The Burnett Y-DNA Project

Descendants of Sir Robert Burnett of London, England (R-M269S)

Descendants of this paternal Burnett line had long believed that they were paternally descended from the Burnetts of Leys. However, Y‑DNA testing has shown this not to be the case; the supposed documentary evidence was incorrect, as DNA testing has shown them to belong to the R‑M269 haplogroup. J‑M172 is the haplogroup of Burnett of Leys, and descendants of these two haplogroups are paternally unrelated in many thousands of years.

The three Burnett testers who descend from Sir Robert Burnett all match, through Big Y test results, with non‑Burnett testers who descend from an ancestor named Norfleet who lived in Kent, England. It is likely that somewhere in this Burnett line (as in others) there was an NPE (non‑paternal event), with a son being given or taking the Burnett surname from his mother.

Sir Robert began working life as an apprentice lighterman on the River Thames in 1755. He had become a corn factor by 1775 and thereafter must have become a successful businessman, as in 1794 he was appointed Sheriff of London and was knighted the following year. He later took over a distillery on the south bank of the Thames which made the famous Burnett’s London gin, still in production today. He died in 1816.

Sir Robert’s father is believed to be another Robert Burnett, but there is no certainty about the identity of his mother nor about his earlier lineage. No connection has been found between the Burnett and Norfleet lines. Given that he does not belong to the Y‑DNA‑verified Burnett paternal line, it is assumed that a female Burnett (perhaps Sir Robert’s grandmother or great‑grandmother) produced a son who took his mother’s surname.

Sir Robert clearly believed that he was descended from the Burnetts of Leys, as in 1812 he was granted Arms which include the Leys motto “Virescit Vulnere Virtus”. It is possible that he had in his earlier line a female Burnett who descended from the Leys.

Major Haplogroup: Descendants of this line are of the major haplogroup R‑M269 (R1b), dated to about 4465 BCE. R‑M269 is the most common haplogroup in Western Europe.

Later haplogroups / SNPs: The three Burnett testers, all direct descendants of Sir Robert Burnett (born 1741), share a terminal SNP of R‑FTB57857, dated to about 1604 ± 80 years. The three non‑Burnett testers, all with the surname Norfleet, share an SNP of R‑BY121474, dated to about 1598 ± 80 years. Both these SNPs derive from R‑BY95020, dated to about 993 ± 80 years. This is illustrated graphically in the chart below.

Y‑DNA‑verified Paternal Ancestors

From the family trees of our testers, the paternal ancestors listed below are confirmed members of this paternal line. If your Burnett ancestor is listed below, it means you also descend from this paternal Burnett line.

Name	Born	Died	Spouse
Sir Robert Burnett	1741 London, England	1816 Morden, Surrey	Ann Fassett
John Fassett Burnett	1768 Crayford, Kent	1851 Dartford, Kent	Elizabeth Barchard
Frederick Wildman Burnett	1822 Streatham, London	1904 Isle of Wight, Hampshire	Henrietta Crawford
William Freshfield Burnett	1865 Steyning, Sussex	1935 St Germans, Cornwall	Mary H. F. Verey
Geoffrey Francis Burnett	1906 Kensington, London	1962 Uckfield, Sussex	Rhoda E. Wilson
Charles Fassett Burnett	1779 Vauxhall, London	1852 Steyning, Sussex	Elizabeth Barchard
Arthur Julian Burnett	1843 Marylebone, London	1925	Louisa Coxe
Eric Vaughan Burnett	1878 Brentford, Middlesex	1938	Bianca Vick
Eric Burnett	1911 Santiago, Chile	2003 Santiago, Chile	Phyllis Hodgkinson
Ernest Wildman Burnett	1845 Brighton, Sussex	1931 Headington, Oxfordshire	Fanny Gilpin
Kenneth Burnett	1875 Lichfield, Staffordshire	1959 Maidenhead, Berkshire	Anita Evans
Brian Kenyon Burnett	1913 India	2011 Surrey	Valerie St Ledger