Not quite the same thing, but I researched in vain for an embarrassing number of years, looking for a mention of the Holden family in the Domesday book, tipped off by a respected Lancashire historian. Finally the penny dropped. Lancashire did not exist then! Once that had dawned, I found them easily, with intriguing phonetic versions of their names. I knew I had the right family because they still had the same property for centuries.
I do have families which turn up suddenly in the records having apparently just dropped down from space. I've spent many fruitless hours trying to connect them to likely nearby parishes with no luck so far.
OC
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