I wonder if anyone has any views on the following:

Odard came to England with William the Conqueror and was given lands in Cheshire. He took the name de Dutton. Families of Duttons and Warburtons were descended from him.

In looking into just who he was I find two alternative stories:

1. He was one of 6 brothers, sons of William d'Eu, and therefore a direct descendant of the Dukes of Normandy.

2. He was the son of Ivron, Viscount of Cotentin.

Anybody got any views on which might be correct?

My information is from the Dutton section of the American Colonial Origins site at
Rootsweb which quotes from "Leycester's Historical Antiquities" published in 1673 by Peter
Leycester, baronet, plus a footnote from Gilbert Cope. (Google Odard and it's the first hit). The
footnote said:
The Warburtons claim consanguinity with the ancient blood-royal of England, being descended from
Rollo, the first Duke of Normandy, through William, Earl of Eu, who married a niece of William the
Conqueror.

However Leycester himself casts doubt. Apparently the ancient Roll of the Barons of Halton saith
that with Hugh, Earl of Chester, came one Nigell, a nobleman; and with Nigell came five brethren.
Now Nigel was the son William d'Eu, but Leyester thinks he means he was accompanied by 5
brothers, but probably not his brothers.

The story that the 5 brothers were the sons of the Viscount of Cotentin comes from Lysons' Magna
Britannia, Vol. II (according to the same page). I don't know what weight to give this. Is there other
evidence? I don't think it can be ignored.

Now is the claim of consanguinity based on an interpretation of "5 brothers" or was there more to it?
I suspect perhaps it was so I tend to think they were the sons of Yvron of Cotentin, though I would
like to think the opposite.

If 5 brothers did come to Cheshire they would have matching Y-chromosomes which passed into a
number of Cheshire families. Is it possible it still survives today? If we could find it, it would signify
that a branch of Duttons, Warburtons etc. were directly descended in the male line. If it were the Y-
chromosome of William the Conqueror it would be even more exciting.

Now I do have one profile in my Warburton DNA Project which comes from someone who is
apparently descended from Odard. At least he links back to the Warburtons of Arley Hall who are
descended from Piers de Werberton, previously de Dutton, who changed his name in the 13th
century. A cadet branch moved to Ireland in the 1630s.

Of course one profile could be misleading as a 'non-paternal event' may have occurred at any time in
the 1000 years since Odard. If I get a match though things get interesting. I'm currently searching
for descendants of other branches of the Irish family, but there may well be other cadet branches
still thriving and a match could occur at any time. A match in another old Cheshire family like the
Duttons would be even more conclusive.