Genealogy Chat

I am finding out that most of my ancestors on my dads side worked in the cotton mills in Lancashire. There is a really good site about the cotton mills at www(.)cottontimes(.)co(.)uk Is fasinating stuff, and is making me weep for my poor family, they where treated so badly, I want to go back in time and look after them all. All in the name of making loads of money for the boss's. It was an horrific time for the poor cotton workers. Maggie

Unfortunately,most of mine are pretty dull however my great Grandfather's nephew was the irish boxer Stephen Sullivan very well known in Ireland but not sure how well known outside of Ireland!!! Sinead

Janet I wish i had known that it was on, i enjoy watching things like that i will have to keep my eyes open in case it is repeated. The cotton industry that you are reasearching is very vast, hopefully there will be a lot of archives around for you to gather your information. Good Luck Pat

Patricia I just watched 'what the industrial revolution did for us' on tv. All about Mr Arkwright, his spinning jenny, his 'inventions' of the factory and shift work. Fascinating stuff and I was interested to see how the cotton mills worked as I am currently researching a family of cotton workers. Interesting fact from the program: 1750 British population 5 million, 1850 population 15million. Janet

Helen My friend has a link to the famous poet Gurney from Glos a possible link for you. regards

My Nan says her family are related to Elizabeth (Gurney) Fry who is famous for women's prison reform in the 1800s. I have managed to trace the family back to Albert Gurney 'gentleman' born c.1803 and think I am only one step away from making the connection (or not).

Crista i sorted out the title of the thread LOL. Pat

Am currently looking into my mum's side of the family , having got back to the 1800's I am finding loads of Shakespeare's in Coventry, now that would be a connection I'd like to find!!

im related to Geoff Hurst the footballer

According to my mother, one of her grandmothers claimed that she had her family tree profesionaly research and we are related to Ann Boyeln! I have no idea what happened to that tree or if it really excists, could be just one of those storys, but would be nice if it were true. So far my family were a very ordinary lot! Michelle

Michael, compelling reading!! Its incredible that so much information can be found about one person. Wish i had one of those in my family!!

Carol, Gibbeted means his body was left to rot for all to see. Usually in an iron cage. Shouldn't the title of this thread be Famous Ancestors? Crista

My 12 greats uncle was executed at the Tower of London on what are widely considered by historians to be trumped up charges. He was a younger son, given an allowance £3:4s:1d a year by his father (my 12 greats grandfather) who also managed to get him a post as a groom to the King. While acting as a trusted aid to the King, he secured great personal wealth but also he unfortunately made bad enemies. When the the King came to get rid of Anne Boleyn, he decided to get rid of my uncle as well! There is a very readable account of this at www(.)brereton(.)org/professor_eric_ives(.)htm

My Granny's cousin was Prof Rodney Porter who won the nobel prize for medicine in the 70's My great grandad John Youds was a Golf Pro and even went in the 1897 Open (woohoo lol) well he is infamous round my way! think having a rellie who was gibetted is pretty cool though!

Sadly no. One of my relatives made medical history as the first person in Britain to have an operation to improve his speech (he had throat cancer), which apparently now is routine. Obviously only doctors who have 'firsts' are mentioned, not their patient. He was terminally ill and died soon afterwards.

Famous godfather to one of my relatives. Fiona

I'm very impressed with the idea of notorious rellies, but I haven't got any myself (as far as I know!!). My dad died 7 years ago and I miss him an awful lot. He was (Arthur) Gordon Clough a broadcaster and journalist mainly on Radio 4, but to me he was just my Dad. Not so much a claim to fame, more a little bit of info!!! Eleanor

Not found any yet. Incidentally, what is gibbeted?

my greatgranddad was a "churchill", it is said that he was related to Winston Churchill somewhere along the line! hav'nt found out where yet!! but i've been told he resembled him very much.

according to paternal grandmother Eric Porter - actor is supposed to be a distant relative - but unable to prove Liz