Updated results are now available:

1.  Romsey Branch. Descendant of George & Eliza BARLING

2. Romsey Branch. Descendant of James & Edith Louisa BARLING

3. Egerton Branch. Descendant of BARLINGs of Lynsted 

4. Egerton Branch. Descendant of BARLINGs of Lynsted

5. BARTLING surname from Germany. Unrelated family for comparison

1. & 2. share a common ancestor in John BARLING married 1682 in Hampshire

3. & 4. share a common ancestor in Philip Charles BARLING born 1868 in Doddington, Kent

The DNA results show that Testers 1. & 2. are indeed descendants of a common ancestor. Their DNA markers are very similar, though there are some subtle differences. These are consistent with the common ancestor having lived about 300 years ago.

The DNA results for Testers 3. & 4. differ significantly from Testers 1. and 2. It is most likely that the common ancestor lived more than 1500 years ago

These data suggest that the "Egerton"  and "Romsey" Barlings may not have a recent common origin. This can be made more certain if other members of the Barling families from Egerton and other places in Kent offer to participate in this project.

Here the results of the two Egerton testers (#1 and #4) are compared with those from the Romsey Branch (#2 and #3). More markers will be analysed., but at present, as expected,  there are no differences  between the two Egerton branch testers.:

 The project is still at an early stage. However, it is clear that these simple DNA tests can be used to determine which BARLING branches share a common ancestor, and to distinguish sub-branches. This can be used to confirm previous genealogies or to establish new connections. MORE BARLING MEN ARE REQUIRED AS VOLUNTEERS  !!