Updown Girl

Although first found in 1989, the Updown Girl aroused new interest in 2022 when modern analysis of her DNA indicated she had some West African ancestry, with evidence suggesting her paternal grandfather or possibly her great-grandfather came from either the Esan or Yoruba population groups.

[10] The possible meanings of grave goods vary greatly, depending on culture and context: they include expressions of identity and status, items for use in the afterlife, and gifts to the deceased.

[13] Frankish wheel-thrown pottery was found in five graves at the cemetery, including that of Updown Girl, evidence of Kent's connections to mainland Europe.

[1] The study was undertaken jointly by the University of Central Lancashire and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology of Leipzig, and for their investigation researchers re-examined 460 skeletons from 37 archaeological sites across Britain and Europe, using recent DNA and isotope techniques to plot shifts in population.

DNA analysis showed a high proportion of those living in the South Eastern parts of England in the 7th century – up to 76% – had genetic links with Continental Northern Europe, particularly with regions corresponding to modern Germany and Denmark.