Episode synopsis:
Gary Lineker lives in East London now, but he was born in Leicester in 1960, the eldest son of market stall trader. His younger brother's name is Wayne. Gary's grandparents were William Harold Lineker, known as Harold, and Alice Kate Hoare. Harold's father George Albert Lineker started the market trader business called G A Lineker and Sons.
Gary met genealogist Anthony Adolph, who had drawn up his family tree including some more Linekers William Henry Lineker and Samuel Lineker. He had also traced Alice Hoare's line. Her father was Frederick Hoare. His mother was Kate Billingham. Her father was James Billingham and his father was Thomas Billingham jr, a law writer, born in Beckenham, Kent, in 1789, and who died in Sep 1849 at St Mary Newington, Surrey / London.
Gary's 4xg-grandfather was James Pratt born in Hinckley, Leicestershire. The Criminal Register showed that he was tried for larceny in 1848 and sentenced to 6 months in prison.
Gary went to Leicester to find out more about James Pratt. He went to Leicestershire Record Office to look at the court records for 1848, which showed that James Pratt of Hinckley, labourer, pled guilty to stealing "six live tame fowls called hens". A report in the Leicestershire Mercury said that James Pratt was a framework knitter. Gary visited Leicester Prison where James served his sentence. He met a professor of criminology who showed him James's criminal record from 1868 which listed previous offences including 1846 - malicious trespass, 1848 - stealing six hens, 1857 and 1860 - night poaching. In 1868 he was again convicted of night poaching. The record showed that James's only education was Sunday school, and that he made his mark rather than sign his name. The Leicester Journal from 1871 showed James once again convicted of poaching rabbits.
Gary visited Hinckley and met the criminologist again at St Mary's Church, where James Pratt married Maria Leeson on the 24th Dec 1843. The couple were aged 24 and 22 respectively, and were both stocking makers. Gary was shown a notice of a meeting held in Hinckley in 1842 to discuss the economic problems of stocking makers caused by the economic depression of the time. Gary was also shown birth and death certificates for James and Maria's first two children, Ann born Jan 1844 and died in 1845 of consumption, and Elizabeth who died in 1849 of croup. There were 8 more children who survived to adulthood, including Alice, the grandmother of Gary's grandmother Alice. James Pratt died in 1901 age 83 and was buried in Hinckley.
Gary then looked at the 1841 census entry for Thomas Billingham, age 50, his wife Sarah, 40, and their six children. Thomas's occupation was shown as stationer.
Gary visited Stationers' Hall in London, the home of the Worshipful Company of Stationers. He was shown Thomas Billingham's apprenticeship indentures, which stated that Thomas, the son of Thomas Billingham sr, a gardener of Beckenham, Kent, was apprenticed in 1804 at the age of 14 to William Witherby, a legal stationer. The apprenticeship was paid for by Christ's Hospital School.
Gary visited the Guildhall Archives to see the records of Christ's Hospital, and saw Thomas Billingham's school application from 1798 when he was 8 years old. Thomas sr had stated that he was married with two children but did not have much income. The school was paid by Thomas sr's employer, Edward King, lawyer and author. The school records showed that Thomas jr ws found to have "an opacity in one eye".
Gary visited Christ's Hospital in its current location at Horsham, West Sussex. He met their museum curator who showed him Edward King's obituary from the Gentleman's Magazine of 1807, which stated that Edward had no children of his own. An extract from Edward King's cash book showed that he sent money to Tom Billingham at school.
Gary went to see the Witherby company's new factory in Tottenham and was shown a document written out by Thomas Billingham.
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