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Old 08-06-22, 22:39
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Default Who Do You Think You Are - Richard Osman 9th Jun

At 9 p.m. on BBC1 and repeated on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. on BBC2.
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Old 09-06-22, 20:00
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Like me he is originally from Brighton I understand. Clever as he is, I can't stand the man so it would be just my luck to find our families are connected in some way!
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Old 09-06-22, 21:11
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His mum sounds exactly like mine did. Same accent and intonation.
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Old 09-06-22, 22:12
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That was personally very interesting because if you climb to the top of the steps of Lovers Walk where his ancestor found the body you will reach the road where I lived for my first 4 years. The last time I was in Brighton which was in 2008 OH and I stayed in the Travelodge which is at the bottom of Lovers Walk. I was baptised in St Luke's Church, Prestonville which I presume is the parish they referred to as Preston when talking about the murder.
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Old 09-06-22, 22:18
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I found it boring. I drifted off to sleep a few times
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Old 09-06-22, 23:00
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Not fantastically interesting and I think it was a bit of a stretch to claim they were detectives - even when digging up the body after going and looking at it at least three times, they didn't know what they had found!

OC
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Old 09-06-22, 23:07
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Richard Osman grew up 10 miles from Brighton. His father left when Richard was 10 and his mother, Brenda Osman nee Wright brought Richard and his brother up as a single parent. Brenda's father, Thomas Frederick Wright, known as Fred, was born in Brighton and joined the army and later worked as a policeman. Richard went to visit Brenda who showed him some old photos including one of Fred's wedding to her mother, Jessie Reed, and a letter from Jessie to Fred written when Fred was in Burma and when Brenda was a baby. Brenda said that Fred came home from Burma when she was 3 1/2. There was also a photo of Fred's parents Bert and Daisy Wright, who had 11 children and lived in poverty. Fred passed an exam to go to grammar school but his parents couldn't afford it, and he had to leave school when he was 14. His army certificate of service showed that he enlisted in the Royal Artillery in 1936, serving as a signaller and then a gunner. Richard met a military historian who showed him a newspaper report from May 1936 saying that Fred, aged 17 1/2, was charged with stealing a bike, which he had apparently taken to ride to look for work. The case was dismissed and the judge advised Fred to talk to a probation officer. This was 4 days before he joined the army. The service record showed that he was discharged in May 1939 but then had to rejoin from the reserves when the Second World War started. He had taken a signalling test and scored 100%, and was posted to Shrivenham Officer and Cadet Training Camp at the start of the war. Richard went to Shrivenham, which is still a military training centre, and met another military historian who explained that Fred trained officers in signalling there, with a rank of acting warrant officer 2nd class. He was then posted to India, and by 1944 had reached the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. On leaving the army in 1946, he joined the West Sussex Constabulary and reached the rank of inspector.

Richard went to Brighton and met a genealogist who had drawn up a family tree on his mother's side, showing several generations who lived in Brighton. Jessie Reed's mother was Elizabeth Jane Priest, born 1876, her mother was Elizabeth Martha Bashford, her mother was Mary Ann Gillam born 1817, and Mary Ann's parents were Gabriel Gillam and Mary Shrivell. Gabriel's parents were Gabriel Gillam born 1757 and Elizabeth Mitchell.

Richard went to St Nicholas' Church in Brighton and met the vicar, who showed him Gabriel jr and Mary's marriage certificate. They married on the 21st Aug 1815. Both "made their mark" on the marriage certificate as they could not write their names. Their children's baptism records showed that they lived on Russell Street and that Gabriel was a fisherman. They had 8 children altogether. Richard then met a local historian on the sea-front, who showed him the crew list of the "Frame", dated 1 Jul 1836. Gabriel was aged 47, one of the crew of 5 men. His merchant seaman's record from 1845 showed that he was still a fisherman, aged 55. An article from the Brighton Gazette, dated 4 Mar 1852, named Gabriel as one of 6 fishermen charged with smuggling tobacco. They pled guilty and were fined 17 shillings each, which was paid by the owner of their boat. Gabriel's address was still Russell Street. Richard went to "The Lanes" in Brighton which is similar to what Russell Street was like at that time. A health report of the times described the very poor conditions in Russell Street. Richard was shown burial records for 4 of the Gillam children - William Blake Gillam buried 12 Feb 1816, a baby; Henry Michell Gillam who died of smallpox aged 3; Raynor Henry Gillam buried in 1831, an infant; and Sarah Gillam buried in 1822, also an infant.

Richard was then shown a story from the Sun newspaper dated 17 Aug 1821 which said that a man named David Maskell had found a woman's garment with blood on it which seemed suspicious, and that he had taken Gabriel Gillam with him to look at it. They found some clothes, and went home again. Then the next day Gabriel went back with his wife and his mother, to Lovers Walk, Preston parish (north of Brighton). Richard went to Lovers Walk and met an historical criminologist who showed him a statement made by Gabriel which said that he raked the ground and found a gown, and went to get a policeman, and that they then dug up parts of a body. It turned out to be the body of Celia Holloway, a servant from Brighton. Her husband John Holloway was known to have abused her and was living with a woman named Anne Kennett. Richard and the criminologist went to the Crown and Anchor pub where the inquest was held. A newspaper report of the inquest said that Gabriel gave evidence. John Holloway and Anne Kellett were tried for murder at Lewes Assizes. Richard went to Lewes Crown Court, where the trial was held in Dec 1831. Gabriel also gave evidence at the trial, and a report of the trial said that John Holloway conducted his own defence, cross-examining Gabriel and accusing him of burying the body at Lovers Walk himself. John Holloway did not call any witnesses in his defence, and was convicted of murder and sentenced to be hanged, dissected and anatomised. Anne Kennett was acquitted.


Richard was shown some Broadsides - illustrated accounts of the murder, including verses, which would have been sold all over the country. He then looked Gabriel Gillam up on Ancestry and found workhouse records from 1861 showing that he was admitted in 1855 due to infirmity. Richard went to the building which used to be Brighton workhouse, now a hospital, and met an historian who showed him Gabriel's death certificate dated 19 Aug 1870. Gabriel died aged 80, cause of death age and gangrene of leg.
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Old 09-06-22, 23:07
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Margaret in Burton View Post
I found it boring. I drifted off to sleep a few times
I found it so boring I kept forgetting to make notes!
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Old 10-06-22, 07:09
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It was only the setting I found interesting! He didn't miss any opportunity to plug his books did he? He is a BBC darling so I have to wonder if his totally unremarkable family history would have made it into the series but for that.
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Old 10-06-22, 07:13
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Very sparse, I thought.
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