1 in 20 Brits have criminal lineage

One in 20 people in Britain have a criminal ancestor while one in 100 are related to pirates, a new study has found.

The survey by family tree website Ancestry.co.uk found that almost two million Britons had family links to convicted criminals with around half a million family trees including a pirate.

The results suggest many dark family secrets remain undiscovered after almost three quarters said they have not yet delved into their family history.

In 2008, actress Patsy Kensit traced her relations on the BBC's 'Who Do You Think Are?' programme to discover the criminal roots of her late father Jimmy Kensit, who was linked to London gangsters including the Krays and the Richardsons.

She found records in the National Archives that showed her grandfather was also a criminal, who was forced to give back his First World War medals in 1921 after he was sentenced to three years' penal servitude.

The research by Ancestry.co.uk showed around four percent of the population was likely to have a criminal in their lineage.

Retired Brian Pickett, from Norfolk, discovered that his great great uncle was one of two men sentenced to death for murder in the last public execution at Lincoln Castle in 1859.

"It was a bit of a surprise. But there's always something under the carpet," the Telegraph quoted Pickett as saying.

"It was quite a big thing at the time with people letting out their rooms for people to come and watch the execution live," he added. (ANI)