On this page: Our PARKERs; Whalley Lancashire, ENGLAND
Latest update: Thursday, 06 February, 2014
Learn more about our PARKERs in the Family Tree Database .
Our PARKERs in "Northwest England" cluster within R1a-L448
subclade
Whalley, Lancashire, ENGLAND - "Northwest England" cluster
Thanks to the DNA test of a 5x great grandson of George PARKER of
Hampshire (Mineral) Co, (WEST) VIRGINIA and the research kindness of
Chris MORLEY of Morley of Halifax, we know our DNA test indicates our
family is part of the "Northwest England" cluster within R1a-L448 subclade."
This means DNA evidence supports the theory that our paternal PARKER
line hails from Northwest England, more specifically the ancient parish of
Whalley [Wikipedia, FamilySearch.org] in Lancashire [Wikipedia],
ENGLAND.
"Whalley is the oldest parish in Lancashire; there was a church here in
628 in the period when St. Paulinus [Wikipedia] was said to have preached
at Whalley...Christianity in Whalley can be traced back to Paulinus, the first
Christian missionary who left Italy in AD 601, at the bidding of Pope Gregory
the Great. Legend has it that Paulinus visited Whalley as the Celtic crosses
in the churchyard testify. However the monks came at a comparatively later
date.
"St Mary & All Saints was built on the site of an 8th Century church
(known as 'the white church under the leigh')...and a later Norman (circa
1100) church. This Parish Church had 13 chapels belonging to it, including
Blackburn and Clitheroe, and the medieval Parish of Whalley was the
second-largest in the whole of England and contained 45 Townships,
extending from Clitheroe to Haslingden and from Accrington to Colne.
"The ancient village of Whalley sits in the middle of the Ribble Valley; in
addition to the 13th Century Church there are the ruins of the Cistercian
Abbey and the picturesque railway arches.
"The original parish of Whalley, comprehending as it did four hundred
square miles, was much more extended than that which at present exists,
and included the parishes of Rochdale, Blackburn, Ribchester, Chipping,
Mitton, and Slaidburn, with part of the district of Saddleworth."
The Parish of Whalley in the County of Lancashire at OnLine Parish Clerks
for the County of Lancashire
Here are additional references to the Parish of Whalley, replete with
PARKER references -- but remember "Northwest England" cluster within
R1a-L448 subclade" indicates there are two, unrelated PARKER families
from WHALLEY, and we have yet to trace either one back to this parish.
- An history of the original Parish of Whalley, and honor of Clitheroe, to
which is subjoined an account of the Parish of Cartmell. 4th ed. rev. and
enl. (1872) at Archive.org
- An history of the original Parish of Whalley, and honor of Clitheroe, to
which is subjoined an account of the Parish of Cartmell at OpenLibrary.org
- A history of Blackburn, town and parish, Published 1877 by J.G. & J.
Toulmin in Blackburn at OpenLIbrary.org.