England is unique in the United Kingdom as being the only country in it that does not have a distinct and identifiable race. Genetics can identify the individual Celtic races of Scottish, Welsh and Irish origin, but there is no distinct genome that is indigenous to England. That is because all English people are descended from immigrants, historically either from their Celtic neighbours or nearby European countries, or more recently from any other part of the world. Even St George, patron saint of England, was of Grecian birth, and Alfred the Great, who probably did more than anyone else to determine a character that was distinctly English, was an Anglo-Saxon of Germanic decent. The very earliest resident of England (Cheddar-Gorge man, 10,000 ad) has been identified as being middle eastern in origin and negros of African descent have been established in England from as long ago as the 12th century. Chinese and Indian immigrants have been established in England for the last 200 years. The current royal family are of German and Greek bloodlines. What all this means is that when it comes to identifying who is or can be English, genetics and race are factors that do not come into it. |