August 29, 2024Aug 29 Airing tonight at 9pm on BBC One, Who Do You Think You Are? - Melanie Chisholm Seemingly this write up summarises the entire episode: Melanie Chisholm found fame as Sporty Spice in the world-famous girl band The Spice Girls. Today, she’s an award-winning solo artist and believes that her success is partly owing to her drive and resilience. Melanie would love to find out if she shares this with her ancestors. Both sides of Melanie’s family come from Liverpool, and so this is where she begins her journey. Armed with a photograph of her great-grandmother Mary Bilsborough, she heads to the port city to see what she can find. In Liverpool, Melanie discovers that her great-grandmother Mary was quite a character. She was married twice and had several illegitimate children with Melanie’s great-grandfather, while her first husband was still alive. Mary is also listed on the 1939 Register as a moneylender. Melanie wonders how her great-grandmother could lend money when the family were not well off. At Liverpool Central Library, Melanie meets local historian Pat Ayers, who explains that it was not unusual for working class women to become moneylenders. They would use any spare cash to lend as the returns from charging interest were lucrative, but you had to be tough and savvy to do it. In 1927, a bill was passed, which meant moneylenders had to be licensed. In order to carry on legally, Mary Bilsborough would have had to defend her character in court. Melanie looks through the register of moneylenders to see if her great-grandmother managed to get a licence. She’s relieved when she finds Mary’s name on the list, and also discovers from her probate that Mary was very successful, leaving the equivalent of around £46,000 in today’s money on her death. Melanie is keen to explore a family rumour about an Irish connection. The 1911 Census reveals that Mary’s father was called Patrick Flaherty. Could this be where the Irish connection starts? Melanie meets up with genealogist Rachel Rick to see if she can push the line back to Ireland. Rachel explains that Melanie’s great-great-grandfather Patrick Flaherty was actually born in Liverpool, but his father, another Patrick, was born in Ireland and came from Croom in County Limerick. This is where Melanie heads to next. Melanie wants to know what made her family leave rural Croom in Ireland for Liverpool. She discovers that her third great-grandparents were tenant farmers, and that they started to have children in 1846. This wasn’t a good time to be bringing up a family in rural Ireland. In 1845, the potato crops were devastated by blight, a fungal disease, and what’s known as the Great Famine began. The famine had an enormous impact on Irish history, including Melanie’s family. As crops failed and poverty led to extreme hardship and starvation in rural Ireland, Melanie’s family, like many others, sought work in the cities. They moved from rural Croom to Limerick city, and from there to Liverpool. Melanie reflects on how strong and resilient her ancestors had been, surviving such hardships and finding a way to endure and prosper in a new city. Melanie now turns her attention to her maternal side. Having discovered how her dad’s family ended up in Liverpool, she now wants to find out how far back her roots in the city go on her mum’s side. Genealogist Rachel King shows her a family tree that traces back generation after generation to Liverpool, but then reveals that her fourth great-grandfather Thomas Keef actually came from Devon. Records dating back to 1828 reveal that Thomas was an orphan by the age of eight and grew up in a workhouse. Although his prospects seemed bleak, Melanie discovers in the 1851 Census that he was married with three children and worked as a baker. Seven years later, an advert in the Western Daily Press shows he changed profession and worked as a manager in an insurance company in Bristol. Melanie picks up the trail in Bristol, where she meets insurance historian James Kneal. James tells Melanie that her fourth great-grandfather had worked his way up to become manager in what was then a booming industry. But Melanie is shocked to discover that in 1860, Thomas was in court, charged with embezzlement. Newspaper articles reveal the twists and turns of the court case and that finally, three years later, Thomas was cleared, although he lost his job. The articles also reveal that Thomas had a new position – in Liverpool. Melanie ends her journey where she started, in Liverpool. Thomas Keef may have moved cities, possibly to escape the stigma of the court case, but once again he was making headlines. However, this time as a campaigner to improve working men’s lives and rights. As Melanie reflects on the journey she’s taken, she feels proudly Liverpudlian, and sees the city as a place that gave both sides of her family a chance to start again and reinvent themselves. She’s also discovered a long line of determined, hardworking and ambitious people who stood up for themselves and what they believed in. She hopes that she has a little bit of that in her, too. 29 August 2024 57 minutes
August 30, 2024Aug 30 Really enjoyed Melanie's WDYTYA episode, was quite apt they played who do you think you are during it. :lol: Interesting family history there, would love to have known more about her relative's time in the workhouse but understandably the records from back then are very sparse.
October 5, 2024Oct 5 Who Do You Think You Are show is good to learn about someone’s past and family history is interesting. Regarding Melanie’s family to know about how Ireland had a famine so long ago is unheard of now. Also relatives who have had allegations made get shown for it. When put in the press/archives is knowledge to read about for generations to come! Edited October 5, 2024Oct 5 by Stargazer
October 22, 2024Oct 22 For her next album, I really hope Melanie is considering a couple of spice girls duets a la Jessie Ware or Kylie … not a musicals ballad. She could save the spice girls fans from the absolute drought and desolation.
October 22, 2024Oct 22 For her next album, I really hope Melanie is considering a couple of spice girls duets a la Jessie Ware or Kylie … not a musicals ballad. She could save the spice girls fans from the absolute drought and desolation. This would be the best way for her to get the Spice fans on board too... Some of us only care for her as part of the group anyway and her song with Emma, as lovely as it was, it wasn't very interesting lol I would also love - absolutely love - a duet with Jessie Ware... though I have a feeling that Jessie is too 'cool' for it I listened to the clip and musically it sounds ok but the lyrics sound awful :blink:
December 3, 2024Dec 3 The videos I am seeing from this look incredible. Melanie C in full pop star mode!
April 20Apr 20 Do we think beautiful intentions will get a vinyl release for 20th later this year. Or maybe next year for the release that had first day of my life? She does own everything after reason.
