Our direct line goes back to an illegitimate male Thomas Stedman, baptised on Christmas Day, 25 December 1764, at St Mary’s Church, Lenham. His mother was Elizabeth Stedman, who had him out of wedlock, and he was given her surname.

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That means, of course, that although we carry the Stedman name through this line, any male descendants from Thomas down will not carry the Stedman Y-DNA — the genetic signature that passes unchanged from father to son. In other words, the Y-DNA wouldn’t represent the true paternal Stedman line of Lenham.​​​​​