In early 2018, I established a Y-DNA study. This has a number of aims

Firstly, it is hoped that this will confirm the link between the two branches of the Berkshire line. The proximity of Buckland and Hinton Waldrist combined with the evidence of a will suggest that they share a common ancestor in the early sixteenth century.

Much research has been done of the Kentish Southby line, but this has hit a brick wall in the mid eighteenth century. It is hoped that Y-DNA will reveal any link with the Berkshire line.

Thirdly, any link between Southby  and possible alternate spellings such as Sotheby will be explored.

Finally, since the American branch of the Kentish line uses the name Surby, it is hoped that it may be possible to make a comparison with recent Scandinavian-origin Surby families.

So far nine people have been tested.

Two are from the Hinton Waldrist branch of the Berkshire line with a most recent common ancestor married in Heckfield in 1765 and born in Hinton in 1737.

They had an exact Y-DNA match despite their most recent common ancestor being seven and eight generations back.

One tester from the Buckland branch of the Berkshire line can trace his ancestry back fourteen generations to the early 1500’s.

His test result fell outside the range normally considered a match with the Hinton result, but a study of the actual mutations showed a 64 pct probability of a common ancestor within sixteen generations and a 93 pct probability of a common ancestor within twenty-four generations. These two branches are therefore definitely connected, but possibility a little most distantly than previously thought.

Two testers from the Sevenoaks Southby line have a  most recent common ancestor, seven generations back, married in Little Chart in 1750.

They had results showing that they were not related, suggesting that somewhere in one of their lines the father of record was not the biological father, due to factors such as adoption.

However, one had a result that was very close to the one from Hinton Waldrist. It showed that there is a 81 pct probability of a common ancestor within ten generations and a 98 pct probability of a common ancestor within sixteen generations. 

Testers from the North American Surby branch, the Surbey branch and another Southby showed that the Sevenoaks line is definitely connected to the Hinton Waldrist branch of the Berkshire line with a common ancestor in the 1500’s or early 1600’s. Revisiting my records to see if I could spot the connection, a Henry Southby or Surby, born in Longworth in 1618, but a citizen and Clothworker of London when he died in 1665, looks a good candidate. 

The most recent tester can trace his ancestry back six generations to Longworth in the late 1750’s. This ancestor could be a first cousin of the Southby married in Heckfield in 1765.

His result showed an 82 pct probability of a common ancestor with the Hinton branch within ten generations and a 98 pct probability of a common ancestor within sixteen generations.

This means that the two ancestors could be the first cousins both born in Hinton Waldrist in 1737 and with a grandfather born in Hinton in 1644.                     

I am now starting to look for any connection with similar names such as Sotheby