AmexRuislip
Retired Spy 🕵️♂️
Not famous, but really life fame.
My great grandfather was head gardener at Dublins Phoenix Park in the late 1800's.
My great grandfather was head gardener at Dublins Phoenix Park in the late 1800's.
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[Misc] Interesting or Famous Ancestors
- Thread starter portlock seagull
- Start date
METALMICKY
Well-known member
- Jan 30, 2004
- 6,821
I'm struggling badly so here's my dubious contribution. In first instance more notorious than famous and second ridiculous trivia.
I had a cousin Brian who made the inside page of the News of the World in the mid 70's for his fraud surrounding 60's teen idol singer Bobby Vee ( Take Good Care of My Baby, Rubber Ball, The Night Has a Thousand Eyes). Cousin Brian was a bit of a charmer, good looking, and critically he could actually sing a bit. Story goes that somehow on his way to Ireland on a ferry he got mistaken for Bobby Vee and decided to go with it. Wined and dined all free and put up gratis in the best Dublin hotel. Having milked it for 2 days he was finally rumbled and when the police were called he tried to make his escape in a car under the influence of a few beers. He crashed the car but thankfully nobody was hurt. Unfortunately, this old family story misses out what punishment he got. The tale does have a happy ending in that years later he turned his scallywag ways to the advantage of himself and others by becoming a successful addictive behaviours counsellor in the Worthing area.
My black silver tabby British Shorthair cat has a great grandfather who was used in Whiskas' tv adverts!
I had a cousin Brian who made the inside page of the News of the World in the mid 70's for his fraud surrounding 60's teen idol singer Bobby Vee ( Take Good Care of My Baby, Rubber Ball, The Night Has a Thousand Eyes). Cousin Brian was a bit of a charmer, good looking, and critically he could actually sing a bit. Story goes that somehow on his way to Ireland on a ferry he got mistaken for Bobby Vee and decided to go with it. Wined and dined all free and put up gratis in the best Dublin hotel. Having milked it for 2 days he was finally rumbled and when the police were called he tried to make his escape in a car under the influence of a few beers. He crashed the car but thankfully nobody was hurt. Unfortunately, this old family story misses out what punishment he got. The tale does have a happy ending in that years later he turned his scallywag ways to the advantage of himself and others by becoming a successful addictive behaviours counsellor in the Worthing area.
My black silver tabby British Shorthair cat has a great grandfather who was used in Whiskas' tv adverts!
HantsSeagull
Well-known member
Well my lot are just bunch of sheep herders from Essex it seems. Only tentative and indirect claim to fame is my half brother's mother (my stepmother) is the widow (before she met my dad!) of Bernard Herrmann. Any of you that know anything about Hollywood film music will know who i am talking about.
Green Cross Code Man
Wunt be druv
Discovered today that I have an ancestor from around the end of the 18th C who was called rather ignominiously William Cocke.
My grandad was awarded the Military Medal. I wasn’t close to him when he died, which is lucky for me because he stepped on a landmine.
CaptainDaveUK
Well-known member
- Oct 18, 2010
- 1,534
I’ve a few good ones, as we got lucky tracing our family tree. My oldest blood ancestor we’ve traced is Conan 1st of Britanny circa 950, his son Conan 2nd is on the Bayeux Tapestry. I’m also a direct descendant of Geoffrey De Cheetham circa 1350. I could go on in but it gets a bit boring, apart from Queen Elizabeth.
Grandmothers cousin , born London in poverty , left for the United States after a spell in the merchant navy , achieved fame in Hollywood and co founded Universal Studios before having his work permit revoked after being investigated by the FBI for allegedly being a communist .Passed away Christmas day 1977 at his home in Switzerland . RIP
Green Cross Code Man
Wunt be druv
rogersix
Well-known member
- Jan 18, 2014
- 8,202
Yes, I have a famous ancestor, very close to me, but passed away in 1989.
Can't go in-depth apart from the fact he was world-famous and a bloody nice bloke, like me.
is it ayrton senna?
portlock seagull
Well-known member
- Jul 28, 2003
- 17,776
- Thread starter
- #91
Brilliant story! And yes, Pets included. I managed to get mine onto a Supermarket product when I worked for them. And my Auntie in laws had several gernations of Westies that were in TV ads too. The most famous members in my family tree are Dogs seemingly
Southern Scouse
Well-known member
- Jul 21, 2011
- 2,095
Not any more… it was demolished for some new houses. The Edith Cavell Centre is part of Peterborough City Hospital and looks after people with mental health problems.
Neville's Breakfast
Well-known member
AmexRuislip
Retired Spy 🕵️♂️
Gazwag
5 millionth post poster
On my maternal side I have a smuggler called Thomas "Boathook" Shoesmith, who was high up in the Little Common gang
AmexRuislip
Retired Spy 🕵️♂️
There's me thinking Little Common was very high brow to have a gang.
A WI gang at a push
D
Deleted member 2719
Guest
Haha, clearly the exact opposite to me.
Was he as famous as Ayrton, no.... not through the media's eyes, did he achieve as much......in many ways yes, he did.
rogersix
Well-known member
- Jan 18, 2014
- 8,202
Haha, clearly the exact opposite to me.
Was he as famous as Ayrton, no.... not through the media's eyes, did he achieve as much......in many ways yes, he did.
emerson fittipaldi
brighton terra
Well-known member
I have a pretty notorious ancestor.
Jenny Geddes is alleged to have thrown a stool at the head of the minister in St Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh in objection to the first public use of the Church of Scotland's 1637 edition of the Book of Common Prayer in Scotland. The ensuing riots led to the first conflict in the English Civil Wars, Charles I losing his head and Oliver Cromwell coming to power.
Jenny Geddes is alleged to have thrown a stool at the head of the minister in St Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh in objection to the first public use of the Church of Scotland's 1637 edition of the Book of Common Prayer in Scotland. The ensuing riots led to the first conflict in the English Civil Wars, Charles I losing his head and Oliver Cromwell coming to power.
Is it PotG?
Thrifty non-licker
Yes, I have a famous ancestor, very close to me, but passed away in 1989.
Can't go in-depth apart from the fact he was world-famous and a bloody nice bloke, like me.
Lee Van Cleef, wasn't it?