A call for people who may be descendants of Flemish invaders in Llangwm, published in the Pembroke and Pembroke Dock Observer, has received such an enthusiastic response that the organisers have agreed a deal with a leading DNA testing organisation.

The Heritage Llangwm Team, supported by organisations, including the Heritage Lottery Fund, is working to uncover the village's Flemish roots, testing the DNA of men who have already managed to trace their ancestry back over 200 years or more in the Llangwm area.

Heritage Llangwm's research officer, Elizabeth Rawlings, says the plan is to see if the saliva samples of volunteers match those held by geneticists in Flanders.

"We had planned to test six people whose history looked promising, and we managed to stretch our funds to increase this to seven.

"But then more people contacted us, and we managed to agree a deal with DNA Cymru, who've been testing Welsh DNA, which means that if they're happy to pay they can have their DNA tested for £166 rather than the usual £250.

"But they'll need to have already traced their male line back more than 200 years, and ideally have one of the surnames we know have a higher chance of having Flemish ancestry, which include Brock, Stevens, Roche and Cousins.

"The original seven people have already received their kits and have provided saliva samples for the testers."

One of them, Graham Stephens, who has traced his Llangwm ancestors back to 1763, provided his sample last week.

"The logic is that because people didn't move around too much pre-1800 if I can trace my male line that far, maybe it goes back several hundred years before that.

"It'll be something really interesting and quite exciting if I can go back to the 1200s."

The Flemings, who had come to Britain with William the Conqueror in 1066, were sent to Pembrokeshire by William's son Henry I in part to curb what were called 'the troublesome Welsh.'

The project also includes renovations to Llangwm's medieval church and, while they are taking place, archaeologists will be able to check for graves under the floor. There will also be an archaeological dig at a nearby manor house involving volunteers.

Heritage Llangwm can be contacted via email at [email protected]">[email protected] or leave a message on 07597 152903.