Who do you think you are - John Bishop - 6th December
 

Hurray!!!!!!

Good that is a Thursday isn't it?

Makes me wonder how the BBC feel about this program these days because thats the second one they shelved for something else. It probably isn't getting the viewing figures it used to - perhaps food for thought for them on the current format.

Thanks - I've been reading a bit about him and it sounds as if it'll be an entertaining episode. More laughs than tears, I reckon.

Episode Synopsis

John Bishop started out as a stand-up comedian during a temporary split from his wife Melanie.

His paternal grandfather was a warehouseman, his great-grandfather Ernest Charles Bishop was a head waiter at pubs and hotels in Liverpool, and his 2xg-grandfather Charles Bishop appears on the 1861 census as a lay vicar in Chichester, Sussex.

The 1861 census shows that Charles Bishop was born in Paddington, London, about 1825 and his wife Catherine Evett was born in Armagh, Ireland, at about the same time.
1861 census entry on ancestry
The couple got married in Montreal in Canada in 1852. Charles was a Lance Sergeant in the army at the time.

John visited a military researcher who showed him quarterly paylists which show that Charles joined the army as a boy soldier at the age of 14, in 1838. In 1841 the regiment was in Bermuda and Charles joined the regimental band. By 1849 he was a Corporal. The regiment then went to Canada, where Charles married Catherine, the daughter of a soldier. The regiment returned to the UK and Charles and Catherine's first child was born. Soon after this, Charles bought himself out of the army, although he was only six years away from qualifying for a pension.

John visited Chichester Cathedral and met the organist, who showed him the Chapter Minutes for October 1853 which stated that Charles Bishop had been admitted as a probationer in the office of lay vicar at the cathedral. This means that he sang in the cathedral choir. John visited the Chichester Assembly Rooms, where Charles also performed. John saw local newspaper reports of concerts that Charles performed in there. Charles also compused music. The organist showed John the sheet music of one of Charles's compositions, the Watergate Polka, and played him some of it.

The Chapter Minutes show that Charles was given notice by Chichester Cathedral in 1864 but do not state the reason. Local newspapers show that this was because he had been appointed lay vicar at York Cathedral (or Minster).

John then looked at newspapers to find information about Charles's career in York but instead he found reports of Charles appearing in various theatres as one of the Sam Hague Minstrels. One of these reports referred to him as "late basso profundo of York Minster", confirming that it was the same person.

John met a theatre historian who showed him a book with information and pictures of the Sam Hague Minstrels, who were based in Liverpool for many years. He also saw some playbills, and information about their tour of America in 1882. There was also an obituary of Charles, who died in Liverpool at the age of 72.


John then researched another of his 2xg-grandfathers, Thomas Beaton. Thomas's daughter Elizabeth Beaton was the wife of Ernest Bishop. Elizabeth was born in Portsmouth in 1862 and her birth certificate shows that Thomas was a stoker in the Navy. John looked at Thomas's Navy record, which showed that he joined the Navy at the age of 17 and served in the Crimean War. Ships he served on included the Harpy and the Tiger. He was court martialled and served time in prison.

John visited Portsmouth to meet a Naval historian and look around some of the ships. They also visited the library to look for records of the court martial. This was a standard procedure because the ship HMS Tiger had been shipwrecked on the Crimean coast. The sailors were taken prisoner and then exchanged for Russian prisoners, and then formed a Naval Brigade to support the army at the siege of Sebastopol in 1854-5. When they returned to Portsmouth, the court martial took place on HMS Victory and the sailors were all found not guilty of responsibility for the shipwreck.

Records showed that Thomas later served on a merchant ship and that his prison term was served in Malta, perhaps for not reporting for duty. He later served on the royal yacht Victoria and Albert, in 1868.

I really enjoyed it. :) My gg grandfather fought in the Crimea, although he was with the army and my gg uncle was a stoker.