Category: Celtic

UK: Wyles Family of Market Deeping - St Guthlac's Stain-Glass Window! (19.8.2026)

8/19/2026

Market Deeping - 13 Miles North-East of Duddington!

I recent received a very interesting email about a branch of the Wyles family living in Market Deeping - a place I had not heard of before. Of course, the Duddington area is steeped in these types of historic and picturesque places. As a research team, we are slowly working our way through as carefully as we can. Although our research regarding Market Deeping is in its early days - we did find-out that the local church - St Guthlac's - possesses an 19th century stain-glassed window dedicated to "John & Ann Wyles" - a prominent husband and wife couple living in the area.

Stained glass window, St Guthlac's church, Market Deeping The Nativity by H. Hughes, 1880. In memory of John and Ann Wyles.

This church is dedicated to St Guthlac - one of the few Celtic Christian saints to survive into the modern times (monastic-based Celtic Christianity arrived on the British Isles probably from Egypt long before the Roman Catholic Church appeared). He is known as "Guthlac of Crowland" (573-714 CE) and his sister was "St Pega". The Feast Day of St Guthlac in April 11. The following extract is from the book entitled Saints & Pilgrims in the Diocese of St Albans - by Alan Smith (Bishop of St Albans):

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Email: Discussing 'Van Wyk' and 'Wyles'! (31.3.2023)

3/31/2023

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I hope that More People Who Carry the Surname 'Wyles' Will Have Their Paternal DNA Assessed!

Dear E

Thank you for your interesting email:

Wyles Paternal DNA (Duddington) UK

The above article provides the Paternal DNA results of our 'Wyles' name clan as associated with the Lincolnshire village of 'Duddington'. Both Scottish (Pictish) and Russian historians are of the opinion that 'Wyles' is the plural of 'Wyle' - and that 'Wyle' is an Anglicisation of the Viking (Cyrillic) title of 'Уайл' (Uayl) - meaning 'a dominant warrior whose fighting skills unite the people'.

Sometimes, 'Uayl' is written today as 'Jarl' - with the 'J' retaining the 'U' sound. The Anglo-Saxons took this non-Germanic title and renamed it 'Earl' - using it as a noble status linked to 'birth' and not to 'ability' (within Viking culture any would could become a 'Uayl' providing they could 'fight' and quell any enemy). Today, in modern Russia the surname 'Wyles' is written as 'Уайлс' (Uayls) - and this is how I am referred to in all written communication, etc.

The Vikings, as you know, settle vast parts of the UK and Eire, and so their DNA is everywhere, being particularly linked with the Celtic areas. However, as there are so many sounding similar names, such as 'Wills', 'Wells' and 'Willis', etc, all possessing different origins and distinct (unrelated) lineages, correct association can be difficult. I believe the Oxford definition of 'Wyles' (Wiles) - stating it is linked to eel traps and trickery - relates only to one lineage variant of an entire host of similar sounding but very different names!

Of course, I know nothing about the 'van Wyk' surname as such, but 'Wyk' is written as 'Вик' in Cyrillic and pronounced 'Vik'. Within the Russian language this word is a noun meaning to 'cry', 'shout', and 'call-out', etc. I presume 'van' is Dutch for 'of' or 'from' and 'Wyk' refers to a place in the Netherlands. I have seen some people in the UK referred to as 'de Wyle' or 'de Wyles' on occasion - usually in the 12th and 13th centuries - with the 'de' (Norman French for 'of') eventually being dropped.

There are theories that assume there were a number of disconnected places all over the UK - all carrying similar sounding names that possessed no direct historical association with one another. Perhaps a place with a water 'Well' might figure greatly in the old days (as we all need to drink) and at least in that sense the name 'Well' or 'Wells' might be laterally associated in a conceptual sense, whilst not sharing a DNA lineage.

I personally believe that 'Wyles' is distinct from 'Wiles' - even though confusion is sometimes caused due to both lineages borrowing one another's spelling from time to time - usually by mistake. Therefore, we can be 'related' but by the 'error' of poor spelling! In the days before full literacy and the stabilisation of language - scribes would often spell exactly same word on a single page in many different ways!

All Best Wishes

Adrian

PS: A Scottish historian stated that 'Wyles' is pronouced 'Wy-les' in in Scotland - and is the proper or correct surname associated with who is today known as 'William Wallace' - with 'Wallace' being a modern re-invention of his clan name. If this is correct - then this probably reinforces the Viking hypothesis!

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Ancient DNA Data for the UK (23.12.2021)

12/23/2021

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Hazleton Long Barrow: Courtesy of Corinium Museum, copyright Cotswold District Council. Credit: Corinium Muse

Ancient DNA reveals the world's oldest family tree

The above article explains a Neolithic burial mound in the Cotswolds (UK) - the occupants of which represent and extended family deriving form four different women having children with the same single man dating to around 3700-3600 BCE (or around 5700 years from the present time). As the Cotswolds are situated 58 miles North of the Stonehenge site (the construction of which began around 3100 BCE) - it is entirely logical to assume that the descendants of these people planned and /or participated in the designing and building of he stone circle and its environs.

Archaeology and Linguistics Combine to Suggest that the Celtic Languages of Ancient Britain were Brought to the UK During the Bronze-Age!

Bronze Age migration may have brought Celtic languages to Britain

Of course, DNA studies alone cannot detect the language an individual spoke. This is because 'language' is a cultural construct that has developed in very different environmental and social conditions, despite language as an ability being part of general human evolution (the human brain developed the ability for 'language' which manifests in a myriad of different and divergent ways in the external world). When the Romans first arrived in Britain around 55 BCE - they encountered various 'Celtic' Tribes with thousands fighting on foot - with their leaders riding on war-chariots the likes of which had not been seen on the ancient battlefield for around a thousand years! The Romans were also aware that there were Celtic Tribes in Britain and France that possessed the same name and which appeared to be 'related'. Furthermore, despite the English Channel lying between the two land-masses - the Romans were aware that the the indigenous populations were in continuous communication (including via boats). Britain was isolated as a landmass, but its people were not 'isolated'. They simply did not have to confront any aggressive incursions from unknown or outside people for probably around a thousand year period. Indeed, the above research suggests that there was a substantial invasion of Britain between 1000-850 BCE - possibly the time the war-chariot were brought to the area.

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Emails: Duddington Ecclesiastical (20.11.2021)

11/20/2021

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Peterborough Cathedral

Dear Adrian (from Gillian)

Well written as ever. Can't comment really on your history of letters of the alphabet. It is something I know nothing about but it seems to all fit together logically. But because I am me, I will pass comment on Pagan Wyles and his assimilation into Christianity. In the 7th Century both Leicester and Peterboough (Medeshamstede) were centres of Christianity, and Duddington lies nearly half way between the two. I wonder if there was a road there before the A47? It's position in the Heptarchy would also suggest an Angle settlement not a Saxon one. The arrival of the Danes is interesting. Leicester certainly submitted to the Danelaw and most of the religious foundations in the area were plundered, but there is evidence for the monastery at Peterborough surviving. Personally I don't see the total destruction of Christianity by the Danes, a bit like the Mongols, they plundered for the gold and jewels but didn't really give a thought to 'religion' as such. The thing is, the ordinary working Danes who came over to trade and work the land, in their Paganism recognised the geometry of Christianity (as it was then, before it was turned into a linear chronology and weapon during the Renaissance). Where Christianity survived, and where the genuine Christian spirit of fraternity existed, I can see Danes being attracted and seeing their own essence in the Christian symbolism and narrative. The surviving Icelandic sagas seamlessly progress from pagan to Christian, but this may not be the whole story. Obviously, Vikings would have had centres of non Viking power in their sites and would have treated them mercilessly like Lindesfarne, but where the church existed not as a threat, I am sure an assimilation occurred.

What people forget is that the god of the Christians claimed something that none of the other gods dared claim. That is absolute sovereignty over everything, material and immaterial. A most high god who is a loving father of all. All the other gods had problems with other gods, had spirits they couldn't tame, had weaknesses as well as superpowers. You could invoke them for help, but you never claimed they had total sovereignty. The 'most high god' of the Christian and Jewish tradition was the god who ruled over all the other gods. The narrative that Christianity and Judaism are monotheistic is quite modern and doesn't actually fit scripture. Any pagan with a pantheon of gods, might indeed be attracted to a most high god who was without hang-ups and who needed no tribute, only love.

Dear Gillian (from Adrian)

When we drive to Duddington, we pass Peterborough which seems to sit more or less exactly in a valley. A monastery is a good idea. I suppose it was Peter Burgh or Peter's Fort? The Anglo-Saxon King was known as Burgred or 'Red Fort'. In the back of my mind I think 'Peter' means 'stone' so we are looking at a 'Stone Fort'. Having just checked wiki you are right - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medeshamstede - perhaps St Mary's was related to this monastery. There is talk of a deadly Viking attack in 864 CE - ten years before the Duddington Hoard was hidden in 874 CE. Perhaps it took ten years to head in land or they were distracted. What kind of Christians were the Anglo-Saxons? I am assuming different from the earlier Celts and the later Normans? The Vikings did what they were told so if a Jarl took on Christianity then his entire army did!

Dear Adrian (from Gillian)

Interesting question regarding the church in England around 860CE...
I include an extract from a book showing the structure of the church system a century or so earlier. There is no reason to think it had changed much in the intervening period. Later reforms to secular and monastic clergy, (driven by the French church) probably didn't reach England till late Saxon times shortly before the Norman conquest (and accelerated by it). It was these reforms which led to the all powerful grand monasteries of the Middle Ages. Monasteries in England in the 9th Century would look very different to what we think of as a medieval monastery.

The Irish church (Celtic) church had been heavily influenced by Egyptian monasticism (evidence of strong trade links between Ireland and North Africa) and was entirely based around monasteries of monks living much like the desert fathers. England developed another model more influenced by continental Europe, where there were parallel groupings of secular and monastic clergy. It is this which the text I have scanned talks about.

The worship in Duddington at the time would more closely resemble the worship in an Orthodox church today, than a Tridentine rite Catholic church. It was before the cult of Purgatory set-in which radically changed the devotional life of Western church, everyone would be standing, there would be a roodscreen and the sacred mysteries would take place behind that. There would be no pulpit as we know them today. The priest would be among the people for the Gospel and any homily. People would come and go during services, zoning in and out, taking in as much as they could, it was not a performance to be watched. The question is: was Duddington a church run by secular or monastic clergy?

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UK: Wyles Family of Market Deeping - St Guthlac's Stain-Glass Window! (19.8.2026)

Email: Discussing 'Van Wyk' and 'Wyles'! (31.3.2023)

Ancient DNA Data for the UK (23.12.2021)

Emails: Duddington Ecclesiastical (20.11.2021)

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