According to genealogist Andrew Millard, over 99% of English people can trace ancestry back to King Edward III (1312-1377). According to Millard's calculations, the odds of not one of an English person’s thousands of ancestors being descended from Edward III are miniscule. “The number of descendants of Edward III must therefore include nearly all of the population of England,” he writes, “and probably much of the populations of the rest of the UK and Eire, as well as many millions in the USA, former British colonies and Europe.”
Background of British Royalty
Royalty in the United Kingdom involves many different ethnicities, including Scottish, Welsh, Irish, French, Anglo-Saxon and Norman, as well as the different families that have laid claim to the royal thrones in Britain over the past centuries. Furthermore, the intermarrying of Queen Victoria's descendants with almost every royal house in Europe increases the chances of an ordinary person descending from royalty. Documenting the descent is a different matter, however.
Royal Genealogy Resources: Burke's Peerage and Gentry
Burke's Peerage and Baronetage and Burke's Gentry have published genealogies of British royalty and noteworthy persons since 1826. The Burke’s Peerage collection includes English, Scottish and Irish historical families and famous American families as well.
Burke’s offers over 3000 books and CDs, as well as an online data base. Subscriptions to the database can be purchased for a year, or for three days of access. A free surname search can be performed on the website.
More Resources for Ancestry of British Royal Families: Debrett’s Peerage and Baronetage
Debrett’s Peerage and Baronetage has been tracing British aristocracy for over two centuries. The 147th edition lists every British duke, marquess, viscount, earl, baron and baronet, together with all the living members of their families in the male line. Debrett’s Peerage and Baronetage is available either as a book or a digitized edition.
Free Online Databases for British Royal Family Genealogy: RoyaList
RoyaList offers information, including family trees, on thousands of individuals with connections to the royal families of England and Scotland over the past 1000 years. The website cautions researchers, however, that the information presented has been gathered from secondary sources, such as royal biographies.
Frauds and Warnings when Conducting Royal Family History Research
Although someone with English ancestry is virtually guaranteed royal ancestry, accurately tracing it can be difficult. As Pocahontas descendants and would-be descendants know, fraudulent family trees that are unquestioned by subsequent researchers cause confusion and false pedigrees.
While some secondary sources, such as Burke's and Debrett’s, are quite prestigious, a family history researcher serious about re-constructing a royal pedigree will have to be scrupulous about finding primary documents. Relying on family memories or genealogies can be dangerous -- the desire to show a family’s connection to royalty is behind many false genealogies. Gustave Anjou (1863-1942), for example, wrote several fraudulent genealogies for wealthy early American families in the late 19th / early 20th centuries purporting to show royal connections.
Perseverance When Tracing British Royal Ancestry
Although the search may seem overwhelming, there are many online databases of varying quality offering genealogies of British royal families. Researchers can also access online royal genealogy forums for on-going advice on securing and interpreting primary documents, as well as the legitimacy of secondary documents. Remember, it is a virtual certainty if you have English ancestry that a link to the British royal family exists. Proving it is the hard part.
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