Ancient Connections

By Gary Beaumont, February 2025

Ancient Connections

Y-DNA is like a time capsule, and so it has even more to offer about the ancient origins of this paternal line. Prior to the FTDNA surname project, one might have speculated that the Beaumonts of West Yorkshire had Norse Viking roots in Normandy, France, and that they were somehow involved in the Norman Conquest of England. As a reward, they were given control of a fiefdom in England. This may be true, but with a twist.

All men alive today share a common male ancestor known as Y-chromosomal Adam, who lived an estimated 200,000 years ago. All Y-DNA, or human paternal lines, evolved from him. Subsequently, 18 Y-DNA branches evolved from Adam, represented by the letters A through R. In visual form, they look like a standard family tree, but instead of names of individuals, the tree is made up of SNPs. For a paternal line, the SNPs are Y-DNA SNPS, and this Y-DNA tree is called a Y-DNA Haplotree. Embedded in a Y-DNA Haplotree is the history, through time and place, of a male lineage.

Again, the Y-DNA Haplotree, or SNP progression, for the West Yorkshire Beaumonts is: R1b > R-M269 > R-L23 > R-L151 > R-P312 > R-Z290 > R-L21 > R-DF13 > R-Z39589 > R-FGC35996 > R-BY9003 > R-BY81032 > R-BY115264 > R-A18420.

• R1b-M269 is the most common European haplogroup (100 million modern individuals) with increasing frequency from east (Poland 22.7%) to west (Wales 92.3%).[1] It formed about 10,000 years ago. [2]

• R-L21 is associated with the Early Bronze Age in Britain and Ireland. Its introduction was part of a large genetic transformation associated with the Bell Beaker culture, which largely replaced Britain's earlier Neolithic population. [3] [4] So, the Beaumont Haplotree is Celtic, or the people who migrated from the Continent to the British Isles during the Bronze Age. The Y-DNA of Celts is still present in the British Isles, with especially strong representation in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and northwest England. [5]

Archaeological Finds

FTDNA’s “Discover Haplogroup Reports” provides a summary of archaeological finds relevant to this paternal line that appear in peer-reviewed research. FTDNA is continuously updating the “Discover” page with new archaeological findings, but currently the finds include SNPs that are part of the Beaumont Haplotree, including R-Z39589, R-FGC35996 and R-BY9003.

• R-Z39589’s paternal line was formed when it branched from the ancestor R-DF13 and the rest of mankind around 2500 BCE. It is associated with the Bell Beaker culture named after the inverted-bell beaker drinking vessel used during the early Bronze Age.

• R-FGC35996’s paternal line was formed when it branched from the ancestor R-Z39589 and the rest of mankind around 2450 BCE. The man who is the most recent common ancestor of this line is estimated to have been born around 2300 BCE.

• R-BY9003's paternal line was formed when it branched off from the ancestor R-FGC35996 and the rest of mankind around 2250 BCE. The man who is the most recent common ancestor of this line is estimated to have been born around 1900 BCE. There are currently 76 DNA tested descendants at FTDNA, with concentrations in Western Scotland and Wales. [6]

	R-Z39589	R-FGC35996	R-BY9003
Bronze Age 2500- 800 BCE	Yarnton 2445 2325-2040 BCE Yarnton, Oxfordshire Rodean Crescent 14553  1954-1749 BCE Rodean Crescent, Sussex Inchagreenoge 134 1270-1040 BCE Inchagreenoge, Limerick, Ireland
Iron Age  800 BCE-43 CE	Bottle Knap 27382 774-540 BCE Bottle Knap, Dorset Stockbridge 17260 800-400 BCE Stockbridge, Hampshire Harlyn Bay 16380 800-43 BCE Harlyn Bay, Cornwall North Berwick 16499 337-43 BCE East Lothian, Scotland Howe 2799 152 BCE-65 CE Orkney Islands, Scotland Ballyglass Middle 44 80-420 CE Kiltullagh Hill, Mayo, Ireland	Thornholme 22062 50 BCE-116 CE  Thornholme, East Riding of Yorkshire	Kent 19909  381-197 BCE Kent, England
Roman Era 43-410 CE	Driffield 18 100-400 CE Driffield Terrace, York
Viking Age 800-1050 CE	Birsay 78 54-668 CE Brough Road, Orkney, Scotland

Table 3. Selected archaeological finds summarized in FTDNA’s “Discover Haplogroups Reports.” [7]

There are many more archaeological finds listed in “Discover” resource. Given the age of these finds, and the fact that they are so widespread in the British Isles, it’s difficult to say much more about these except they are cousins of the Beaumonts and clearly Brythonic Celts.

The surname “Beaumont,” on the other hand, is French. It harkens back to origins in Normandy, before the Conquest. The next section focuses on the Beaumont family after the Conquest and before its appearance in Yorkshire as well as its connection to Normandy.

Before Yorkshire

The Beaumont surname project documents, in detail, the West Yorkshire branch of the Beaumonts. It starts with William de Bellomonte/Beaumont (fl. 1194-1227) and continues to the present day. The next phase of this research will try to determine the location of William’s family before West Yorkshire.

More than a hundred years passed between the Battle of Hastings (1066) and William’s land grant near Huddersfield, Yorkshire (c. 1205). This gap translates into three or four generations.

Since Y-DNA contains hints about the historic time and place of a paternal line, the work already completed has implications for the time period before the Beaumont presence in Yorkshire. There may be gaps in the historical record, but there are no gaps in the Y-DNA tree.

To review, the Y-DNA tree of the West Yorkshire Beaumonts is: R1b > R-M269 > R-L23 > R-L151 > R-P312 > R-Z290 > R-L21 > R-DF13 > R-Z39589 > R-FGC35996 > R-BY9003 > R-BY81032  > R-BY115264 > R-A18420.

Assuming that SNP R-A18420 (1050 CE plus or minus 200 years) evolved in West Yorkshire, that means SNP R-BY115264 (1000 CE) evolved earlier than 1194 CE, which is the date of the first historical record associated with William (fl. 1194-1227). Besides the West Yorkshire Beaumonts, two additional individuals share SNP R-BY115264 as their terminal SNP: Benfield, B98833, and Flavel, 935316.[8] 

Benfield (Gamble), B98833

Virtually all Benfield’s Y-DNA matches are Beaumonts. His closest STR match is a “Genetic Distance of 10 at the Y-111 test level,” which suggests a shared common paternal line ancestor who was, with a 95% probability, born between 800 and 1600 CE. The most likely year is rounded to 1250 CE. This date is an estimate based on genetic information only.”

Benfield also shares SNP R-BY115264. FTDNA dates R-BY115264 to a “man who is the most recent common ancestor of this line is estimated to have been born around 1000 CE” -- plus or minus 200 years. SNP dating is more accurate than STR dating and there is a range associated with it because SNP mutations are random and can span multiple generations, so this is a ballpark figure.

Benfield, #B98833, has a family history that goes back to the 1500s with the surname Gamble (male line) in Rougham and West Acre, Norfolk. Castle Acre, Rougham, and West Acre are very close to Kerdiston, Norfolk. So, one possibility is that the origin of this paternal line came from the Norfolk Beaumonts, i.e. the family of Godfrey de Bellomonte (fl.1090).

While not listed in the Domesday Book, Godfrey gave tithes at Fulking to Lewes (East Sussex)[9] and tithes of Kerdiston to Castle Acre (Norfolk).[10] Castle Acre priory was a cell of the Lewes priory. Godfrey’s chief lord was William de Warenne, but Kerdiston was likely held under Ralph de Chesney (Quesnay). This would make Godfrey a third-tier individual in the Norman hierarchy. There is a complicated but solid Yorkshire connection here, too.

William de Warenne was known to have fought under William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings. Domesday records show that he held land in 13 English counties, including the Rape of Lewes, Sussex; the major manor of Conisbrough, Yorkshire; and Castle Acre, Norfolk, which became his headquarters or caput. In Yorkshire, the Warenne honour actually overlapped the honour of Pontefract.

In 1193 CE, Robert de Lacy, 5th Baron of Pontefract, died with no children. His wife was Isabella de Warenne, daughter of earl Hamelin de Warenne (1130-1202). In 1194, assuming the surname de Lacy, Roger (1170–1211), Constable of Chester and 7th Baron of Halton, inherited the honour of Pontefract from Robert. In the same year, we find William de Bellomonte/Beaumont (fl. 1194-1227) in Roger’s inner circle.

There are no historical records that place William in the service of Roger before 1194. There are no historical records that associate William, or a Beaumont family, with Halton, Cheshire, or Lancashire, which was Roger’s turf either. However, in West Yorkshire, there was already a Beaumont, Godfrey (fl. 1206-1234), Constable of Sandal, who was associated with the Warenne honour. Sandal Castle[11] is a mere 10 miles from Huddersfield. The geographic proximity shouldn’t be downplayed.

In this theory, Godfrey de Bellomonte (fl. 1206-1234) was a grandson (degree unknown) of Godfrey (fl. 1090). William (fl. 1194-1227), then, could have also been a legitimate or illegitimate grandson (degree unknown) of Godfrey (fl. 1090), making him a cousin or a brother of Godfrey (fl. 1206-1234). It is difficult to piece together an exact family tree from this era with no birth, marriage, death, or census records. But the association with the Warenne Honour and the surname make the connection.

The relationship between Roger (1170-1211) and William may have been one of convenience – William being available in the right place (Yorkshire) at the right time (1194). It could have been an advantageous relationship for the Warennes, too, as a way of looking after their interests in the area. Roger may also have sought out an independent “soldier” as a companion as he entered a new environment with a well-established group of elites. Maybe all three motives were in play.

Flavel, 935316

Virtually all of Flavel’s Y-DNA matches are Beaumonts. His closest STR match is a “Genetic Distance of 8 at the Y-111 test level,” which suggests a shared common paternal line ancestor who was, with a 95% probability, born between 1100 and 1700 CE.” The date 1100 is probably closer to being correct. He also shares SNP R-BY115264 from a Big-Y test.

Flavell reports that his oldest-known male ancestor was Thomas Flavel, born in 1829 and married in Antrim, Ireland. It is known that Armagh was populated by English settlers during the Plantation of Ireland, which began in the early 1600s under King James I, but the English Kings had been trying to subdue Northern Ireland for centuries before that.

Flavell is a rare surname, so would it be possible to find a Flavell in England who was related? A simple count of births and marriages was done for the surname Flavel (16th century England based on an Ancestry search). The Flavells had an early presence in the Midlands, specifically, the counties surrounding Birmingham, England. The highest concentration of 16th century Flavells was recorded in Warwickshire, with ten Flavell marriages and thirteen Flavell baptisms.[12] Just as important, the surname Flavell is absent from 16th century birth or marriage records in Devon or Norfolk, where it is known that 12th century Beaumont families lived. The are no 16th century Flavells in Yorkshire either.

Flavell, IN142108, completed a Y-DNA test. His family goes back to the 1500s in Staffordshire, England. His DNA test revealed a rare Haplogroup, G-M201.

This negative correlation between Flavel, 935316, and Flavell, IN142108, suggests a parental event that occurred in Northern Ireland rather than England. Again, there is an Ireland connection to the Norfolk Beaumonts -- Robert de Bellomonte (fl.1210-1216 ), another grandson (degree unknown) of Godfrey (fl. 1090).

In July 1210, at Carrickfergus, Ireland,[13] Robert was taken prisoner by King John King John (1166-1216), who was intent on subduing several recalcitrant barons there. In this complicated story, William de Braose had fled to Carrickfergus.[14] He was sheltered by William Marshall, lord of Leinster and earl of Pembroke, who was exiled in Ireland. Robert was in service to one of the barons there, perhaps de Braose.

In 1214-15, “The K. to his bailiffs and faithful subjects. On the petition of John Marshall has pardoned Robert de Beaumont, taken in the castle of Carrickfergus. Protection for him. Cirencester.[15] 

In 1216, at the siege of Framlingham Castle (Norfolk, England),[16] Robert was stated to be kinsman and intended hostage for William Lenveise, but he died soon after and was replaced.[17]  

Needle in a Haystack

There is some benefit in describing the Beaumont not related to the Yorkshire Beaumonts:

The de Brienne Beaumonts started using the name “Beaumont” with Henry (1270-1340), a younger son of Louis de Brienne and Agnes. Agnes was the heiress of the Vicomtes of Maine, who took their name from Beaumont-sur-Sarthe. Being a younger son, Henry did not have an inheritance, which explains why he went to England and served Edward I in the campaign to conquer Scotland. In this case, the surname Beaumont comes from Henry’s mother, so the de Brienne Beaumonts are not paternally related to the various branches of Beaumont found in Devon, Yorkshire, Norfolk, Warwickshire, or Leicestershire. That said, it is possible that there are living males with the surname Beaumont from the de Brienne line.

Roger de Beaumont ( -1094) was one of two Beaumont families mentioned in the Domesday Book. He was a powerful Norman nobleman. He had at least two sons: 1) Robert de Beaumont ( -1118), 1st Earl of Leicester, and 2) Henry ( -1119), 1st Earl of Warwick. Robert fought at the Battle of Hastings -- one of the few known companions of the Duke. This was at the highest level of Norman hierarchy, much higher than the Yorkshire Beaumonts ever were. For that reason alone, a relationship is unlikely. Furthermore, the family stopped using the surname Beaumont was they arrived in England. The moniker was used later by medieval historians. The male line of the family went extinct in the 13th century, but Thomas  (1229-1242), the great great grandson of Henry, was buried at the Collegiate Church of St. Mary, Warwick, which provides the highest probability of finding DNA.

Robert de Beaumont (fl. 1089) is another Beaumont mentioned in the Domesday Book. He was lord over “the peasants” in Ashford, Landcross, Shirwell, Whitestone, Loxhore and Lower Loxhore (Devon). He “paid tax to the tenant-in-chief (Baldwin the Sheriff).” (See Appendix 2.) He is often confused with Robert, 1st Earl of Leicester. To no avail, numerous attempts were made to find an individual who matched the Beaumont Y-DNA and also had an early presence in Devon. The male line of the Devon Beaumonts went extinct in the 16th century. Family members were buried at St. Peter’s Church, Shirwell, Devon. And the last of the male line was Hugh Beaumont ( -1507).

Beaumonts in Normandy

There is a large time gap in the historical records for Benfield and Flavel. Also, in truth, there is no definitive test to answer the questions, “Is the shared ancestor a Beaumont? Or a Benfield? Or a Flavell? But taking all the evidence together, the balance of probabilities points toward a paternal connection to the Beaumonts.[18] This analysis is very complicated. It will never be black and white with 100% certainty, and future DNA testing might offer new insights. However, it is the best theory currently available. It isn’t totally conjecture and coincidence either because it is based on Y-DNA SNPs.

A SNP is a permanent mutation that occurs in a single individual. That individual starts a new branch of a male lineage. No other human being on earth except our common male ancestor would have SNP R-BY115264. So, a single male with SNP R-BY115264 started the branch that includes Benfield, Flavell, and all the Yorkshire Beaumonts. With the highest level of probability, there is a shared paternal ancestor between Benfield, Flavel, and the Beaumonts in spite of the mismatch of surnames. And the best theory available at the moment is that Godfrey de Bellomonte/Beaumont (fl.1090) is the common ancestor. All three branches have been associated with a grandson of Godfrey in the appropriate timeframe and at the appropriate location. If correct, it leads to speculation of the origin place of the Beaumonts in Normandy.

William de Warenne ( -1088) was among the few known to have fought under William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings. He held extensive lands in 13 counties according to the Domesday Book. He was born in Varenne, Normandy. Also, Ralph de Chesney (Quesnay) was from Quesnay, Normandy, leading to speculation that Beaumont-le-Hareng was the origin place of the Norfolk Beaumonts.[19]

If the Beaumonts came to England from Normandy, and they are Brythonic Celt Y-DNA, how does this this mesh with the fact that Vikings were the dominant culture in Normandy after 900 CE?

Actually, the Celts inhabited Normandy between the Bronze Age and the Roman occupation, predating the Normans. So, one possibility is that the family was already in Normandy when the Vikings arrived.

The Romans conquered Normandy in 56 BCE and called it Gallia Lugdunensis. After the fall of Rome in the 5th century, the Franks became the dominant ethnic group in the area. It is also important to remember that, with pressure from the Anglo Saxon in England, Britons migrated to Brittany, France. Their territorial control reached North, into the Cotentin, and perhaps further. Again, maybe the Beaumonts were already in Normandy before the Vikings arrived.

The Vikings Northwest France in the 8th century and devastated it in the late 9th century. Once settled there, they continued to battle the Franks and the Bretons of Brittany, but they also intermarried to assimilate and formed various alliances to make peace. In the end, Normandy was a hodgepodge of different people. Thinking differently is an oversimplification. This is especially true with regard to Y-DNA Haplogroups. For one, all Scandinavians are not all of the same Haplogroup. Four distinct Haplogroups (I1a, R1b3, R1a1, and N3) account for about 80% of Scandinavian men.[20]

The rhetoric of the Norman period emphasized a common history and ethnicity, however. Chronicles of the time spoke of “one bloodline under the Dukes,” or “Danish-born,” or “speaking the language of Old Norse.” Fraser McNair suggests that this was political rhetoric to essentially “rally the troops,” citing the fact, for instance, that “Ralph of Ivry[21] … would be a good person to have a duke-focused idea of what being Norman actually entailed … he was Richard I’s half-brother, and therefore closely tied to a family that emphasized its Scandinavian blood. But he was not biologically Scandinavian at all: his mother, Sprota, was Breton, and his father, … Esperleng, was Frankish.” [22] Furthermore, if Sprota was a Briton, and if she was William’s great, great grandmother, then Willima was part Briton.

In the end, the only real constant in all of the evidence is that a “Norman” was a person who obeyed the duke and was ready to raise his sword in battle to support him. It seems, in a warrior society, the sword was one’s passport. When he invaded England in 1066, if fact, William, Duke of Normandy, brought 7,000 men with him. One-third identified as Frankish. Another third identified as Bretons and were led by Alan of Richmond.

So, did the Beaumont paternal line sail with the Vikings before their presence in Normandy? It is known that, over an extended period of time, Vikings came into contact with Celts throughout the British Isles, including England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.[23] The Vikings and Celts fought each other, but they also coexisted and made alliances. And the genomics of the Viking world shows that they assimilated other people, intermarrying with them, too. [24] 

Conclusion

The Normans brought significant political and social change to England. Their feudal system was heavily male dominated. As a result, a family could advance itself by simply producing sons. The more the better. Y-DNA is particularly good at identifying male lineages, especially Y-DNA SNPs.

The Y-DNA and the archaeological data is clear. The Beaumonts were Brythonic Celts. They lived in England as early as the Bronze Age, displacing earlier Neolithic populations. Somehow, the Beaumonts ended up in France, where they adopted the surname. After the Conquest, one branch of the family was awarded land in England, and the family grew from there.

The surname makes its first appearance in the Domesday Book as well as other post-Conquest historical records -- well before the widespread adoption of surnames. By the mid-1500s, when church records began, Beaumonts can be found in virtually every county of England. By the first Census of England, in 1841, there were nearly 5,500 Beaumont living in England with more than half of those living in Yorkshire.

While the focus of the surname project began with West Yorkshire Beaumonts, it now demonstrates that, if one shares the surname, or some variation of it, and if one matches Y-STRs at virtually any level of testing, there is a 95 percent probability of a shared paternal ancestor. Also, a shared SNP, regardless of the surname, produces a high probability of a shared paternal ancestor. Finally, Godfrey de Bellomonte/Beaumont (fl.1090) of Norfolk, England, was likely the first identifiable male in this paternal line to appear in England’s recorded history. And his family likely originated in Beaumont-le-Hareng, France.

The End

Appendix 1: William's Documents

Part 1: Medieval Origins of West Yorkshire Beaumonts

References:

[1] Wikipedia. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haplogroup_R-M269. Accessed June 2022.

[2] Wikipedia. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haplogroup_R-M269. Accessed Dec. 2023.

[3] Wikipedia. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haplogroup_R-L21. Accessed Dec. 2023.

[4] Patterson, N., Isakov, M., Booth, T. et al. 2022. “Large-scale migration into Britain during the Middle to Late Bronze Age.” Nature. 601: 588–594 ... https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-04287-4

[5] The Anglo-Saxon invasion, starting in the 5th century, caused a dilution of Celtic Y-DNA in southeast England.

[6] Family Tree DNA. n.d. https://discover.familytreedna.com/y-dna/R-BY9003/story. Accessed Dec. 2023.

[7] FTDNA n.d. https://discover.familytreedna.com/y-dna/R-FT377591/ancient Accessed December 2024.

[8] Because of surname difference, FTDNA’s Big-Y test was used for comparison. Not only does FTDNA’s Y-DNA database large, but its Big-Y test is highly robust in that it determines permanent Y-DNA mutations (SNPs). Sharing a SNP indicates a common paternal ancestor with high probability, aiding in identifying relatives beyond surname barriers.

[9] Farrer, William. Honors and Knights’ Fees. Manchester, 1925. Volume III, Honour of Warenne. Page 310.

[10] Edward M. Beaumont. Beaumont Archives Blog. https://beaumontarchives.blogspot.com/2015/06/beaumonts-of-norfolk-suffolk-first.html.

[11] Google Maps. n.d. https://maps.app.goo.gl/pVEVcFibxUykt7Vp6. Accessed February 2025.

[12] Ancestry. n.d. https://www.ancestry.com/search/categories/34/?name=_Flavel*&event=_Warwickshire-England-United+Kingdom_5288&location=3257.3250&priority=english&record_f=1500-1599&searchMode=advanced. Accessed December 2024.

[13] Google Maps. n.d. https://maps.app.goo.gl/D66rEQWcWfprRkid6. Accessed February 2025.

[14] MacKay, Ronan, contributor. Dictionary of Irish Biography. https://www.dib.ie/biography/braose-briouze-briouse-william-de-a0902. Accessed February 2025.

[15] Sweetman, H.S., editor. Calendar of Documents Pertaining to Ireland: 1171-1251. London, 1875. Page 534. Original: Hardy, T.D., editor. Rotuli Litterarum Patentium in Turri Londinensi Asservati. 1835. 16 John, p.1, m7.

[16] Google Maps. n.d. https://maps.app.goo.gl/4Za67hsDmc7MNSSC9. Accessed February 2025.

[17] Rotuli Litterarum Clausarum. i. 254b, 259

[18] Benfield and Flavel are not very close STR matches. They don’t match at Y-111, and their match at Y-67 is a Genetic Distance of 6 steps., which suggests a Beaumont as a more likely progenitor.

[19] Google Maps. n.d. https://maps.app.goo.gl/TnVdW54Qu5osT2wF9. Accessed February 2025.

[20] Karlsson, A., Wallerström, T., Götherström, A. et al. “Y-chromosome diversity in Sweden – A long-time perspective.” European Journal of Human Genetics volume 14, pages963–970 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejhg.5201651 

[21] Ralph was the son of Eperleng Sprota. But Sprota was also the mother of Richard I of Normandy by William I, Duke of Normandy, making Rodolf the Duke's half-brother. When Richard died in 996, Ralph took effective power during the minority of his nephew, Richard II of Normandy, alongside the boy's mother, Gunnor. Wikipedia n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodulf_of_Ivry. Accessed December 2024.

[22] McNair, Fraser. “The politics of being Norman in the reign of Richard the Fearless, Duke of Normandy (r. 942–996).” Early Medieval Europe, 2015 23 (3).

[23] Kneale, Alastair. 2013. “Celts and Vikings - Scandinavian Influences on the Celtic Nations.” Transceltic. https://www.transceltic.com/pan-celtic/celts-and-vikings-scandinavian-influences-celtic-nations#:. Accessed January 2023.

[24] Margaryan, A., Lawson, D.J., Sikora, M. et al. 2020. “Population Genomics of the Viking World.” Nature. 585, pp. 390–396 ... https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2688-8