A message from Professor Stephen Harding.......as mentioned in previous blogs the name "Ainscough" is thought to be of Viking origins with a strong presence in Lancashire, anybody in the area might be interested in attending this workshop to find out more information.
"Dear Colleague
I am writing to bring your attention to an event at Knowsley, Liverpool on TUESDAY 27th November 2007 (Lancashire Day).
It is an event to celebrate the publication of the genetic survey of West Lancashire and Wirral looking for evidence of Viking Ancestry.
Venue: The David Lloyd Centre, Arbour Lane, Knowsley Liverpool will start at 7pm (for 7.30) and will finish at 9.30.
Speakers will be Judith Jesch - Professor of Viking Studies at the University of Nottingham and world authority on women in the Viking Age; Stephen Harding, Professor of Biosciences at Nottingham and authority on the Vikings in the North West of England; and Mark Jobling, Professor of Genetics at the University of Leicester - one of the countries leading population geneticists and seen on TV recently in BBC2's Motherland programme. The event will commence with an introduction from Patrick Waite of the West Lancashire Heritage Association.
Besides presenting the results of the survey the speakers will also announce plans for a future survey to include other areas of the North of England.
The talks will be followed by coffee and refreshments, and then a question and answer session. Popular local Viking re-enactors, Kevin and Richard Taylor will also be present demonstrating a few of the crafts and non-belligerent skills of our Norse ancestors. The occasion will be attended by senior dignatories from West Lancashire and Wirral.
* The paper "Excavating past population structures by surname-based sampling: the genetic legacy of the Vikings in northwest England" is to appear shortly in the leading journal Molecular Biology and Evolution published by Oxford University Press. A draft can be seen on
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/-sczsteve/MolBiolEvol2007.pdf
Other details can be found on:
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/-sczsteve/survey.htm
and instructions on how to reach the David Lloyd Centre are on:
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/-sczsteve/Directions%20for%20Wirral%20Raiders.doc
We hope very much you can join us. Friends/relatives are also welcome of course but to cover the costs of the event we are asking attendees to contribute £6 per person (this fee is waived for senior citizens, unemployed, students and young persons under 21). All participants in the project have also been invited to attend.
Please let us know if you wish to attend by contacting myself (Stephen Harding) or Patrick Waite by return email and, if possible by November 20th.
steve.harding@nottingham.ac.uk
patrickwaite@hotmail.co.uk
Newspaper articles include:
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/-sczsteve/FormbyTimes_1Nov07.pdf
(West Lancs) and
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/-sczsteve/WirralNews_31Oct07.PDF
(Wirral)
Looking forward to seeing you on Tuesday 27th!
With all best wishes
Stephen Harding"
