"Who Do You Think You Are", Series 14: #7 Fearne Cotton

[Barnes612]

I feel they did a great disservice to William Gilmour by suggesting that he was not a qualified doctor as he had not been to university and gained his MD and that he was just making it up as he went along. He was actually a qualified doctor, he had received his licence to practice from the Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons Glasgow in 1854. This was before the Medical Act of 1858 which required a medical degree or licence before you could practice medicine. He would have served an apprenticeship of around three to five years learning from a "master" and maybe also attending lectures at a  medical school or university. He was registered as doctor on 1 January 1859 when the 1858 Act came into force. He also gained his Double Qualification in Medicine and Surgery in 1860 by becoming a Licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians Edinburgh in 1860. The 1854 newspaper report contained the clue to his being a qualified doctor as he is shown as Member of the Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons, and Licentiate in Midwifery of Glasgow. So we had a young newly qualified doctor looking for adventure.

Thanks very much for this information. Instead of questioning the credentials of Dr Gilmour perhaps we should be questioning those of the historian on the programme who told Fearne that he wasn't a real doctor, just a chancer! 

[Rosinish]

I feel they did a great disservice to William Gilmour by suggesting that he was not a qualified doctor as he had not been to university and gained his MD and that he was just making it up as he went along. He was actually a qualified doctor, he had received his licence to practice from the Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons Glasgow in 1854. This was before the Medical Act of 1858 which required a medical degree or licence before you could practice medicine. He would have served an apprenticeship of around three to five years learning from a "master" and maybe also attending lectures at a  medical school or university. He was registered as doctor on 1 January 1859 when the 1858 Act came into force. He also gained his Double Qualification in Medicine and Surgery in 1860 by becoming a Licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians Edinburgh in 1860. The 1854 newspaper report contained the clue to his being a qualified doctor as he is shown as Member of the Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons, and Licentiate in Midwifery of Glasgow. So we had a young newly qualified doctor looking for adventure.

Thanks for the rundown which beggars belief this wasn't shown.

We will all recall the great lengths the team went to regarding Claire Balding & her ancestors' status!

Is it a case of 'Wealth or Health' which is of importance when doing their researching 

Can someone clarify, when Dr. Gilmour was ill & the little girl died was this not in the time of his own lengthy illness prior to his death?

Annie

[Blue70]

Interesting programme and an interesting thread. I agree with the comments on here about how facts can be lost and a particular narrative given that might misrepresent the true events. I've been trying to overturn years of damage done by authors about a Victoria Cross winner:-

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Connolly_(VC)

http://williamconnollyvc.webs.com/


Blue
 

[coombs]

The celebs are lucky to have a team of researchers who are scouring all records they can find to look for info on their ancestors so they seem to have it all handed to them on a platter with bells on it. No trundling off to record offices and spend hours trundling through jittery microfilm machines looking at registers which can be faded, have blobs on them or gaps in them. And finding some of the reels have been wound up the wrong way by a previous user or put in the wrong place.

Normal genealogists have to do this all ourselves and it can take years to crack down a brick wall on one single line. I guess even the celebs have ancestors who reach dead ends though.

[Gan Yam]

Was thinking the same & more so why Fearne herself didn't enquire about the widow & children, who were they, what were their names, did she remain in England etc. 

Annie

I thought this too. She seemed uninterested in William's wife and children even though Elizabeth was her 4x great grandmother and one of the children was her 3x great grandparent. Maybe that bit was on the cutting floor!

[ThrelfallYorky]

You'd have thought they'd have heard the great massed voices of Rootschatters all chanting "Census, census, census......."

[aghadowey]

You'd have thought they'd have heard the great massed voices of Rootschatters all chanting "Census, census, census......."

No indication that the family were listed in 1831 census living in Garvagh next to Surgeon Robinson 
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/c19/007246492/007246492_00235.pdf

[Rosinish]

I think this has been the most controversial one to date 

Too many important facts missing & what exactly was the need to visit Ireland, given that nothing of much interest was given & the interesting stuff completely hidden   

A 2nd version could be put together in honour of The 'fake' Doctor by RC Sleuths & name it "The Real William Gilmour"   

Annie

[Finley 1]

Not having read all the posts.

My thoughts were ... why did they choose a 4.gg.
did they pluck him out of the air?

Or had it all been decided that he was the most interesting rellie to work with..

uhm...

not excited by this didnt watch it all..

xin