Cathy Day

PhD Candidate in Bioanthropology

Email: cathy.day@anu.edu.au
Phone: + 61 2 6125 3557

Thesis title: Mate Choice in Rural England in the 18th and 19th Centuries

In order to understand past population structure and gene flow across space and time, it is important to understand the level of inbreeding in a population and the distances from which mates were selected. This project focuses on the village of Stourton in southwestern England, and the surrounding parishes of Kilmington, Penselwood, Zeals and Gillingham. Pedigrees for all inhabitants of the villages are being constructed, with the aim of determining the level of inbreeding in some agricultural communities in the 18th and 19th centuries. One aspect is to examine the birthplaces of all spouses married in Stourton, as well as the birthplaces of the fathers of illegitimate children, where this information is available. The distances over which mates were selected will be examined and analysis will be conducted on the change over time. The well-known effect of the invention of the bicycle on the distance from which potential mates could be selected will also be considered.