DNA research

In 2021 I did an Ancestry.co.uk DNA test. This tells you all the Ancestry subscribers who share sequences of DNA with you and are therefor probable relatives. The amount of shared DNA, measured in centiMorgans (cM) gives a measure of the closeness of the relationship. In many cases people have created family trees on the Ancestry website which permit further research into the relationships.

My own DNA results yielded several interesting observations regarding the Gumbletons;

John and Elizabeth Gumbleton of Cann, Dorset

One of the Ancestry subscribes who matches my DNA is descended from John and Elizabeth Gumbleton of Cann, Dorset (married 1743). I share 18cM of DNA with them, indicating a distant realtionship of 5th-8th cousins. Nevertheless, there is a strong probability that we are both related to John and/or Elizabeth Gumbleton.

John and Elizabeth Gumbleton of Shaftesbury, Dorset

Another Ancestry subscriber, who is a 17cM match to myself, is descended from John Gumbleton and Elizabeth Arnold of Shaftesbury, Dorset, again indicating a rather distant 5th-8th cousin relationship between us.

John Tuffen and Jone Gumbleton of Tarrant Gunville, Dorset

Another Ancestry subscriber who matches my DNA at a very weak 10cM is descended from John Tuffen and Jone Gumbleton of Tarrant Gunville (ca.1675). She was a daughter of William Gumbleton of Tarrant Gunville, who left a will in 1675. Little more is known about this family.

Thomas Trim and Virtue Gumbleton of Melbury Abbas

Two independent Ancestry subscribers, both of whom are DNA matches to me, are descended from Eliza Trim—mis-transcribed by Ancestry as Sim. Eliza was a daughter of James Trim, the son of Thomas Trim and Virtue Gumbleton. Virtue was one of the children of Robert Gumbleton and Ann Morgan of Melbury Abbas.

Scammell family of Dorset

At least seven separate Ancestry subscribers in my match list are a descended from a single family called Scammell, who lived in and around Donhead St Mary, Wiltshire, in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The exact connection with the Gumbletons has yet to be found but it is very likely that there was a marriage between the families at some stage.

Conclusions

The amounts of shared DNA are vewry small, which means that any conclusions must be treated with a certain amount of caution. Nevertheless, the cautious deductions from this are:

• The nearest common ancestors of Elizabeth Gumbleton of Cann, John of Shaftesbury and virtue Gumbleton of Melbury Abbas are Robert and Sarah Gumbleton of Ansty in Hilton, so it is probable that my own descent, via Robert Gumbleton of Sherborne, is also from this couple.
• Robert and Sarah are very likely to be descendants of William Gumbleton of Tarrant Gunville (died 1675).
• It is very likely that there was a Gumbleton/Scammel marriage (or unmarried relationship) at some point.

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