Eligibility

The British Isles DNA Project is a dual (Y-DNA and mtDNA) project that is open to persons with a documented direct paternal or maternal lineage originating in the British Isles. You may join if you have identified an ancestor who lived in the British Isles, with a name, the time he or she lived and a specific place (town or parish, and county). A direct paternal ancestor is a father's father's father's..... father. A direct maternal ancestor is a mother's mother's mother's .... mother.

For the purposes of the project, the British Isles include England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man. The British Isles DNA Project is intended to supplement, not replace, existing regional or county geographical projects for Great Britain and Ireland. Members of other surname and geographical projects are therefore welcome to join.

Aims

The aims of the British Isles DNA project are twofold: first, to aid genealogists in the task of identifying ancestral origins and distribution of descendents; secondly, to assemble a detailed haplogroup map of the British Isles by county, corresponding to the DNA profile of the region's early history and settlement.

Note to Genographic project members

As a Genographic participant, you must first add your results to the Family Tree DNA database. To do this, go to your report page on Genographic Project (you have to log in to www.genographic.com with your member number first). At the bottom of this page is a section "What else can I do with my results?" Click on the "Learn" link there. This will take you to a page on FamilyTreeDNA titled "Adding Your Record to Family Tree DNA." Check "I agree" at the bottom of the page and click on "Continue." More information here.

Once you have completed the process you will be assigned a kit number and password. Log in to www.familytreedna.com with this information, and you will be on your MyFTDNA page. Centre-left on the page is a box labeled "My Projects." A link here allows you to Join Projects. Please note that you can join more than one geographical project, but only one surname project.

Joining the Project

If you have not yet joined the project, please read the eligibility requirements on the left.

If you have already had your DNA tested with Family Tree DNA: log in to www.familytreedna.com with your kit number and password. This takes you to your MyFTDNA page. Centre-left on the page is a box labeled "My Projects." A link here allows you to Join Projects.

Tested with DNAHeritage? Check how to upload here. Tested with Ancestry or Genetree? Check how to upload here.

If you want to order a first DNA test and join the project: click on the link below.

Join British Isles

Note: If you reached this site in response to an interview on BBC Radio 4, please note that this is not the DNA project which was the subject of the interview. That project is britainsdna.com.

This project, the British Isles DNA project, is an independently administered project hosted by familytreedna.com, which possesses the largest genetic genealogy database in the world.

What to do next?

If you have just joined the project, please look through the Member Guidelines for tips to help you learn as much about your ancestry as you can from your DNA. The Genetic Genealogy page provides you with tools to help understand what DNA is and how it can shed light on your paternal and maternal lineages. To see where in the tree of man your genes are situated, visit the DNA Results page. Immigrant Pathways will help you trace the route taken by those distant forebears who ventured across oceans in search of a new home. Lastly, British Ancestry will equip you with the knowledge you need to search documentary sources for your ancestral origins in the British Isles.

Join British Isles

Project Administrator: Roy Keys