About the JOHN PATRICK LEA family from PLANTAGENET to POCAHONTAS, two sides of the Atlantic
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Welcome to the genealogical and historical website of John Patrick Lea, Lord of Lea, Shropshire, United Kingdom and of Austin, Texas, United States of America. This site is dedicated to Anne "Annie" Jane LEA nee MILROY, AMERICAN MATRIARCH, of Liverpool, Lancashire, England and Ingleside-on-the-Bay, San Patricio County, Texas,
United States of America, and her husband, William LEA, of The Argoed and Lightwood Hall farms, Overton-on-Dee, Flintshire, Wales and Liverpool, Lancashire, England. As it stands, much research remains which may take the better part of two to three generations of people to complete. However, I remain confident that someone (or
better yet, several someones) will assume the honor and responsibility of volunteer by default as family genealogist and historical guru upon my demise, transferable white cotton mantle (one size fits all) and serpentine crozier with lion head included at no charge. It is very important to note that through much original research in England, Wales, Scotland, France, and Ireland that the conclusion has been reached that a
high probability exists that we are descended from Warin de Bailleul (Balliol), first Sheriff of Shropshire following the Norman Conquest of England in AD1066 and his son Hugh the Monk. Please see "Sheriffs of Shropshire" by the Reverend John Brickdale Blakeway.
Since, at this time, we can only trace the surname through the parish registers back to about AD1600, it is only by conjecture of physical location of all Lea family members extending out from the town of Ellesmere, Shropshire (and Lega or Lee of Ellesmere) that leads one to that conclusion. Further documentation from wills, records of the court, lawsuits, et al will be necessary to absolutely tie this connection down. For now, we trudge onward through the fog. It may eventually turn out that we are not descended from the High Sheriffs at all and that we just acquired the name as a result of where we lived. However, for the time being, based on demographics of proven Lea family members as well as three very close matches in DNA results for
members of the Corbin (Corbet) family, I admonish any family members continuing this research to follow the same tack until proven otherwise.
It is also my belief that Warin had a daughter who married into the Ducs of Brittany in about AD1050 prior to the
Conquest. This is supported by the act that Warin gave the tithes of the Church of Saint Cyr du Bailleul in Normandy to some monks in Brittany in 1050 which was much opposed by his son Hugh...so much, in fact, that Hugh sued his father over same. However, Duke William ruled in favor of Warin and life went on.
Additionally, I believe Warin was responsible for building the original structure at Arundel in Sussex prior
to being appointed Shire Reeve in Salop in AD1071. Warin probably constructed Hen Domen near Montgomery in
Wales as well as the first wooden castle in Shrewsbury. In AD1086 at the time of the compilation
of the Domesday Book, Warin was deceased and his brother, Reginald de Bailleul, was Sheriff. There is a definite connection with the Fitz Alan clan which was possibly established through the marriage of the daughter of Warin and a Fitz Alan while the families were still in France. The first family crest of record shows a red background with silver billets (building bricks) and a checked fess crossing the middle of alternating gold
and azure (the Fitz Alan, I presume). It was borne by Reginald de Lea, High Sheriff of Shropshire in AD1201.
Lega (now Lee), a member of Ellesmere,
was given early by Warin or Reginald
to the
monks of Shrewsbury Abbey. It is from
this place that the high probability
exists
that we obtained our surname. Hugh,
son of Warin, had a son who styled
himself Hugh
de Lega. At the time of Domesday,
Reginald de Bailleul (brother of
Warin) held 70
manors in Shropshire alone...not to
mention several in Sussex and
Staffordshire.
As of January of 2011, research
regarding members of DNA Haplogroup I1
(our own Lea family) states
the following: The most recent common
ancestor (MRCA) of I1 lived from 4,000
to 6,000 years ago
somewhere in the far northern part of
Europe, perhaps Denmark, according to
Ken Nordtvedt of
Montana State University. His
descendants are primarily found among
the Germanic populations of
northern Europe and the bordering
Uralic and Celtic populations,
although even in traditionally
German demographics I1 is overshadowed
by the more prevalent Haplogroup R.
When SNPs (Single Nucleotide
Polymorphisms) are unknown or
untested, and when short tandem repeat
(STR) results show eight allele
repeats at DNA Y chromosome Segment
(DYS) 455, haplogroup I1 can
be predicted correctly with a very
high rate of accuracy, 99.3 to 99.8
percent, according to Whit
Athey and Vince Vizachero. This is
almost exclusive to and ubiquitous in
the I1 haplogroup, with
very few having seven, nine, or
another number. Furthermore, DYS 462
divides I1 geographically.
Nordtvedt considers 12 allele repeats
to be more likely Anglo-Saxon and on
the southern fringes of
the I1 map, while 13 signifies more
northerly, Nordic origins. Nordtvedt
has repeatedly argued
that, at least for I1,[13] SNP testing
is generally not as beneficial as
expanded STR results.
Much has been hashed over and written
about the famous General Robert E. Lee
of the
Confederate States of America.
Through DNA, it has been positively
established that
we share a most common recent
ancestor. However, it must be pointed
out that the
connection, although a possibility in
Shropshire, has a much higher
probability of
happening prior to the surname being
Lea or Lee since there is a difference
of 2
alleles at the DYS388 marker. Our Lea
family is at 16 and the ancestors of
REL in
Virginia are at 14. Since this marker
reportedly only mutates every 2,000
years or
so, one can only surmise that it would
be highly unlikely we would be kin in
Shropshire under the current line of
thinking by DNA experts.
In fact, the only members of the
Lea/Leigh/Lee families in currently
available DNA
studies conducted thus far with whom
we share a common ancestor within the
past 800
years spell their name Lee. The fact
remains that out of several hundred
people
submitting DNA samples to the various
studies, there are only a handful of
people
with the Lea/Lee/Leigh surname who are
our immediate kinfolk in the past 800
years or
so. The remainder of the Lea/Leigh/Lee
folks have absolutely nothing in
common with
our Lea family aside from the fact
that we share a common surname. Our
nearest
common ancestor with most of the other
people with the surname Lee/Leigh/Lea
would be
10,000 years ago or more...at the very
least, 9,150 years before the surname
of Lea
came into existence.
Keep a watchful eye on DYS388=16 and
DYS455=8 should you become involved in
any DNA study as a
Lea, Lee, or Leigh. It should be noted
at this point there are many people
with other
surnames such as Pugh (ap Hugh..son of
Hugh), Voyles (welsh for bald), or
Hoskins with whom we
share a most recent common ancestor
than with other people having the
surname Lea, Lee, or Leigh.
Additionally, all of these folks have
matching markers to include DYS388=16
and DYS455=8. Having
conducted over 30 years of original
research in Shropshire, Flintshire and
surrounding counties,
many of the surnames possessing
similar DNA match-ups look very
familiar to me, but I cannot
necessarily say just exactly where we
and they fit into the family tree at
this time.
However, I do belive that Pugh or ap
Hugh is descended from Hugh, son of
Warin, first High Sheriff
of Shropshire in 1071CE. Also, since
Volyes is the welsh word for bald, I
am convinced that
people with a matching DNA to ours are
descended from Warin the Bald, Sheriff
in 1071CE.
To revert to Warin the Sheriff...prior
to his venture into England and Wales,
Warin
resided in Normandy, France at a place
called Bailleul near Bailleul-en-
Gouffern. The moat for
the house (now a horse pasture) still
remains just to the left (as you face
it) of the
church. Reginald, his brother, lived
not too far from there. Warin, along
with
Corbet the Norman, and Picot de Sai
were the three advisors to Roger de
Montgomery
who lived at Exmes, just a few
kilometers to the southeast of
Bailleul-en-Gouffern.
Additionally, there is a Knights
Templar Commandery and a church just a
couple of
kilometers away at Villideu-les-
Bailleul. In 1990 I visited there for
the first
time. The bells in the church tower
(which was locked, unoccupied, and had
no
electricity) started clanging wildly
and randomly for several minutes....so
much so
that the elderly french gentleman who
lived in the large stately home next
door came
out to see what was going on. He had
lived there for 40 years and had never
heard
the bells ring. For the record,
Bailleul-en-Gouffern was just two or
three hours by
horseback to the castle at Falaise,
the home of the Norman Ducs.
On another trip to England and Wales
in 2001 with my two sons, Justin and
Braxton,
Braxton discoverd a stone in the moat
surrouning the ancient site of Hen
Domen. It
was marked with an ogham character for
the Rowan tree which is symbolic as to
protect
the cattle from harm.
In regards to DNA and migration
patterns, it has been established that
the Lea family
of northern Shropshire and the
detached part of Flintshire, Wales (or
Maelor) were
part of the Norman group who joined
with William the Bastard in his
conquering of
England at the Battle of Hastings in
AD1066. Some report, because of our
DNA, we are
descended from the Tribe of Dan. We
are members of Haplogroup I1 which
originated in northern France about
25,000 years ago and then spread over
into the
Scandinavian countries, most
specifically in our case, Norway or
Denmark, a part of Haplogroup
I1a, the Vikings. Haplogroup I1 is
derived from Haplogroup F which
originated
approximately 45,000 years ago in
Africa. Haplogroup I1 of which we are
a part came
forth out of the second migration out
of Africa and is the parent of most
non-African
Y-chromosomes. Haplogroup F goes even
further back into and slightly further
south
in Africa to approximately 65,000
years to one male referred to as Y-
chromosome Adam.
Although he was not the only male
living at the time, he is only one to
have a
lineage on the earth today.
At this juncture, I would like to
highly recommend that you participate
in a DNA
study. If you so choose, you may
remain totally anonymous, only
referring to you as
a member number only.
Many companies can serve you in this
capacity, but from what I know, I
would choose
Family Tree DNA out of Houston, Texas.
Their website is at:
http://www.familytreedna.com/Default.a
spx?c=1 Additionally, there is a
specific
study for Lee/Lea/Leigh. My number
within the Lee/Lea/Leigh study at
FTDNA is 98588.
Follow the trail of the serpent et
illegitimi non carborundum.
Once again, thank you for visiting and
yall come back now.
Please sign the Guest Book.
P.S. For a little light poetry
reading, please visit
http://www.thegreatillusion.com/
Cheers |