When Lucy Parker began investigating her Norwegian relations, she had no inkling of the scope of their travels, says Claire Vaughan
Many family historians in the UK have been surprised to discover that they have a small amount of Norwegian DNA. This faint genetic echo dates back to when the British Isles were settled by Scandinavian invaders, as part of the country’s rich history of comings and goings. However, Lucy Parker, who lives in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, is 36 per cent Norwegian – and like their Viking forebears, her ancestors were pioneers who adventured to all corners of the globe.
“I’d grown up knowing there was Norwegian in our family – my mum was in touch with some of her relatives over there,” explains Lucy. “I didn’t know very much, though; just a few names. I loved the thought of a little part of me being from what felt like an exotic location.”
When she met her husband, he showed her how to trace her family history. “I couldn’t wait to find out more about my Scandinavian side, and the history behind the names and photos my mum had shown me.”
Lucy began with her English grandparents, Frances Usher and Glyn Burchill. The Norwegian line is through her grandmother’s mother, Petrodine Usher. According to family lore, Petrodine had an illegitimate child in Norway before she came over to England. Not long after arriving here she met Lucy’s great grandfather, Oliver, and they married in 1911.
One of the more colourful stories about Petrodine involved Sir Winston Churchill.
“My nan’s sisters said that
before she met her husband, Petrodine had worked for Churchill in London. They didn’t say what she did, or how she ended up working for him. When she got married, he paid for all the lino in her house (back then, people had lino instead of carpet). I don’t know how much of the story is true.”
Petrodine’s maiden name, Wedvig, gave the first clue as to where in Norway Lucy should begin her search. “There wasn’t as much information online when I started as there is now, so I contacted some family history organisations to see if they could help.” They informed her that the name couldn’t start with a W because the letter doesn’t exist in Norwegian, “but my family said that was definitely how it was spelled”.
NORWEGIAN NAM
