Our Old World Fitz Randolph Heritage

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: [unknown]
Surnames/tags: Fitz Randolph FitzRandolph Fitz-Randolph

Contents 1 Fitz Randolph One Name Study 1.1 Members helping to develop this page 1.2 Members who have contributed 2 Fitz Randolphs going back in England and beyond 3 1. The story of the Fitz Randolph line going back 3.1 Generation 0: Edward the Pilgrim 4 2. Fitz Randolph Gateway Ancestors 5 3. Roman origins? 6 4. Ongoing or needed research 6.1 The suspected non-paternal event and our Hollingworth origins

Fitz Randolph One Name Study

This is a research page of the Fitz Randolph One Name Study. Click this link to return to Study's Fitz Randolph Traditions home page.

Members helping to develop this page

Members who have contributed

Fitz Randolphs going back in England and beyond

The purpose of this page is to learn and share what we know about our line going back from Edward the Pilgrim. The first section describes our surname line (son to father to grandfather and so on (the equivalent of our yDNA line) generation by generation, attempting to summarize what is know about the person, the status of his family in society, and its historical and geographical context. It will try to go beyond the names, dates and other genealogical data to tell a brief story of how our family evolved over the centuries.

The second section describes known links in other branches of Edward's family tree to significant historical figures, including signers of the Magna Carta.

The third section looks at possible Roman origins.

The fourth is an open space to share or highlight any ongoing or needed research on Edward's family tree in England and earlier.

Please feel free to suggest other topics that this page could address!

1. The story of the Fitz Randolph line going back

In Wikitree, we can trace the Fitz Randolph from Edward the Pilgrim going back to his father, his father's father, and so on -- there is a Wikitree profile established for each individual person in the line. Those profiles focus on the genealogical evidence supporting their existence and their roles in our line. In this section, we would like to tell their story as more of a history of the family, how it may have been affected by historical events of the period, and what our ancestor may have done to help his own family thrive. Hopefully we can craft a narrative that is easier to read and to follow than the 'Fitz Randolph Traditions' version!

It is suggested that no one person 'own' this work and that everyone should feel free to contribute text and help edit/improve upon any existing text. If at some point, two different conflicting versions appear -- that's fine! -- we'll keep both and present them as alternative interpretations. It is also suggested to tell the story going backwards generation by generation, even though it is more natural to 'start from the beginning' and tell the story moving forward. Let's try it this way and see if it works.

Generation 0: Edward the Pilgrim

Edward's origin and what is known about him before he came to America

2. Fitz Randolph Gateway Ancestors

Which marriages into the Fitz Randolph line link us back to notable historical figures?

3. Roman origins?

The Fitz Randolph narrative has traditionally cited its introduction to England from Normandy with William the Conquerer, and before Normandy, the line originating in Norway. An interesting alternative is presented in a recent exchange in the Eupedia forum: https://www.eupedia.com/forum/threads/39896-Identifying-the-Y-DNA-haplogroups-of-ancient-Roman-families-through-their-descendants/page4. It notes that: Eudons' children, the Eudonids, claimed descent from the Roman families Rutilius Rufus and Aurelius Cotta, specifically Rutilia, mother of Aurelia, mother of the dictator Gaius Julius Caesar. Eudon refers to Eudes (Bretagne) de Penthièvre. To be evaluated!

4. Ongoing or needed research

Are you aware of any ongoing research on the Fitz Randolph family tree in England and before that you can share or point us to? Please describe them here:

• Ongoing research description: who is doing it, about whom, focus?

Are there any specific gaps in the Fitz Randolph family tree in England or before that you want to draw to our collective attention?

• Research gaps description

The suspected non-paternal event and our Hollingworth origins

Emerging analysis of yDNA of Fitz Randolph males is suggesting that there is likely to have been a non-paternal event at some point -- for now estimated to be in the late 1400s -- and that our Fitz Randolph line takes a sharp left turn at that point with the origins of our male line being the Hollingworth surname.

• The Evidence: The yDNA results for Tom Randolph indicate that our Fitz Randolph line is a subset of a broader Hollingworth group: see the explanation at the Fitz Randolph yDNA project at Family Tree DNA (https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/fitzrandolph). Tom's yDNA aligns with other Fitz Randolph descendants. The science around yDNA and interpreting the results continues to evolve, so this will certainly be adjusted as more is known.
• The Implications: If this interpretation holds up, it means that the earlier 'gateway ancestor' links to Magna Carta nobility and William the Conqueror are no longer valid. We will now need to begin exploring what research is available on the Hollingworths for direction.
• What is Needed: It will be important to re-examine the evidence to see if we can narrow down the possible windows for the non-paternal event.