Beaumont DNA

Editorial Note – The HDFHS July 2024 Journal contains a piece entitled “Y- DNA Origins of the Beaumonts” by Gary Beaumont. This companion piece offers more detail of the DNA study using a one-name approach, aiming to tie together living individuals who share a common y-DNA profile. Given that y-DNA is passed from father to son with very little mutation over time, a paternal line  can be established over many generations. The work described here uses the results of a site and process managed by Family Tree DNA (FTDNA), who hold the largest database of y-DNA for genealogcal purposes. If you have male Beaumonts in your family, consider joining the project and expanding our knowledge.

The Medieval Origins of West Yorkshire Beaumonts

By Gary Beaumont, March 2024

History is recorded in the Y-DNA of living males, so this story starts with living males and goes back a thousand year and more. By combining the results of a Y-DNA surname study (Ref. 1) and the historic paper trail, a powerful story emerges that describes the travel through time and place of the Beaumont family – from roaming the North Sea, settling in Normandy, finding their place in Norman England, and finally establishing themselves in West Yorkshire, England. Furthermore, it suggests that William de Bellomonte/Beaumont (c. 1170-c. 1230) is the likely progenitor of many, but certainly not all, modern-day Beaumonts with roots centred around Huddersfield, England. 

The Y-DNA of William is unavailable, but his history lives on in the DNA of his descendant — Edward M. Beaumont. Edward is a distant relative of Richard H. Beaumont (1749-1810) (RHB), who held the Whitley estate in his lifetime and was in possession of the earliest family documents. These documents allowed RHB to create a family tree starting with William de Bellomonte/Beaumont, who arrived in West Yorkshire under the patronage of the Constable of Chester, or Roger de Lacy (c.1165-1211), a well-known baron of that era who inherited the Honour of Pontefract in 1194 CE. 

RHB was familiar with the work of the antiquary Roger Dodsworth (c.1585-1654) (Ref. 2), who had visited Whitley Hall in 1629 and made notes from the deeds there, most of which were still in RHB’s possession. Subsequently, some of these deeds were deposited at Huddersfield Library, but they are now at West Yorkshire Archive Service (Ref. 3). Also, some original Beaumont papers are in the Bodleian Libraries, Oxford (Ref. 4).

Table 1, below , shows the male lineage of William deBellomonte/Beaumont (Refs. 6, 7). Working from the opposite end of the time scale, this is also Edward M. Beaumont’s male lineage, including his connection to the Whitley Beaumonts. The table is complicated and explanatory notes are in order:

1. Table abbreviations: d.= died, c.= circa, fl. = flourished, and d.s.p.= died without issue
2. The table shows a continuous male line from William de Bellomonte/Beaumont (WBB) to EMB, but obviously this is not proof of a continuous male line. A Y-DNA sample from WBB that matches EMB would be the ultimate proof.
3. Generally, the information in the table comes from publicly available, published sources. The older information is less reliable and is associated with fewer corroborating historical records.
4. The table shows EMB’s relationship with RHB, most recently through Frances Beaumont (1704-1735), and earlier through common male ancestors, which includes WBB through Henry (c. 1335-1400).
5. The table is incomplete. For instance, only two women are included. Non-inheriting sons, for the most part, are not included.
6. In column 1, the tree does not continue after Thomas (1724-1783) who began the branch of the Allendale Beaumonts.
7. In Column 2, the line continues after RHB. First, his brother, John (1752-1820), inherited. John’s son, Charles (1777-1813), died before his father, so Charles’ son, Richard Henry (1805-1857), inherited. This Richard Henry passed the Whitley estate to his godson, Henry F. Beaumont (1833-1913), a descendant of Thomas (1724-1783) in column 1 and a cousin of EMB.
8. Column 3 does not continue after Richard Beaumont (1574-1631) who died without a male heir. He was succeeded by Thomas Beaumont (1606-1668) from column 2.
9. The property holdings of this family grew over time. William de Bellomonte II (fl. 1230) married Elizabeth Foss. She inherited Crosland, so it came to Beaumonts. He also acquired Whitley in 1230 CE.
10. William de Beaumont III (fl. 1298) gave land in Huddersfield, Crosland Foss, North Crosland, Meltham and South Kirby to his son, Robert.
11. Henry Beaumont (c.1335-1400) is a key figure because at least three lines of descent came from him. This table is the first time this connection has been demonstrated.

If we now consider the timeline to the most recent common ancestor, Table 2 shows a select group of Y-DNA matches. Family trees are also included based on public trees on Ancestry. Some information has been omitted or obscured for privacy. 

Table 2. Timeline to Most Recent Common Ancestor 

As the first systematic Y-DNA study of the Beaumont paternal line, the table focuses on West Yorkshire and the time period that the Beaumonts are known to have lived there. 

Edward M. Beaumont (EMB) is the proxy for this paternal line. To date, he matches 25 other individuals in the surname project. Most of these matches have the surname Beaumont, a variation of the surname Beaumont, or a proven connection to the surname Beaumont.

All the individuals in the table have completed FTDNA’s Big-Y test (Ref. 8), the most robust Y-DNA test commercially available. They all share the West Yorkshire Beaumont Haplotree through SNP FT3***51. Thus, everyone in this table is paternally related because they match SNPs as well as numerous STR sequences. 

What defines the paternal lineage of the West Yorkshire Beaumonts then? 

The highest level of reliability is a shared SNP. A SNP is a permanent mutation that occurs once in all of human history and starts a new branch on a Haplotree. So, anyone sharing a SNP downstream from A18420 would be a West Yorkshire Beaumont. 

The highest level of reliability for shared STRs is the Y-111 test. Anyone matching EMB at 9 steps different or less at Y-111 is a West Yorkshire Beaumont. Less precise, anyone matching at 6 steps or less at Y-67 and 4 steps or less at Y-37 is a West Yorkshire Beaumont. 

More distant matches are still related, but they point to a time and place before the Beaumont presence in Yorkshire. These matches have not been fully explored, but they could lead to clues about the whereabouts of the Beaumont family before Yorkshire. 

People being people, there is evidence of various assignations, which is not surprising given the fact that we are talking about a period of 800 years or more. So, individuals in the surname project have the surname Beaumont but do not match the shared Y-DNA profile. And individuals in the surname project who do not share the surname, do share the Y-DNA profile.

In fact, EMB’s closest match is CD Durrance, #991001. They match at SNP FTD***4. Since the surname does not match, it is likely that a woman with the surname Durrance gave birth to a son from a Beaumont, and that son retained the surname Durrance. Or a woman became pregnant by a Beaumont, and then she married a Durrance, giving the surname Durrance to the son. Although Humphrey (1515-1568) in EMB’s column is assigned SNP FTD8***4, he isn’t necessarily the common ancestor. The common ancestor could be from one generation before or after Humphrey. And the common ancestor could be a son from any of those generations as well.

Another unique Y-DNA match of particular interest, even though he does not appear in this table, is S Biggs, #240331. He and his family have a long and early history in Scotland. At first glance, this match would seem to be a mistake. How is it possible that the Biggs from Scotland to related to the Beaumonts from West Yorkshire? Nevertheless, Biggs shares SNP A18420 and is 9 steps different from EMB at Y-111, suggesting that his most recent common ancestor was William de Beaumont III (fl. 1298). This same William is known to have fought in Scotland because he appears in the Galloway Rolls. He took out a letter of protection for service in Gascony in 1294. Beaumont is listed there in the company of the household banneret, William de Ryther (Ref. 9)  and is referred to as “Ryther’s Socius.” In this context the term “socius” was a synonym for “companion-in-arms.” Beaumont appears to have served with Ryther on the Falkirk campaign of 1298 and was definitely with him in the king’s household division in 1301 (Ref. 10). While not definitive, to me, this is one more piece of evidence that the Haplotree is dated correctly. Also, it is unique evidence of a Y-DNA connection all the way back to the grandson and heir of William de Bellomonte/Beaumont (1170-1230). 

It may be possible to fill in the blanks on the various family trees back to the late 1500s. However, there are many roadblocks. 

Generally, family trees are fairly accurate from the first Census of England, compiled in 1841, because church records can be paired with these census records. Prior to 1841 CE, church records are the only available source, and they have the “problem of John,” as I call it. “John Beaumont” is such a common name in West Yorkshire that it is difficult to distinguish one from another. And they all lived in close proximity. For that matter, there is a problem with numerous other given names such as William, Thomas, George, Abraham, etc. Period church records simply do not contain enough information to differentiate between individuals with the same given name, similar birth dates, and living in close proximity to each other. 

There are also gaps in church records. For instance, church records at All Hallows, Almondbury, start in 1557. However, the records at St. Michaels and All Angels, Thornhill, don’t start until 23 years later, 1580. And the image for 1580 is unreadable. Gaps exist in the records at Thornhill, too, between 1584-1586 and 1594-1599 as well as other years. 

Finally, births weren’t recorded, only baptisms, and not everyone appears in the baptismal records for a variety of possible reasons. For instance, Gamaliel Beaman does seem to appear in any baptismal record anywhere in England.

The abbreviation “MRCA” in the table stands for ”time to the most recent common ancestor.” It represents a FTDNA estimate based on STR differences between EMB and other individuals.  A MRCA dated to around 1350 CE is at least 200 years before church records appeared, and the common ancestor could be anyone from all the branches, the various major and minor sons, and possibly the illegitimate sons. It is, therefore, highly unlikely, with an MRCA of 1350 CE, that one could name their common ancestor to EMB. 

So, Y-DNA may be the only genealogical clue to the origins of some branches of this paternal line, especially for the earliest matches. 

Figure 2 shows the thirteen ancient parishes of West Yorkshire include: Almondbury (1557), Batley (1559), Birstall (1558), Dewsbury (1538), Emley (1754), Halifax (1517), High Hoyland, Huddersfield (1562), Kirkburton (1541), Mirfield (1559), Penistone (1643), and Thornhill (1580).

St. John the Baptist, Kirkheaton, favored by the Whitley Beaumonts, is located between Huddersfield and Mirfield. The “Beaumont Chapel” was established at St. John the Baptist when Edward Beaumont (1537-1574) of Whitley stipulated in his will that he wished to be buried “in my own Quire at Kirkheaton.” Richard Beaumont (1574-1631) was also buried there with his effigy prominently displayed. The earliest church record at Kirkheaton date to the year 1653. (The year of the first church record for each parish is in parentheses following the parish name.)

It should also be noted that FTDNA’s dating of the various SNPs and STR matches is not precise. Even at Y-111, “the most likely year” is rounded and the range for that date is plus 150 years and minus 200 years. The same is true for dating SNPs. Also, FTDNA is continually updating the dates based on new testing, so the whole process is a constantly moving target. 

Nevertheless, by combining Y-DNA, the historic paper trail, the surname “Beaumont,” the location “West Yorkshire,” we know, with a high level of certainty, the individuals in this table are paternally related. And the likely progenitor of this line is William de Bellomonte/Beaumont (c. 1170-c. 1230). 

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. This tree is called a Haplotree. Embedded in this Haplotree is the history, through time and place, of a male lineage. 

Based on high-level Y-DNA testing at FTDNA, the Beaumont, West Yorkshire, surname project now has a sequence of SNP markers unique to the Beaumont family: R1b > R-M269 > R-L23 > R-L151 > R-P312 > R-Z290 > R-L21 > R-DF13 > R-Z39589 > R-BY9003 >R-FT167741 > R-A18420. 

• R1b-M269 is the most common European haplogroup (100 million individuals) with increasing frequency from east (Poland 22.7%) to west (Wales 92.3%) (Ref. 11). It formed about 10,000 years ago (Ref. 12). 
• 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 (Refs. 13, 14).  
• 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 57 DNA tested descendants, and they specified that their earliest known origins are from Scotland and Wales (Ref. 15). 

So, the Beaumont Haplotree is Celtic, or the people who migrated from the Continent to the British Isles during the Bronze Age. The Celts were also the Iron Age people in Britain when the Romans invaded 43 CE. The Y-DNA of Celts is still present in the British Isles, with especially strong representation in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and northwest England (Ref. 16). 

Sailing with the Vikings

FTDNA’s “Discover” (Ref. 17) resource provides a summary of archaeological DNA results from peer-reviewed research. The results suggest our male ancestors had close ties with the Vikings. The following males are all associated with SNP R-Z39589, which is part of the Beaumont Haplotree. The descendants of this male clearly moved around and were found in locations frequented by the Vikings – York, Scotland, Ireland, Faroe Islands, and Iceland. 

These individuals lived before the Viking era in England, Scotland, and Ireland, confirming the Brythonic Celt theory: 

• Derrynamanagh 8  a man who lived during the Late Iron Age and was found in Galway, Ireland. He was associated with the Roman Age Ireland cultural group.
• Driffield 18  a man who lived between 100 and 400 CE and was found in York, England. He was associated with the England Roman gladiators cultural group.
• Birsay 78  a man who lived between 54 and 668 CE and was found in Orkney, Scotland. He was associated with the Pict Orkney cultural group.
• Derrynamanagh 9  a man who lived between 275 and 585 CE during the Late Iron Age and was found in Galway, Ireland. He was associated with the Roman Age Ireland cultural group.

These individuals lived later, during the Viking era.

• Ship Street Great 12  a man who lived between 665 and 865 CE during the Viking Age and was found in Dublin, Ireland. He was associated with the Viking Ireland cultural group.
• Hvalba 24  a man who lived between 1000 and 1100 CE during the Viking Age and was found in Faroes, Faroe Islands. He was associated with the Viking Faroes cultural group.
• Hofstadir 127  a man who lived between 900 and 1300 CE during the Viking Age and was found in Hofstadir, Iceland. He was associated with the Viking Iceland cultural group.

And these individuals lived much later.

• Fossvellir A1 a man who lived between 1296 and 1400 CE during the Medieval Age and was found in the region now known as Fossvellir, Iceland.
• Lagore 14  a man who lived between 1492 and 1665 CE during the Early Modern Age and was found in Lagore, Meath, Ireland. He was associated with the Historic Ireland cultural group.
• Faroe 17  a man who lived between 1500 and 1700 CE during the Historical Age and was found in Faroes, Faroe Islands. He was associated with the Faroe Islanders cultural group.

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 (Ref. 18). 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, intermarrying with people from other cultures, too (Ref. 19).  

Figure 3, below. Based on the FTDNA Discover resource, the locations of archaeological finds of SNP R-Z39589 (red dot) and SNP R-BY9003 (lilac dot).

The Y-DNA evidence, therefore, supports the notion that the West Yorkshire Beaumonts were Brythonic Celts, but they were also closely associated with the Norman Vikings. This means that the surname originated in Normandy, France; that they were likely involved in the Norman Conquest; and that they were rewarded with property in England. Many questions remain. Where exactly in Normandy did the Beaumont surname originate? Where did they settle in England after the Conquest? More than a hundred years passed between the Battle of Hastings (1066), the creation of the Honour of Pontefract (between 1066 and 1086), the creation of the Honour of Halton (c. 1071), and William’s land grant in Yorkshire. Where was his family during this time, and how did William end up in service to the Constable of Chester?

The end

Acknowledgement

Edward M. Beaumont has provided significant input for this document. First, he agreed to DNA testing, which was instrumental to the success of the Beaumont, West Yorkshire, Y-DNA surname project. Second, since the 1700s, his family actively saved information that is key to the story of the West Yorkshire Beaumonts. Third, he doggedly searched archives for relevant historical records. And finally, he critiqued this article, generously offering his insight and guidance along the way. Without his input, this article would not have been possible.

References

¹ Family Tree DNA. n.d. Beaumont Surname Project. Accessed January 2023. https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/beaumont/activity-feed 

² Dodsworth, Roger. 1884. Dodsworth’s Yorkshire Notes (Agbrigg).” The Yorkshire Archaeological and Topographical Journal. Vol. VIII, p. 502. https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Yorkshire_Archaeological_Journal/vDI4jOQFbTMC   

³ Kirklees, West Yorkshire Archive Service. KCZ0001 – “BEAUMONT OF WHITLEY, FAMILY AND ESTATE RECORDS.” Catalog Finding Number: DD/WB.

⁴ Macray, William Dunn. 1884. The Beaumont Papers. London: Roxburghe Club.

⁵ Beaumont, Edward M. Beaumont Archives, No. 1/157.

⁶ Burke, Bernard. Burke’s Genealogical and Heraldic History of Peerage, Baronetage. Harrison & Sons. 1915. PP. 92-93. https://archive.org/details/b3136410x/b3136410x 

⁷ Burke, Bernard. A Genealogical Dictionary of the Landed Gentry. Henry Colburn, London. 1834. Volume 2. PP. 319-23. https://archive.org/details/agenealogicalan00austgoog/agenealogicalan00austgoog 

⁸ The entry level Y-DNA test at FTDNA is the Y-37 test. It can be used to identify individuals related to the West Yorkshire Beaumonts. However, the Y-111  test is recommended because it produces nearly three times the data of the Y-37 test. These tests identify Y-DNA STRs and STR matches. Generally, the lower the number of STR differences between individuals, the more recent the common male ancestor. And the more STRs measured, the higher the accuracy.

⁹ Ryther is a village between Leeds and York with links to the Pontefract honour.

¹⁰Simpkin, David. “The Galloway Roll (1300): Its Content, Composition and Value to Military History.” Historical Research. Volume 82 (2009), Issue 218, pp. 613–34.  

¹¹Wikipedia. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haplogroup_R-M269. Accessed June 2022.

¹²Wikipedia. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haplogroup_R-M269. Accessed Dec. 2023.

¹³Wikipedia. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haplogroup_R-L21. Accessed Dec. 2023.

¹⁴Patterson, 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 

¹⁵Family Tree DNA. n.d. https://discover.familytreedna.com/y-dna/R-BY9003/story. Accessed Dec. 2023.

¹⁶The Anglo-Saxon invasion, starting in the 5th century, caused a dilution of Celtic Y-DNA in southeast England.

¹⁷Family Tree DNA. n.d. https://discover.familytreedna.com/. Accessed January 2023. 

¹⁸Kneale, 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.

¹⁹Margaryan, 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