Great-grandfather Jonathan Beard came a cropper with an accusation of forgery – he went to court and ended up in London’s notorious Newgate Jail.
The ‘Scots Slaves’
11th Great Grand-uncle James Elliott Paterson – a Scot – may have been the son of the Bishop of Ross but that didn’t stop him ending up as an indentured servant to English colonists in the New World.
The Army Deserter
Great-Grand Uncle George William Pemberton had an erratic career with the British Army. In 1901 he was jailed for desertion – but 15 years later he was back in uniform, and lost his life at the battle of Thiepval in the Somme during World War 1.
The Scottish Archbishop
Tenth-great grandfather John Paterson was the last Protestant Archbishop of Glasgow – and there were mixed reviews about him
The Cotton Mill owner
Annette’s fourth-great grand-aunt and uncle built up a thriving cotton business in the Lancashire mill town of Preston – but he had a tragic end. […]
The Communication Pioneer
Second cousin twice removed James Richard Beard emigrated from the UK to the US, got to know Buffalo Bill, and was in at the start of the communications giant now known as ITT.
The Peasant-Poet
Four times great grandfather Thomas Watson was a drystone waller in rural east Cumberland, and a mason. But he was also a poet, whose work was published by and for his friends after his death.
The Handloom Weaver
Fifth-Great Grandfather Richard Burton was a handloom weaver in Lancashire
The Victorian Innkeeper
Richard and Mary Burton took on the Cross Keys Inn in Brindle in Lancashire in the 1860s
The Spitfire Pilot
Uncle Allan was a Spitfire pilot during World War 2. He lost his life after taking part in the Allies’ disastrous raid on Dieppe. He was just 21.