Brian Blessed Shocked By Unexpected Family Reunion | Who Do You Think You Are

if the Blessed children were removed to London it would have been the parish of st. martin-in-the-fields where the family once lived the parish records are held at the City of Westminster archives yes I'm on a quest to find these four orphan children but I think you might be able to give me some information yes our volunteers have done some indexes at the pole or records we could have a look at those would you like to see them excellent okay let's go over here thank you here are these martin-in-the-fields settlement examinations now do you know when the family might have come to London yes about 1820 - all right this should be this one here let's have a look at it and so we'd be looking for oh [Music] yes there it is blessed look 18:22 you don't you got it what's that mean they're what says children removed from palsy on the 11th of November now if a father rented in ball in court no that makes sense a bullying court that's where the father a Barnabas blessed used to live and he was a bookbinder and the station is so of course they've send them back to that parent yes look at this now 11th of November that's when they came over isn't it yes yes yes but yes but extraordinary I mean their father died on the 8th of November oh I don't mean three days later they're coming to London after their father's death yes yes tarnishing really not hard to get rid of them well I think they were yes it's all about money yes I know yes it is but yes my goodness that's a picture isn't it yes Oh where do we go from here well we've got the daybooks force martin-in-the-fields work house so we could have a look at that and see if they were received there and whether they've recorded anything else about them on their arrival marvelous yes what a miracle world come my dear a miracle work well this is the day book of these martin-in-the-fields workhouse well we're looking for the 11th of November 1822 so look if you just support that that might be a bit of a way through the book tenses oh here we are on this side here we've got we've got the family up there I can see yes we've got Charles blessed there and we've God it's your bear's blessed 6 3/4 of Ages I'm a third book 14 years of age oh yeah and look at this Elizabeth blessed was barely two years 22 months what what a fine yes indeed so they're obviously admitted into the small teens workouts on that day it looks as if the the children were split up actually because it tells you what Ward they report in and we can see the two boys sitting to being kept together they're in BS boys school then Martha is put into boards hen and Elizabeth the baby is put in toward eight yes as well so positive look at this he says Martha blessed 14 years of age what's that what's that what's that say what's that says an idiot I need yet Martha I've described as in it yet I mean idea it's that's an extraordinary word to you is what does it mean well I think that was the word they used to describe what we would now call learning difficulties special educational needs yes that was the oversee a shorthand for that terribly sad I got the impression that Martha being 14 years of age to be in charge of the family and be responsible for the family you know but it seems actually the reverse it looks as if he couldn't and it probably up to Charles of eight and a half it was his responsibility to look out looking after Martha as well yes I think so [Music] in 1822 the workhouse was just off Trafalgar Square opposite the parish church of st. martin-in-the-fields for the Blessed children being admitted would have been a daunting experience it was one of the biggest work houses in the country with over 800 inmates the central courtyard was a graveyard packed full of the workhouse dead little attempt was made to keep families together with all inmates segregated by age and gender children lived a highly regimented life they were given a basic education and instructed in a trade they rarely if ever left the building except to go to church on Sundays brian has come to San Martin in the fields Church to meet professor David Greene who has more information about what happened to the blessed children after they arrived at the workhouse I've got a record to show you very sadly it's a burial register no sandwich from the 1822 where Oh No Oh Martha Martha gosh but I mean what she died November the 19th I mean they came here on the 11th that's correct I mean she died eight days later fourteen and a half years of age Oh Oh sad I mean before the journey killed her she may have been sick you and she arrived I mean her parents had died and they were removed very quickly to sit Martin fields within three days of that of the father dying Oh Martha but there were four of them but how how were the others I mean was there any danger that they could be ill as well well I certainly was on the following day on the 20th a day after Martha was buried there were two blessed children baptized here in this very Church jay-bez and Elizabeth the baby and and and the six-year-old that's right the speed with which they were baptized suggests that they may well have been ill and we've got a little bit more evidence that that was actually this sadly the case no no David I'm not gonna be anybody left this is the next page of that very same burial register where I don't know little Elizabeth December the third age two years of age oh poor little mite what kind of a live them was born in Portsmouth and comes over in a cart and that's right and then you know probably didn't know where the hell she was it'll baby and screaming and God knows Walton that's right and she dies I mean that's incredibly cruel [Music] so the two brother assented in a short space of time and lost their parents and lost their sisters I mean I mean how did they take that on board I mean eight years of age and six what my terrible losses come across anything like that I'm alive awful [Music] well at least jay-bez and Charles had each other but what happened to them next well within a week jay-bez was sent off to the infant poorhouse at high wood Hill which is to the north of London he was sent there that's right with people he didn't know Charles remained in the workhouse jay-bez was moved out what kind of traumatic effect they have on him yes Charles being 8 and Javitz being 16 incredibly young isn't it I mean there that have clung on to each other and suddenly chariots were taken out there yes lost his parents lost his sisters and now separated from his brother it was common practice to send pauper children out of London to infant poor houses in the countryside where the cleaner air and water improved their chances of survival jay-bez blessed spent three years away then at the age of nine he was returned to the workhouse but the previous year his brother Charles had been apprenticed in South London it says here but Charles blessing aged 11 years he's gonna be a shoemaker so does that mean that when jay-bez came back his brother had gone on this apprenticeship out out out of the workhouse it does jay-bez comes back to the workhouse and when his sudden his brother isn't there isn't there but looking forward to seeing his brother and it's not there that's right oh yeah so they were isolated from each other which is a great shame that they'd have to be resolute on their own wouldn't they they're you know and facing life on their own yes jay-bez was now the sole remaining blessed child in the workhouse for two years the records make no further mention of him then in 1827 when he was 11 he reappears to this Jam is blessed yes what is 29th of July 1827 that's correct it says run away when a true with the other bonus site my god he does a runner done a runner [Music] it looks to me like he came to church did his prayers are very good in between that and here waiting is gone that's right well he must have been absolutely sure of himself he must have had a plan I mean he knew the area around London what do you I don't know but when it's 11:00 yeah and and smart a wrestle and crafting if it's Sunday good going he sounds a character even at that age she does [Applause]

Channel: Who Do You Think You Are?

Views: 258,413

Rating: 4.8561401 out of 5

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Id: TFNA79beanc

Length: 12min 14sec (734 seconds)

Published: Tue Jan 28 2020