A Family History Of… takes you inside ordinary lives at extraordinary moments. Join host Jen Baldwin, alongside special guests, to uncover hidden stories from the archives, revealing the human side of history. Each month, follow one story across several gripping episodes, and experience history through the eyes of those who lived it.
Episodes
Names Etched in Stone with Ben Fogle | Beyond the Memorial
Two Suffolk brothers leave home together as war closes in. In 1911, Frederick and Charles Grimwade are living and working together on a Suffolk farm. Joined by broadcaster and adventurer Ben Fogle, host Jen Baldwin traces his ancestors’ journeys from rural village life into the First World War, using records to uncover the men behind the memorials. How much can one family's story reveal about
The Officer Behind The Initials with Dan Snow | Beyond the Memorial
Three initials reveal a life cut tragically short. Another name on Dan Snow's local memorial leads to a very different life. Together, Dan and host Jen Baldwin trace Thomas Alexander Fletcher Slater from Hampshire to Canada, from school records to the Western Front, uncovering the future he never had the chance to fulfil. What can three initials carved in stone still tell us today? Host: Jen B
The Missing Corporal with Dan Snow | Beyond the Memorial
A schoolboy actor becomes a missing name on a memorial. Historian Dan Snow joins host Jen Baldwin to investigate a name on his local war memorial: Samson Holman. Through census returns, newspapers and military records, a village schoolboy emerges from the archives before disappearing on the Somme. How do you remember someone whose story survives only in fragments? Host: Jen Baldwin Researchers: Je
The Coffin, The Corpse, The Coach | Yorkshire Bodysnatchers (Halloween Special)
A grave robbed. A coffin smashed. A body vanished. Martha Oddy had been buried for just days when her grave was found open and her coffin broken. The fifteen-year-old was gone. In this Halloween special episode of A Family History Of…, host Jen Baldwin and guest Paul Bavill (History Rage) follow the clues left behind in a Yorkshire churchyard, from scattered grave clothes to a mysterious box at a
The People We'd Rather Not Find | East London vs The Fascists: A Family History Of... Cable Street (Bonus)
What if the ancestor you're searching for in the records is someone you'd rather not find?Every family tree contains surprises. Some inspire. Others leave you questioning everything you thought you knew. After exploring the families at the heart of the Battle of Cable Street, host Jen Baldwin examines the darker discoveries hidden in the records, from fascist organisers to enslavers, and a
The Woman Who Sold Fascism | East London vs The Fascists: A Family History of... Cable Street (Part 3)
Not everyone wanted the march to be stopped. As one of the British Union of Fascists' most prominent female organisers, Anne Brock-Griggs spent the 1930s campaigning, writing and recruiting in support of the movement. In this episode, host Jen Baldwin and the British Library’s Beth Gaskell examine Cable Street from a seldom-heard perspective, following Anne's story through family records,
The Battle After the Battle | East London vs The Fascists: A Family History Of... Cable Street
One day in 1936 would shape the rest of this young woman’s life. When Minnie Keeping joined the crowds on 4 October 1936, she was one of thousands opposing fascism on the streets of East London. The events of that day would remain with her for the rest of her life. Joined by British Library Lead Curator Beth Gaskell, host Jen Baldwin traces Minnie's journey from young activist to one of the pe
Arrested for Opposing the Fascists | East London vs The Fascists: A Family History Of... Cable Street
As tensions rise across East London, one family finds itself at the heart of the story.In October 1936, three brothers from a Jewish hairdressing family step out onto the streets of East London as tensions over a planned fascist march reach breaking point. By the end of the day, all three will be under arrest.Host Jen Baldwin and British Library Lead Curator Beth Gaskell uncover the story of the J
East London vs The Fascists | A Family History Of... Cable Street
As fascism advanced on East London, whole communities fought back. The Battle of Cable Street is remembered as the day East London stopped the fascists. But inside that famous story are very different lives, choices, and consequences. Host and genealogist Jen Baldwin and Beth Gaskell from the British Library uncover the history of this day through ordinary people: Jewish brothers arrested amid the
From the Postbox | Your Industrial Revolution Questions (Bonus)
Beyond the written record, the people of Ironbridge Gorge can still be found in the stories passed down through generations.In this special bonus episode, host Jen Baldwin is joined by her Producer, Ellie Ayton, to answer your questions about researching ancestors at the heart of the Industrial Revolution.Host: Jen Baldwin Guest: Ellie AytonEditor: Caroline Harrower Script editors: Niall
Secrets of the Gorge | Rise, Power, Ruin: The Industrial Revolution (Bonus)
The furnaces have fallen silent – but the stories they left behind are just beginning to be uncovered. Curators, historians and researchers are still piecing together the lives of the families who shaped the Ironbridge Gorge. Forgotten workers. Remarkable archive discoveries. For this special episode, host and genealogist Jen Baldwin is joined by National Trust curators Helen Antrobus a
Paying the Price for Change | Rise, Power, Ruin: The Industrial Revolution (Part 3)
A soldier survives war, only to face his greatest struggle at home. Swapping the battlefield for the mines, British Army soldier Matthew Taylor returns home to build a new life. He is confronted by job insecurity and relentless pressure. Host and genealogist Jen Baldwin is joined by historian Alice Loxton to trace Matthew’s journey from soldier to coal miner. Can he survive such brutal c
The Women Who Held Everything Together | Rise, Power, Ruin: The Industrial Revolution (Part 2)
At the Coalport China Works, three generations of the Austin family pass down an intricate craft. Their careful work travels the globe, and yet their names are lost to history... Historian Alice Loxton joins host and genealogist Jen Baldwin to uncover a hidden story of female labour. As the world changes around them, a key question emerges: what happens when a highly prized sk
Brothers of Iron and Ink | Rise, Power, Ruin: The Industrial Revolution (Part 1)
Born sixteen years apart, two brothers inherit the same world, but live very different lives. Harry Nicholas spends his days in the foundry. His younger brother follows a path of education and opportunity. Host and genealogist Jen Baldwin is joined by historian Alice Loxton to explore how two brothers navigate the same industrial community in very different ways, raising the
Rise, Power, Ruin: A Family History of the Industrial Revolution | Trailer
Three families. One revolution. A lifetime of consequences. A story of skill and sacrifice in the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. Historian Alice Loxton joins host and genealogist Jen Baldwin to trace three families whose lives were shaped by one of history’s greatest transformations. At Ironbridge Gorge, industry creates opportunity, security and prosperity. But what happe
Objects That Remain | Peterloo: Britain's Forgotten Massacre (Bonus)
Memories carved in wood and painted on china. Objects tell us a story of violence remembered and contested.Beyond the written record, Peterloo survives in the objects left behind. For this bonus episode, host Jen Baldwin is joined by Jenny Mabbott from Manchester’s People’s History Museum to explore how fascinating items in the museum’s Peterloo collection reveal the violence, mem
Petitions, Power, and Silence | Peterloo: Britain's Forgotten Massacre (Part 3)
The violence has stopped – but the fight is only just beginning. In the aftermath of Peterloo, William Cheatham’s story moves from the field into courts, petitions, and public debate. As he seeks recognition for what happened, his experience becomes part of a much larger struggle over how Peterloo will be understood. Joined by historian David Olusoga, host Jen Baldwin explores what
The Charge | Peterloo: Britain's Forgotten Massacre (Part 2)
The crowd shifts. Panic spreads. Escape is no longer guaranteed. As events at St Peter’s Field spiral, William Cheatham is caught in a moment of sudden and overwhelming violence at the hands of the Yeomanry. What began as a peaceful gathering fractures into chaos as the crowd tries to break free. In the second episode of this series, host Jen Baldwin and historian David Olusoga trace how
A Lawful Assembly? | Peterloo: Britain's Forgotten Massacre (Part 1)
Men, women and children gather at St Peter’s Field, fuelled by hope, unaware of the chaos that’s to come.In August 1819, tens of thousands gather in Manchester for one of Britain’s largest ever peaceful protests. Among them is weaver William Cheatham, who has travelled miles to stand with the crowd. As anticipation builds at St Peter’s Field, host Jen Baldwin and historian David Olusoga explo
Peterloo: Britain's Forgotten Massacre | Trailer
An assault on men, women and children; one ordinary man’s fight for justice. Join host and genealogist Jen Baldwin and acclaimed writer, broadcaster and historian David Olusoga as they uncover one man’s experience of the Peterloo Massacre and its lifelong consequences. In August 1819, tens of thousands of people gathered in Manchester for one of the largest peaceful pro
From the Postbox | Your Somme Stories (Bonus)
A heartfelt look at your stories and questions sparked by our Somme series. What does the Somme mean to you? How do you go about researching a First World War ancestor? In this bonus episode, host and genealogist Jen Baldwin is joined by her producer and history-lover, Ellie Ayton, to explore your questions and stories from the most recent series. From fresh perspectives on the Attenbor
Family Serving Side by Side | The Somme (Part 5)
A deeply personal story of sacrifice, brought into focus by the fragments that remain. In this special episode, host and genealogist Jen Baldwin turns to a wartime story that’s closer to home - one discovered within the family tree of her guest, Harvey Henson, Somme specialist and volunteer with the Commonwealth Graves Commission. Harvey joins Jen to trace the story of his ancestor, Pri
What Remains? | The Somme (Part 4)
Three brothers. A legacy of love and loss. The war has transformed life on Druid Street. After the Armistice, how does the Attenborough family navigate the lasting impact of years of conflict? In this final chapter of their story, host and genealogist Jen Baldwin and her guest Harvey Henson, Somme expert and Commonwealth War Commission Communications Coordinator, explore some poig
Two Tragic Telegrams | The Somme (Part 3)
The Somme offensive unfolds, and life upends for the Attenborough family. September 1916 marks another devastating chapter for the Attenborough family. As the fighting on the Somme intensifies, the war’s reach into one Midlands household becomes impossible to escape. Host and genealogist Jen Baldwin is joined by Somme specialist and Commonwealth War Commission Communications Coordinator
The War Comes Home | The Somme (Part 2)
With the Battle of the Somme almost a year away, tragedy hits the Attenborough family for the first time. One Attenborough brother faces weaponised gas at Loos – the biggest battle of the war so far. Will he make it home? Join host and genealogist Jen Baldwin and her guest Harvey Henson, Somme specialist and Commonwealth War Commission Communications Coordinator, to examine t
What really happened at the Somme? | Part 1
Did the headlines tell the whole story?In this episode, we’re joined by Somme specialist Harvey Henson to uncover the real stories behind one of the First World War’s deadliest battles.Using British military records, wartime evidence and expert insight, we follow three Leicestershire brothers who went to war - and reveal what happened to them beyond the history books.Start listening now.Host and r
A Family History Of... The Somme | Trailer
One family. A battle that would shape generations.History remembers battles. Families remember absence. Over the course of a single year, three telegrams arrived at the Attenborough family home on Druid Street, Hinckley. Three brothers - Walter, Arthur and Richard Attenborough - were swept into the upheaval of the First World War, serving in different regiments as the conflict intensifie
What Naval Records Reveal | Gallipoli (Part 4)
Gallipoli may dominate the history books. But the records tell the rest of the story. Gallipoli is one of those moments in history that can seem enormous when we look back at it now. But when we delve into the naval records of the men who actually experienced it, something surprising happens – it barely interrupts the page at all. In this bonus episode, host and expert genealogist Jen Ba
Aftershocks of the Campaign | Gallipoli (Part 3)
Gallipoli is over. But its effects ripple on. After the chaos of the Dardanelles, HMS Prince George limps into Malta, a harbour strained by wounded men, damaged ships, and the unrelenting work of repair. For Nelson Langsford, the danger gives way to a different kind of pressure, as engineers and dockyard crews work around the clock to keep the fleet afloat. Joined by naval historian Charlotte Ward
Into the Dardanelles | Gallipoli (Part 2)
The battle for Gallipoli begins. As war comes knocking, Nelson Langsford moves from routine service into active conflict aboard HMS Prince George. Tasked with carrying troops and patrolling hostile waters, the ship turns toward the Dardanelles, a narrow strait Britain hopes to force open and end the war quickly. But it won’t be that simple. Joined by naval historian Charlotte Ward‑
The Calm Before the Storm | Gallipoli (Part 1)
A childhood shaped by industry. A Navy on the brink of change. Nelson Langsford grows up at National Trust’s Cotehele Mill, as part of a family rooted for generations in skilled work. Beyond the mill, Britain is entering a new industrial age, and the Royal Navy is transforming with it. Joined by naval historian Charlotte Ward‑Kelly, host and genealogist Jen Baldwin explores how Nelson’s
A Family History Of... Gallipoli | Trailer
Gallipoli thunders on the waves. The engine room endures below deck. Gallipoli was one of the First World War’s most devastating campaigns; it’s a story usually told through strategy, maps, and failure. But for thousands of families, Gallipoli was experienced through service in the Royal Navy, far below deck and far from the history books. In this series of A Family History Of..., follow
The Battle for Public Opinion | The General Strike (Part 5)
The General Strike wasn’t just fought on the picket line. It was also fought in the headlines. In this bonus episode, host and expert genealogist Jen Baldwin explores how newspapers shaped public understanding of the 1926 General Strike as it unfolded. Drawing on contemporary press coverage and the words of union leader Will Lawther, she examines how competing narratives influenced opinion, l
The Strike's Long Shadow | The General Strike (Part 4)
In the wake of defeat, one man does what he’s always done: he keeps going. In the long aftermath of the 1926 General Strike, the banners are folded away, but the hardship isn’t over. As unemployment bites and the Means Test humiliates families across the country, Will Lawther steps once more into the halls, meetings, and street corners where miners gather to make sense of a world that suddenl
Enemy of the State | The General Strike (Part 3)
The General Strike begins. Britain comes to a standstill. It’s 1926, and the nation is unrecognisable. Trains idle, newspapers fall silent. In the middle of it, Will Lawther, councillor and trusted voice of the miners, finds himself pulled into confrontations charged with fear. Joined once more by historian Jonathan Kindleysides (Beamish Museum), host and genealogist Jen Baldwin fo
The Gathering Storm | The General Strike (Part 2)
A boy raised in the shadow of the mines. A world forged in defiance.Will Lawther grows up in Northumberland, in a vast mining household where every day begins and ends with the rhythm of the pit. But his life will take an unusual turn. Joined by historian Jonathan Kindleysides (Beamish Museum), host and genealogist Jen Baldwin walks us through terraced streets, dark mines, and the rise of early la
Born to the Pit | The General Strike (Part 1)
A boy raised in the shadow of the mines. A world forged in defiance. Will Lawther grows up in Northumberland, in a vast mining household where every day begins and ends with the rhythm of the pit. But his life will take an unusual turn. Joined by historian Jonathan Kindleysides (Beamish Museum), host and genealogist Jen Baldwin walks us through terraced streets, dark mines, and the rise of ea
A Family History Of... The General Strike | Trailer
One working-class mining family, and nine days that reshaped a nation’s history. Humble miner Will Lawther rose from the pit to face the frontlines of the 1926 General Strike, swapping coal dust for politics. Across four episodes, host and genealogist Jen Baldwin is joined by historian Jonathan Kindleysides (Beamish Museum) to trace how one family and one determined young man met an extraordi
Evidence, Absence, and Stories from Silence | The Irish Famine (Part 4 - Bonus Episode)
When records are fractured, biased, or simply gone, how do you tell a true family story? In this final part of A Family History of the Irish Famine, host and genealogist Jen Baldwin steps into the silences surrounding Archibald MacKenzie’s life. Through the archives, the missing lines, and the traces that remain, she asks what survival really meant, and what it cost the countless famili
Escape and Aftermath | The Irish Famine (Part 3)
One Irish family fights to rebuild after the Famine.By the mid‑1850s, Archibald MacKenzie has crossed the sea to Merthyr Tydfil in Wales, trading the barren fields of Cork for the roar of furnaces. The MacKenzie family rebuilds in a world thick with smoke and prejudice. Host and genealogist Jen Baldwin, and her guest, Irish genealogy expert Fiona Fitzsimons, trace his footsteps through the evidenc
Riot and Ruin | The Irish Famine (Part 2)
Hunger spreads. Tempers ignite One man swept into a riot. It’s September 1845 in Coolderrihy, and hunger is beginning to bite. As fear and anger are on the rise, Archibald MacKenzie finds himself in the thick of a desperate riot. Join host and genealogist Jen Baldwin, and her guest, Irish genealogy expert Fiona Fitzsimons, as they unpick the records behind this momen
Before the Hunger | The Irish Famine (Part 1)
A boy at the edge of famine-era Ireland. A world about to break. Archibald MacKenzie is 11 years old in Coolderrihy, County Cork, when the world he knows suddenly shifts. Joined by Irish genealogy expert Fiona Fitzsimons, host and genealogist Jen Baldwin traces the records that reveal what life looked like for a boy growing up in a land already restless with tension. How did a childhood shaped by
A Family History Of... The Irish Famine | Trailer
One family faces famine, fear and exile — and forges a future that spanned oceans. The Great Famine cast a long shadow across Ireland, hollowing out towns, devastating families, and driving thousands to the brink. It’s a familiar tale, but one not often told. Follow the story of Archibald MacKenzie, a man whose life veered from riot to imprisonment, and then across the sea to smoke and furnaces.
The Women Who Left No Trace| Wartime Women (Part 4 - Bonus Episode)
Why do women rarely appear in WW2 records?Many wartime women left no diaries or letters, only the sparse traces of addresses, occupations, and brief entries in civil records.In this bonus episode, host and expert genealogist Jen Baldwin explores how those small clues — a line in the 1939 Register, a registrar‑office marriage, a maternity home address — can reveal the pressures shaping a woman’s li
Grief and Resilience in the Blitz (with Lucy Worsley) | Wartime Women (Part 3)
Lucy Worsley returns to discover the next part of her grandmother's story - during the Birmingham Blitz. In 1942, Edna Bourne becomes a mother during the Birmingham Blitz. Amid blackouts, bombing raids and disrupted maternity care, she endures grief with little space to rest or speak of it. Through death registers, wartime diaries and Mass Observation accounts, genealogist Jen Baldwin and her gues
Love, Work and Wartime Secrets (with Lucy Worsley) | Wartime Women (Part 2)
Lucy Worsley returns to discover her grandmother's dramatic Second World War secrets... By 1939, Edna Bourne is a young working woman in a Britain preparing for war once again. Her days in a Birmingham boot shop unfold against air‑raid drills, rationing, and uncertainty. But behind the everyday routines lie private complexities: a whirlwind marriage, a pregnancy under the pressures of wartime mora
Born Into a World at War (with Lucy Worsley) | Wartime Women (Part 1)
Historian Lucy Worsley joins host and genealogist Jen Baldwin to discover how two world wars shaped one woman’s life – and the generations that followed.Edna Bourne takes her first breath in Birmingham, 1911, as Europe braces for war. With her father working to feed the munitions machine and her mother navigating rationing queues and civic duty, Edna's earliest memories are shaped by a city under
Trailer: A Family History Of...
Ordinary lives told through extraordinary moments.Findmypast's genealogist and research specialist Jen Baldwin is joined by guests to unravel remarkable family tales uncovered in the archives.Each month, one moment in history is explored through a single true family story, unfolding several interconnected episodes. Human, empathetic, and driven by real stories, A Family History Of.. reveals how de
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