When I first developed an interest in my ancestry, I was keen to understand where I originally came from… After tracing my ancestry back as far as possible, I discovered that my family line actually originated from a place called ‘Dykesfield’ near ‘Burgh-by-Sands’ in Cumbria, England, United Kingdom. In 2012 I made such a connection in England, UK.
Our initial contact was a pleasant one and soon after we arranged to meet up in Newcastle, UK and chase our origins together…
My research lead me to a place called ‘Dykesfield’, a place believed to be named after the ‘Dykes’ family name. ‘Dykesfield’ resides at the western edge of Hadrian’s Wall (Which used to be known as ‘Hadrian’s Dyke’ – hence, field near Hadrian’s Dyke… ‘Dykesfield’
As a keen hiker, I thought it would be a fun adventure to walk the whole length of Hadrians Wall towards my origins. So myself and my (at the time) 21 year old son, who was in the US Air Force and very much into fitness, flew to the UK to meet with our new found connection at ‘Wallsend‘ at the eastern side of Hadrian’s Wall where we would begin our first adventure together.
Over the next four days while walking the length of the wall, we got to know each other very well and developed a very strong bond which has only grown stronger to this day.
On the last day as we neared the end of our mini adventure, we went to see a mansion house called ‘Dykes Manor’ which used to belong to previous generations of ‘Dykes’. As we were taking photographs outside the manor house, the newly acquired owners approached us to ask why we were taking photographs in front of the house. We introduced ourselves and produced identification as we explained that we were chasing our family history and that our journey had led us to the area and the mansion house. The new owners were very thrilled that ‘Dykes’ decendants had come to visit and had an interest in the history of the house and kindly invited us inside for tea.