“"Scientists drew up a map of the British Isles revealing the genetic ancestry of people from different rural areas across the UK.

After extensive DNA surveying, they found that Welsh and Cornish people were among the most genetically distinct groups in the country.

One theory for the difference in their DNA is that they are a "relic" population, tracing their ancestry back to the tribes that colonised Britain after the last Ice Age 10,000 years ago.

Welsh genes proved to be similar to those of the French and Irish, suggesting they were connected to the pre-Roman population.

The Cornish were also shown to have a distinctive DNA make-up, different to those from the neighbouring Devon.

Peter Donnelly, professor of statistical science at Oxford University and director of the Wellcome Trust centre for human genetics, confirmed the distinctiveness of people from the two regions.

He said: "The people of Wales and Cornwall are different from the rest of southern and central England."



Mur ras Pete. Took part and told your people we were Cornish not English at the examination centre. They agreed.

Cornish not English. Cornwall next to England just like Wales.”