Who Do You Think You Are?

Thanks, Sparklefizz.

I enjoyed it too, and yes, JW does seem very likeable.

MayBeMaw- I was being facetious when asking if Josh was related to Anne!

Grandma70s & Witzend - I'm another one descended from Irish Kings - Kings of Munster to be more specific

Dee1012

I love this programme!

I've managed to go as far as the 1700's with my family tree and one surprise was that on both maternal and paternal sides, it all appears to originate around the "east end" of London...was there a palace close by I wonder? .
The only other surprise was an ancestor with a LOT of wives, thankfully not at the same time!

Tower of London is not far from the East End.

And if they had followed up the Rich connection they would have gone back to Richard Rich, who did very nicely out of the dissolution of the monasteries and was the villain of the piece in A Man For All Seasons. That would have produced another splendid tomb, too.

I was annoyed by the continued pronounciation of 'Lettice'. They kept saying 'Lettees'. I have a friend called Lettuce. It's always 'Lettiss' ( like the veg!). I checked online and found confirmation that it isn't 'Lettees' and referred to it as 'faux french'.

I had a great Aunt Lettuce , pronounced the same as your friend’s name Aveline

Widdecombe (and various spellings) is a Devon name. I have some in my family tree.

I think Lettice is a lovely name. My friend is usually referred to as Letty though.

Loved it. I too wondered if he was related to Richard Rich.

We have no grand names in my family as far as I know. A smuggler in Sussex was part of the Hooe gang; agricultural labourers in Suffolk descended from the List (Lyst) family and canal bargees related to the Rathbones - mechanical engineers; sheep rustlers deported to Australia. The maternal family is probably Saxon in origin. To own property you generally have to be of Norman descent.

Local pronunciation cannot be guessed and follows no rules- so who is to know what the correct way of saying it is.

It's not a French name so no point in trying try pronounce it as they did.

If Henry VIII had 2 children (legitimate or illegitimate) which each had 2 children who each had... you get the idea, there are over 8m related to him.

On a different tack, with a smile on my face, I am remembering Danny Dyer's wife shouting 'I'm a princess!' at the end of his WDYTYA.

I liked Josh too and thought his looks remarkable like those Royal portraits!
You'd have thought there would have been a rumour in the family about the beheaded ancestor.

I wonder when they will introduce DNA testing onto WDYTYA. I had my DNA tested and found no English at all though I have ancestors from Norfolk and from Gloucestershire ..or do I?

I

Aveline

I was annoyed by the continued pronounciation of 'Lettice'. They kept saying 'Lettees'. I have a friend called Lettuce. It's always 'Lettiss' ( like the veg!). I checked online and found confirmation that it isn't 'Lettees' and referred to it as 'faux french'.

Years ago I knew a very affected lady who pronounced her name ‘Lettees’.?

Lettice, when pronounced Lettees, is quite possibly 'faux French' - a bit like snobby Hyacinth Bucket and her insistence on 'Bouquet'. ?

I find Josh Widdicombe very likeable - I'm now determined to watch the series. My DH's own ancestors include Edward II of England and Isabella of France - and beyond. I think there's nothing more addictive than finding out about your 'roots'.

MayBeMaw

It was an amazing “pedigree “:though wasn’t it!
Descended from Mary, sister of Anne Boleyn (quite possibly fathered by Henry VIII who was having a fling with her at the time) but going even further back to Edward I and even further to Philip III (?) of France. Not to mention the Earl of Holland , “groom of the stool” to Charles I
He’s got more blue blood in him than most of the Royal Family!

That post really should have had a spoiler alert MayBeMaw.

Someone had put a family tree in Ancestry which included my great-grandmother, showing a direct line to Henry VIII through his marriage to Anne Boleyn.
I thought it was a load of rubbish because their only child, Elizabeth, did not marry or have any children.

Now I'm beginning to wonder ..... ?

And one DD is a redhead ?

I'm more excited to think I might be related to Josh Widdecombe!

Aveline

I was annoyed by the continued pronounciation of 'Lettice'. They kept saying 'Lettees'. I have a friend called Lettuce. It's always 'Lettiss' ( like the veg!). I checked online and found confirmation that it isn't 'Lettees' and referred to it as 'faux french'.

Like you and Anniebach I knew a “Lettice” pronounced Lettiss who took pride in it being an old English name.

It would be like talking about Clareess Cliffe pottery or even the politician Horrass Walpole - where on earth did they get that idea from?

Haven’t watched it yet but looking forward to it.,, ancestors back to 1700 many from Windsor area, also towards Welsh Borders.I would love them to do my family history as I am stuck now.

Espee How can an already aired programme ever be a "Spoiler alert"?
There is a clue in the original post on this thread if anyone prefers not to read.

My Irish side goes back to Henry 1st but given changes in land holding, invasions and the fact that Henry 1st is said to be the monarch with the most illegitimate children, even if true, there's a lot of us about!

You have over a million ancestors just 20 generations back. There's bound to be somebody interesting in there somewhere.

Callistemon

Someone had put a family tree in Ancestry which included my great-grandmother, showing a direct line to Henry VIII through his marriage to Anne Boleyn.
I thought it was a load of rubbish because their only child, Elizabeth, did not marry or have any children.

Now I'm beginning to wonder ..... ?

And one DD is a redhead ?

I'm more excited to think I might be related to Josh Widdecombe!

I don’t want to burst your bubble Callistemon but some people post absolute rubbish on Ancestry. Check it all out yourself to see if it’s right. It should be do-able. Have they given their sources? They obviously made a mistake in claiming descent from Anne Boleyn but who knows, perhaps you are descended from Henry via Mary B or another mistress, Ma’am?

Throughly enjoyed the program. I like Josh W for his gentle humour. I was slightly flummoxed though by his apparent total lack of any historical knowledge.
I’ve found traces of one line in my family going back to the 1500s.