Probably Par for the course, at the time, Family at both 'homes'
I liked Reggies Uncle JB, seems a bit of a character.
Temperance leaguers in Africa too.
i was surprised that not one of the many members of the family was seen. JB did grow up with the family.
i was surprised that not one of the many members of the family was seen. JB did grow up with the family.
Too busy trying to flesh out the rest of the tree and give a bit of context, for the big family reunion on camera, I guess.
Lots of faces wouldn't have added anything factual.
Not sure what you mean about JB
Not sure what to make of the Chief, I'll plumb for 'dry sense of humour'
Too busy trying to flesh out the rest of the tree and give a bit of context, for the big family reunion on camera, I guess.
Lots of faces wouldn't have added anything factual.
Not sure what you mean about JB
Not sure what to make of the Chief, I'll plumb for 'dry sense of humour'
I don't know who he is but I found it very interesting, and no mention of slavery. I feel it was padded out by his meetings with the tribal chief and the elders, because they didn't add anything to the story which his cousin hadn't already told him.
I thought it was an excellent programme, one of my favourites this year. I thought Reggie came across really well and it was a very interesting family story going back generations.
I thought tonight's programme was fascinating. I have never known anything about that particular period of history in that part of the world.
Billy came over very well; no ridiculous faux empathy or buggering about crying and being all tragic and stricken about forebears having a torrid time of it. Let's face it, anyone who is alive today can tell a similar story, if only they had the budget to support and pay an army of researchers all over the world, as WDYTYA has. All of our recent relations had an awful life. Every one of us, regardless of who we are. Moreover he was pretty sharp and lucid, for saying he's as sick as he is. Good for him.
I must say I was expecting a programme full of more stories of suppression in Ireland and misery and horrors at the hands of the perfidious British.
Mr Doyle legged it out of Ireland and joined the British army at the time of the famine. Which, I daresay was a shrewd move on his part and one that a lot of young men of the time chose.
Sad to see Billy like this. I guess the medication to treat his parkinsons has this effect on him.
In my opinion, this was Billy as he has always been, nothing to do with any medication. It may well have been filmed a while ago before he was diagnosed with Parkinson's.
I thought tonight's programme was fascinating. I have never known anything about that particular period of history in that part of the world.
Billy came over very well; no ridiculous faux empathy or buggering about crying and being all tragic and stricken about forebears having a torrid time of it. Let's face it, anyone who is alive today can tell a similar story, if only they had the budget to support and pay an army of researchers all over the world, as WDYTYA has. All of our recent relations had an awful life. Every one of us, regardless of who we are. Moreover he was pretty sharp and lucid, for saying he's as sick as he is. Good for him.
I must say I was expecting a programme full of more stories of suppression in Ireland and misery and horrors at the hands of the perfidious British.
Mr Doyle legged it out of Ireland and joined the British army at the time of the famine. Which, I daresay was a shrewd move on his part and one that a lot of young men of the time chose.
Read up on it, the siege at Lucknow and Cawnpore Well are fascinating. As are many other incidents in the Mutiny.
What you have to keep in mind was this was a time when women were considered "delicate flowers" but the reality of their lives were anything but.
Brutal times and what shouldn't be forgotten is that had Britain lost India at that time, it wouldn't have ended up independent, all the other imperial powers would have been in there like rats up a drainpipe.
It's quite something to find you have an ancestor at the siege of Lucknow, he should be very proud.
Not only that, part of the force that desperately fought their way through only to get trapped there themselves.
Although not a great fan of Billy Connelly, I'm very glad I watched tonight's episode. As others have said it was fascinating and IMO the best of the series so far. Very informative without the historonics we've seen in previous programmes.
I don't know who he is but I found it very interesting, and no mention of slavery. I feel it was padded out by his meetings with the tribal chief and the elders, because they didn't add anything to the story which his cousin hadn't already told him.
No mention of slavery probably because his ancestors are not known to be sold into slavery or have sold each other into slavery. However if his immediate ethnicity was African West Indian or African Americans it is 99% likely that his ancestors would have been slaves by definition. The current 'black' population of the states and rest of the americas, including the West Indies/Caribbean only exist because they were brought there as slaves. The remaining 1% of Africans came in the latter part of 20th century or 21st Century - in other words, free immigrants in modern times. The African slave trade was extensive covering about 4 centuries and created a whole new race/tribe of Africans out of Africa.
In my opinion, this was Billy as he has always been, nothing to do with any medication. It may well have been filmed a while ago before he was diagnosed with Parkinson's.
He is clearly showing the signs of Parkinsons disease medications, the mask face, stiffness and a particular walk, I speak from experience. It's a balancing act getting the level of meds right to control the dreadful symptoms.
Loved this episode. ..whod've thunk it , Billy has some Indian blood running through his veins
No mention of slavery probably because his ancestors are not known to be sold into slavery or have sold each other into slavery. However if his immediate ethnicity was African West Indian or African Americans it is 99% likely that his ancestors would have been slaves by definition. The current 'black' population of the states and rest of the americas, including the West Indies/Caribbean only exist because they were brought there as slaves. The remaining 1% of Africans came in the latter part of 20th century or 21st Century - in other words, free immigrants in modern times. The African slave trade was extensive covering about 4 centuries and created a whole new race/tribe of Africans out of Africa.
Four centuries?
I don't think the slave trade from Africa to the Americas lasted that long though slavery has always existed and probably will always exist in some form. Britain abolished slavery in the early 19th Century though the US did not finally abolish until 1865. Of course Arab traders were taking people from the British Isles into slevery for a few hundred years.
Read up on it, the siege at Lucknow and Cawnpore Well are fascinating. As are many other incidents in the Mutiny.
What you have to keep in mind was this was a time when women were considered "delicate flowers" but the reality of their lives were anything but.
Brutal times and what shouldn't be forgotten is that had Britain lost India at that time, it wouldn't have ended up independent, all the other imperial powers would have been in there like rats up a drainpipe.
It's quite something to find you have an ancestor at the siege of Lucknow, he should be very proud.
Not only that, part of the force that desperately fought their way through only to get trapped there themselves.
I thought at first that he was going to start a rant about the poor soldiers being ordered by the officers to kill Indians when I am sure they needed little encouragement after finding women and children massacred.
We thought for a time that one of my family had been involved in the Relief of Lucknow but he did not seem to have done so though he had the South India bar on his medal.
I was surprised they did not identify any relatives in India with the detailed records available there.
I thought at first that he was going to start a rant about the poor soldiers being ordered by the officers to kill Indians when I am sure they needed little encouragement after finding women and children massacred.
We thought for a time that one of my family had been involved in the Relief of Lucknow but he did not seem to have done so though he had the South India bar on his medal.
I was surprised they did not identify any relatives in India with the detailed records available there.
His Indian ancestor was identified because she married a British soldier. I suspect any other records of her existence range from scarce to non-existent, unless Indian birth/death/marriage records were on a par with the UK's in the 1800s.
I was surprised they did not identify any relatives in India with the detailed records available there.
It was probably not work the time and money considering it was so many generations back. He's only 1/64th Indian or something like that....lost track of the number of "greats".
Although not a great fan of Billy Connelly, I'm very glad I watched tonight's episode. As others have said it was fascinating and IMO the best of the series so far. Very informative without the historonics we've seen in previous programmes.
Enjoyed this episode a lot. Followed a trail of ancestors back and interplayed with historical events of the time. It showed how weak some of the other episodes have been. I really don't like those that centre on one or two fairly recent ancestors.
I seem to recall that Alistair McGowan had a similar story. One of his ancestors had been in India and married a local woman - he even found living relatives in India with the surname Mc Gowan.
Comments
i was surprised that not one of the many members of the family was seen. JB did grow up with the family.
Too busy trying to flesh out the rest of the tree and give a bit of context, for the big family reunion on camera, I guess.
Lots of faces wouldn't have added anything factual.
Not sure what you mean about JB
Not sure what to make of the Chief, I'll plumb for 'dry sense of humour'
Yes his grandfather had 16 children, where were they?
lol yes
By British law his wife in the Gold Coast was not a legal wife so he was not a bigamist.
I think a previous programme has mentioned how it was common for people working in the colonies to take a local 'wife'.
I agree, bless him
Billy came over very well; no ridiculous faux empathy or buggering about crying and being all tragic and stricken about forebears having a torrid time of it. Let's face it, anyone who is alive today can tell a similar story, if only they had the budget to support and pay an army of researchers all over the world, as WDYTYA has. All of our recent relations had an awful life. Every one of us, regardless of who we are. Moreover he was pretty sharp and lucid, for saying he's as sick as he is. Good for him.
I must say I was expecting a programme full of more stories of suppression in Ireland and misery and horrors at the hands of the perfidious British.
Mr Doyle legged it out of Ireland and joined the British army at the time of the famine. Which, I daresay was a shrewd move on his part and one that a lot of young men of the time chose.
In my opinion, this was Billy as he has always been, nothing to do with any medication. It may well have been filmed a while ago before he was diagnosed with Parkinson's.
Read up on it, the siege at Lucknow and Cawnpore Well are fascinating. As are many other incidents in the Mutiny.
What you have to keep in mind was this was a time when women were considered "delicate flowers" but the reality of their lives were anything but.
Brutal times and what shouldn't be forgotten is that had Britain lost India at that time, it wouldn't have ended up independent, all the other imperial powers would have been in there like rats up a drainpipe.
It's quite something to find you have an ancestor at the siege of Lucknow, he should be very proud.
Not only that, part of the force that desperately fought their way through only to get trapped there themselves.
No mention of slavery probably because his ancestors are not known to be sold into slavery or have sold each other into slavery. However if his immediate ethnicity was African West Indian or African Americans it is 99% likely that his ancestors would have been slaves by definition. The current 'black' population of the states and rest of the americas, including the West Indies/Caribbean only exist because they were brought there as slaves. The remaining 1% of Africans came in the latter part of 20th century or 21st Century - in other words, free immigrants in modern times. The African slave trade was extensive covering about 4 centuries and created a whole new race/tribe of Africans out of Africa.
He is clearly showing the signs of Parkinsons disease medications, the mask face, stiffness and a particular walk, I speak from experience. It's a balancing act getting the level of meds right to control the dreadful symptoms.
Loved this episode. ..whod've thunk it , Billy has some Indian blood running through his veins
Four centuries?
I don't think the slave trade from Africa to the Americas lasted that long though slavery has always existed and probably will always exist in some form. Britain abolished slavery in the early 19th Century though the US did not finally abolish until 1865. Of course Arab traders were taking people from the British Isles into slevery for a few hundred years.
I thought at first that he was going to start a rant about the poor soldiers being ordered by the officers to kill Indians when I am sure they needed little encouragement after finding women and children massacred.
We thought for a time that one of my family had been involved in the Relief of Lucknow but he did not seem to have done so though he had the South India bar on his medal.
I was surprised they did not identify any relatives in India with the detailed records available there.
His Indian ancestor was identified because she married a British soldier. I suspect any other records of her existence range from scarce to non-existent, unless Indian birth/death/marriage records were on a par with the UK's in the 1800s.
It was probably not work the time and money considering it was so many generations back. He's only 1/64th Indian or something like that....lost track of the number of "greats".