I started tracing my family tree when I was still at school over 30 years ago.
When I picked up a book in the local library describing surnames and found my unusual one in there with regal links, however fanciful they were, it started me on the road I am still on now.
During my journey I found that my ancestors came from a small village in Wiltshire and appeared to have been there since parish records began.
After a few generations though I could see the same names jumping out at me. It seems that my ancestors before 1850 were realted to each other, sometimes several times over.
It was this factor that prompted me to research the village as a whole, because it literally is my heritage.
For those interested my ancestors were the descendants of Nicholas Swanborowe who was born from an affair between Marie Swanborowe, a Filpe by birth, and Nicholas Lyne in 1614. Her husband William, decided to let young Nicholas keep his family name but he appears to have not been in the life of any of his children in All Cannings.