BBC "Who Do You Think You Are?" Frank Gardner (WDYTYA Series 12 Episode 7)

[loobylooayr]

Sat down with a mug of coffee and a choccy biscuit to enjoy this one......
But it turns out us Scots were denied seeing Frank Gardner . There was a new New Tricks episode instead ( which is absolutely not a patch on the old New Tricks....but that should be another thread).

So not knowing when BBC Scotland will show it , I'm going to watch iPlayer later.
I really like and admire Frank Gardner, so I'm looking forward to it.

Looby

[Barnes612]

I'm another who really enjoyed this episode. I was interested in the asylum research as my great grandmother's aunt was in an asylum from 1888 - 1893 when she died. The case notes book that was brought out was familiar but about half the size of the one from Lancaster County Asylum.

I thought Frank was very interested and engaged with the process which made it all the more enjoyable for me as a viewer.

When they got that scroll out, I thought - hang on, we've seen this before! Lucky for some that they have ancestors who haven't become part of the masses where tracing a line becomes much more difficult. There were a fair few women on that line back to Royalty as well reducing the chances that somewhere along the line a supposed father actually wasn't.

More than made up for last week's strange lady.

[cms]

By far the best episode this series.
I sat up when the name Rollestone was mentioned. Same name different spelling in my family. Then the Burdett name. They were the local landowners near where I live. It seems likely to me that Frank's mother's claim that they were descended from Normans who came over with the Conqueror is by the Burdett line. She would have known about Dorothy Burdett even though she didn't know about the direct descent from William.
All great stuff.
C

[ChrissieL]

I too enjoyed this episode - what a change from from last week with Anne Reid.  I like to see the celebrities doing some of their own research and Frank seemed genuinely interested of all aspects of his family tree.  An enthusiastic and personable man.  Great episode

Chris

[panda40]

Great episode which took one line back as far as it was possible to go. When I get a spare few minutes I will have a look at the family in the later censuses as it will be interesting to see where all the children ended up.

[Galium]

Much more likeable than last week. The Stanhope story reminded me that one of  OH's ancestors in the 17thC was a woman of that name, and I'd never got around to following up her line.  It appears that she was a Ggranddaughter of Michael. 

[Wred]

HI Loobyooayr

STV showing prog on Monday night (28th) at 22.35. They don't make it easy do they. I think it was changed because of football match.

[susieroe]

By far the best episode this series.
I sat up when the name Rollestone was mentioned. Same name different spelling in my family. Then the Burdett name. They were the local landowners near where I live. It seems likely to me that Frank's mother's claim that they were descended from Normans who came over with the Conqueror is by the Burdett line. She would have known about Dorothy Burdett even though she didn't know about the direct descent from William.
All great stuff.
C

Yes, I thought when I heard Rolleston 'Hello, this going local'! But I really sat up when they went to Foremark. I've been tearing my hair out over the Francis (Fraunceys) family in Ticknall, which is another branch. Jane Francis of Foremark married Sir Thomas Burdett, so today I've been looking for the connection to Dorothy - nope, can't find it, along with my link.
If I could find these two links, not only me but Frank too could take the line back via a Fraunceys tree to 1050 (pre-conquest). If the tree is authentic, that is!

[jc26red]

I agree cms, when they mentioned the name Burdett, I thought that was going to be the Norman connection as most people with the name Burdett appear to "know" about the Norman connection.... My MIL for one.

I'm surprised no one on here has picked up on the initial newspaper obit which mentioned Grace was the niece of sir Humphrey Davy, the science connection appears to have carried on. Frank Gardener didn't even comment on it which made me think he already knew something about Grace.

I'm still puzzled on who had the original personal letters?

I thoroughly enjoyed the program, it just goes to show, if the subject is truly engaged and enthusiastic it makes viewing far more interesting.