Who Do You Think You Are - Michelle Keegan 6th Jun

[kiterunner]

On BBC1 at 9 p.m. Repeated on Sunday at 4 p.m., also on BBC1.

[James18]

Initially I read that as Michael Keaton. Disappointed. :D

[kiterunner]

Episode synopsis:

Michelle Keegan went to see her mother Jackie (Jacqueline) Keegan, nee Turner, who showed her old family photos and told her about her (Jackie's) parents, Brian Turner from England and Mary Elizabeth Wiltshire from Gibraltar. Jackie told her that Mary could speak Spanish. Mary's parents were Charles Stuart Wiltshire and Leonore Orfila, both from Gibraltar.

Michelle went to Gibraltar and met a local historian there, who showed her the 1911 census where Leonore was 4 years old, with her family. Father Miguel Orfila was a groom aged 49 and Leonore had three older brothers and an older sister. The family was Roman Catholic. Michelle went to see where the Orfila family used to live, at Lime Kiln Steps, and their local Catholic church. Charles and Leonore's marriage certificate showed that they married on the 29th Aug 1932 at the Wesleyan Methodist Church, because Charles was C of E.

The historian told Michelle that in 1940, Leonore and the children were evacuated from Gibraltar but Charles stayed to work for the armed forces as an electrician. Michelle went to Gibraltar National Archives to look at the passenger lists, and found that the Wiltshires travelled to the UK on ship E, the Ulster Monarch. Mary Elizabeth was aged 6 and had two brothers. Michelle was shown a film of some Gibraltarian evacuees in England. She met her grandmother's cousin, Michael / Miguel, and his grandson Tim. Miguel was also evacuated to the UK and told Michelle that they lived in London for four years, at Lancaster Gate.

Michelle then went to the Garrison Library to meet a local researcher who had drawn up her family tree, with various branches leading back to places such as Genoa, Portugal, and Spain. Michelle's 7xg-grandfather, Giacomo Parodi from Genoa was the first of her family to settle on Gibraltar. The 1777 census of Gibraltar showed him as a seaman aged 34, on Gibraltar for 21 years. He also had a wine shop, and in 1777 he was caught selling wine to soldiers after hours. He and his wife ran away from Gibraltar and were fined 10 dollars in absentia, but soon returned. He was later listed as a baker and a tobacconist, and a ship owner.

Michelle then flew to Genoa, which was an independent state in Giacomo's time but is now part of Italy. She met a researcher who showed her the Parodi family's local church where Giacomo was baptised. It was in a poor area in the 18th century and Giacomo would have left for economic reasons. Giacomo's baptism record showed that he was the son of John Baptiste Parodi and Theresa. John Baptiste was born on the 2nd Jun 1713, the son of Giuseppe Parodi and Pellegrina. Giuseppe Parodi was born in 1680 and baptised privately as he was thought to be in danger of dying.

Michelle then went back to Manchester to find out about her grandfather Brian Turner. She went to see his sister, her great-aunt Paula, who showed her some old family photos and told her that Brian's parents were James Turner and Norah Kirwan who married in 1926. Norah's parents were John aka Jack Kirwan and Elizabeth Lethbridge. They lived at Waterloo Grove in Greenhayes, Mossside. Michelle went to Manchester Central Library to meet an historian, who showed her John and Elizabeth's marriage certificate, dated 1901, when John was 22 and Elizabeth 20. Both their fathers, John Kirwan sr and Edward Lethbridge, were shown as deceased. Edward died when Elizabeth was a baby.

Jack and Elizabeth moved to West Gorton, which was a slum area. Michelle was shown the death certificates of two of their children, Kathleen who died in 1903 age 4 months, cause of death epidemic enteritis, i.e. diaorrhea, and Winifred, who died age 2 of convulsions. Norah's birth certificate showed that she was born on the 7th May 1904 at 23 Thomas Street, Gorton. The registrar's name on the certificate was E. Pankhurst, i.e. Emmeline Pankhurst the leader of the suffragettes.

Michelle went to the Pankhurst Centre in Manchester to meet a social historian who showed her the Kirwan family's entry on the 1911 census where Elizabeth was listed as a suffragist. She also showed her a later electoral register where John and Elizabeth were listed together.

[kiterunner]

Ancestry is so bad at the moment that I couldn't find that 1911 census entry no matter what I searched for, but luckily someone has it attached to their tree so I got to it that way:

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interactive/2352/rg14_23853_0357_03/19262680?backurl=https://www.ancestry.co.uk/family-tree/person/tree/104759546/person/140043066504/facts

[kiterunner]

I was surprised that Ireland wasn't mentioned at all, although I would imagine the Keegans and Kirwans must originate from there.

[Olde Crone]

I didn't find it very interesting, the same old thing of trying to make a lot out of not very much. The placing of the programme because of its link to votes for women was on the slimmest of evidence. Just because someone described themselves as a suffragist didn't mean they were in any way an activist, nor did the fact that Emily Pankhurst was the registrar who recorded the birth, mean that they knew each other! The registrar is who is there on the day, no choice or friendship involved.

OC

[Ann from Sussex]

It was a mildly interesting programme (the most interesting bits were the Gibraltarian and Genoese records) but I wouldn't go further than that. The fact that the British "took Gibraltar by force" was mentioned a couple of times without adding the all-important details that we and the Dutch were engaged in a war with Spain at the time and, most important of all, it was legally ceded to Britain in perpetuity by the Treaty of Utrecht which ended the war in 1713. That made me a bit cross.