.   (Ref: Professor Bill Nicoliasen in, Baldwin, John. R. ed. (1982) Caithness - A Cultural Crossroads. Edinburgh: Scottish Society for Northern Studies).

Caithness was originally named Katanes by the Norsemen, meaning 'headland of the cats'.  The lands south of the Ord of Caithness were later designated Sudrland by the Norse (the southern part of Katanes) whilst the area west of lowland Caithness was referred to in the Norse sagas as the 'Dales' of Caithness (Dalir).

It has been argued that the 'province' of Strathnaver likely equates to these 'dales' and should be seen as part of the earldom lands of Caithness.  (See: Baldwin, John. R. ed. (2000) The Province of Strathnaver. Edinburgh: Scottish Society for Northern Studies).

The project will cover that part of north-eastern Scotland inhabited by 'the Cats', namely present day Caithness (Katanes), Sutherland (Sudrland) and the 'Dales' (Dalir) which equates with the Diocese of Caithness in the Middle Ages.

If your lineage in the direct line comes from these counties please participate via the join link at the top of the project page http://www.familytreedna.com/public/Caithness/default.aspx

Pictish DNA marker?

Recent media coverage by a British DNA testing company claims that it has found a marker indicative of Pictish origin.  The marker S530 claimed as a new discovery is commonly known as L1335 by Family Tree DNA and was added to the ISOGG R1b Haplotree on 8 January 2013.

Members of this particular group were identified a number of years ago by their STR (Short Tandem Repeat) haplotype.  As the haplotype was predominantly carried by individuals with Scottish origin the group has been known as STR47-Scots or the 'Scots Cluster'.

Back in 2005 John McEwan highlighted the cluster on his spreadsheet http://mcewanjc.org/p3modal.htm#_R1b_haplogroup:_subcluster_modal_haR1bSTR47Scots

 

Distribution of L1335 from the R-L21 Plus Project.

L1335 is one of the known subclades of DF13 which itself is a major branch of L21 a large branch of R1b-P312 (S116) part of the R1b haplogroup.  The diagram below helps illustrate the current phylogeny of R-M269 as of 21 March 2013.  Thanks to Mike Walsh and the team at the R1b-P312-Project at Yahoo for the diagram below.

If you are R1b and wish to learn more about your deeper ancestry then why not join the R1b group at Yahoo http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/R1b-YDNA/?yguid=135348708
Click on the image to get a larger version. L1335 is at the right hand side. 

 

You can read more about R1b-L21 on the haplogroup project page http://www.familytreedna.com/public/R-L21/

If you belong to R1b-L21 then L1335 can be order for $39 from Family Tree DNA via 'Order an Upgrade' > 'Advanced Tests'.

If you are interested in deeper origins then take a look at the National Genographic Geno 2 kit which tests some 12,000 Y-chromosome SNP markers http://www.familytreedna.com/genographic-project.aspx
 
If you are interested in genealogical testing for your surname then check out the 37 Y-DNA marker or 67 Y-DNA marker test with Family Tree DNA or email scottishdna@strath.ac.uk

Sense About Genealogical DNA Testing

There has been some rather negative press coverage about DNA testing in recent weeks resulting from outrageous claims by one British testing company in particular.  Headlines that individuals are related to the Queen of Sheba, castrated Irish slaves, Napoleon or are descendants of Romans have been made without any data being published in peer reviewed journals.

Sense About Science a charitable trust that equips people to make sense of scientific and medical claims responded to these claims by publishing a guide to testing Sense About Genetic Ancestry Testing

Unfortunately this publication was selectively quoted by the media tarring genealogical DNA testing with the same brush.

In order to bring some balance back into the conversation Debbie Kennett, well known to many within the genetic genealogy community has been given the opportunity to complement the Sense About Science article.  In a blog post on their website she provides further details about DNA testing for genealogical purposes and why it can be used effectively and legitimately as an additional tool in family history research.

You can read her article here:
http://www.senseaboutscience.org/blog.php/41/sense-about-genealogical-dna-testing