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Find out why one million Brits are going back to their roots
Over one million Brits have returned to their family roots, moving to live in the area from which their ancestors originated.
A report out today revealed that 3% of British adults have deliberately moved back to the towns and villages where their families originally lived.
Opinium Research carried out an online poll of 2,234 British adults in July 2008 for the family history website findmypast.com.
Elaine Collins, commercial director of findmypast.com, said: "We tend to think about social migration in terms of people moving away from their home towns in search of new opportunities.
"However, it appears that we are now starting to see the beginning of a move in the opposite direction with many people moving in search of their ancestral roots, possibly as a reaction to having families spread across the country and feeling like we have lost touch with our family's heritage."
Chance encounter
The research also found that 15% of Brits currently live in areas close to their family's roots, purely by chance.
Mary Botham and her husband Tom moved to Leicester from Sheffield in 1985.
They have since discovered that Mr Botham's ancestors were from Leicester.
Mrs Botham said: "We had no idea that we had any links to the area. I started looking into the family history two years ago because my husband was ill and he wanted to know where his father was buried when he died.
"His grandmother was born in Leicester but had moved to Sheffield. His great grandmother was born and lived within a few hundred yards of where we actually live now. His great great great grandmother and father are both buried opposite where we live.
"We can't believe it. My husband just said he would like to move to the area. We just thought the whole family was from Sheffield."
One in 10 Britons nationwide would like to move back to the same place as their ancestors. This figure increases to 16% among Londoners.
Figures also show 43% of Brits have not visited the town or village where their parents and extended family came from. One in 10 did not know where at least one of their parents were born.
