Carl could've been royalty or an elite shoemaker: genealogy deep dive proves the Wasties' roots

As Heritage Month draws to a close, Carl leaves the month behind knowing a little more about his roots.

MacAlister says genealogy tests (also known as DNA tracing or ancestry tests) have become increasingly popular - it seems like 'everyone is doing it these days.'

Thanks to an ancestry and genealogy test MacAlister conducted for Carl, it confirms that our punny man's surname, 'Wastie' has British roots, specifically from a William Wastie born in about 1770 in Oxfordshire, England.

William had a son called Peter Wastie who had a son named Henry Wastie, born on 11 January 1823 in Oxfordshire who was a master shoemaker - still with us?

From Peter and Henry, the next generation down is Carl's two-time great-grandfather John James Wastie, born on 29 September 1867 also in Oxfordshire. He was the first Wastie to come to South Africa around 1895, his father was also a master shoemaker and died in Woodstock.

It's noted that the house Henry Wastie lived in, in Oxfordshire is still there today.

MacAlister says there are variations of Carl's surname spelt in various forms such as 'Wastie,' 'Wasty' or 'Westheie.'

Carl's family surname was first verbally recorded in 1185 and recorded by Andrew de Westheie during the reign of King Henry II. Andrew was known as a church builder and Knights Templar - it's giving, now Carl thinks he's royalty...

Of course, Carl was blown away by these results.