Tracing the Borders Littles through DNA Testing by Leo W. Little

The have traditionally been one of the more numerous Scottish Borders families, dating back to dawn of surnames when men of short stature may have adopted the name "Little".

Several dictionaries also show the surname "Little" in Scotland may derive the early Borders placename of "Liddel" or "Liddesdale" meaning "Dell of the Lid (Lyd) River". Whatever the origin of the name, the Littles were major players in the early Borders.

Some early pedigrees associate the Borders Littles with Edward Little who fought with William Wallace, and other traditions connect the early Littles with cousins of William the Conqueror. However the first documented reference to the Borders Littles appeared in the mid-1300s when the surname was associated with the "house of Douglas".

Later in 1398, a Nichol Litil was appointed a "borrower" (deputy warden) in the West Marches, and by the 1450s, the Littles were frequently listed among the infamous "Borders Reivers".

One family history poetically describes the Littles and Lytles of the 1400s as "fierce moss troupers and border raiders who for the next 170 years bowed only to the law of snaffle, spur, and spear, and the rule of their family chiefs."  The motto of these Littles, "Concedo Nulli" or "Never Surrender" tells a lot about their character.

In 1552, some seventy-two Littles of Eskdale and Ewesdale were sworn to serve King James V, yet within twenty years, over a hundred Littles from Eskdale participated in a raid on Stirling Castle in central Scotland. At least forty of the surviving Littles were pardoned by a special act of parliament in 1585.

Parliament also officially recognized the Littles as one of seventeen lowlands clans in 1587, yet after the Union of Crowns in 1603, many Littles and Lytles (and other families) were considered to be "unruly" and were transported to the plantations of Ulster in Northern Ireland, where these "Scots-Irish" families thrived in coming years.

By mid-1600s, the remaining Littles in the Borders of Scotland had thrown off their reiving past and had become one of respected families of Dumfriesshire. The tombstone of Thomas Little at Nether Ewes near Langholm reads: "Here lies Thomas Little, son of the Laird of Meiklesdale, an honest gentleman and well beloved by all the country"

Littles can still be found in great numbers today in the cities, towns, and farms of Dumfriesshire and in neighboring Cumbria (Cumberland) County, England where they remain proud of their Borders heritage.

Littles Births in Dumfriesshire from 1500 through 1900

However, far more Borders Littles and Lytles migrated over the past three centuries to the colonies in what would become the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Descendants of these emigrant Littles are now trying to find their roots back in the British Isles. The task, however, can be difficult due to the lack of records in early years and the tendency of the Littles to use common given names such as John, William, James, Elizabeth, and Janet in different branches of the family in different generations.

One modern tool at the disposal of genealogy researchers is Y-Chromosome DNA Testing.
"Y-DNA" is a special type of DNA that is only carried by males, and is passed down virtually unchanged from father to son in each new generation.

This means that Little cousins who share a common Little ancestor will have virtually the same Y-DNA, thus making Y-DNA a powerful tool for sorting out major family lines.

The Little DNA Project at www.littledna.com is attempting to connect the Littles of the world through Y-DNA testing. The project now has over 80 members from different parts of the world, with Scottish, English, German, African, and Mediterranean ancestry.

The largest group in the Little DNA project has a distinct set of similar DNA results. Statistical analysis of this group's results indicates a common Little ancestor in the 1300s.

Twelve of this Little group were born in different parts of the United States; one Little and one Lyttle were born in Canada; the grandfather of one Little was born in Dumfriesshire, and Dr. Johnnie Little of Morton Rig, the founder of the Clan Little Society, still lives near the town of Dumfries.

Some Borders Littles in the Little DNA project. Dr. Johnnie Little is on the right

DNA testing also shows a solid genetic connection between the Borders Littles and the Liddell family, who have documented ancestry to the region of Liddesdale in medieval times.

The ties to Dumfriesshire are unmistakable, so Littles who share this distinct DNA pattern can rest assured they have Borders ancestry.

Males with similar DNA results can be said to have a common "haplogroup" and the haplogroup of the Borders Littles is typical of men with deep Celtic origins. The ancestors of the Borders Littles were probably in the British Isles when the Romans arrived over two thousand years ago.

Several genetic studies show that the vast majority of males living in the Borders today have a DNA signature consistent with Native British origins. A smaller percentage has Viking origins, and an even smaller percentage of Borders males shows probable Anglo-Saxon or Roman ancestry.

On the other hand, not every Little from Dumfries shares the same Y-DNA. Robert Little of Annan can trace his Littles back to the 1700s. Despite a common surname, his Y-DNA shows he is most likely of Viking descent and until another male Little matches Robert's result, he remains only distantly related to others already in the Little DNA Project.

Jim Elliott, who descends from Elliotts in Dumfriesshire, maintains the "Borders Reivers DNA Project" at http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~gallgaedhil/. His website contains a wealth of information about the Borders Reivers, and displays DNA results of thousands of folks worldwide who likely have roots in the Borders.

A Y-DNA test is a simple and painless -- a swab from the inside cheek that is done at home. Prices for testing start at about US$99 (�60), and tests are available through a number of companies in the UK and the USA, including:

DNA Heritage, Weymouth, Dorset, at http://www.dnaheritage.com/

Family Tree DNA, Houston, Texas, USA at http://www.familytreedna.com/

Oxford Ancestors, Kidlington, Oxfordshire at http://www.oxfordancestors.com/

Relative Genetics, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA at www.relativegenetics.com/

Family Tree DNA does the testing for the Little DNA Project.

A basic presentation on DNA and DNA testing (with additional links) can be found on the Little DNA website at http://www.geocities.com/littlednaproject/present1.htm. Feel free to contact the author at [email protected] in Texas, USA, or Robert Little in Annan, Dumfriesshire at [email protected].

In addition to the Little DNA project, there are about 3500 other surname projects, and over 100,000 people have had their Y-DNA tested in the past five years. Even if you are not a Little, you can still take advantage of the power of DNA testing in your genealogy research.

In the meantime, don't be surprised if you see tourists in byways of Dumfriesshire with DNA results in hand searching for their long-long cousins. One of those cousins could be you.

Article and Little Family emblem � 2007 by Leo W. Little.    The Clan Little badge is used by permission of the Clan Little Society