Quick Questions #1: Ancestry

[tamaranth]

Inspired by a reference in Route 66 AD to Egyptian priests at the time of the Roman Empire, who claimed to trace their ancestry back 10,000 years:

How far back (in years) can you track your family?

Can you think of anyone who can track their family back before the Norman Conquest?

Comments

[rich-r.livejournal.com]

I think it's that 'part of a wealthy land-owning family class' thing that means there are records, usually of the type 'John Prideaux donated four acres of land to the monastory which was gratefully received on this day'.

Unfortuantely the register lists something odd happening in about 1750 - it goes from Lords, Captains, Merchants, Overseers to Paupers, Labourers and Dockworkers. So although it would appear to have been a very well off family for several hundred years, it was all lost in a couple of generations in the 18th Century...