David Mitchell Finds Family Will From 1863! | Who Do You Think You Are
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- Опубліковано 17 жов 2024
- In this episode of the series, comedian David Mitchell goes in search of his Scottish roots. David knows that the Mitchells were wealthy sheep farmers in Sutherland. For almost a hundred years, three generations of the family held Ribigill farm, but mysteriously gave up the lease in 1933. David wants to know why they abandoned a sheep farming tradition that went back so many years. He also wants to find out whether his family were involved in the notorious Highland Clearances.
In addition, David is keen to discover more about another branch of his Scottish family - the Forbes. Using a book written by his great-great-grandfather Alexander Forbes as the starting point for his investigation, David travels to the Isle of Skye. The trail leads to Alexander's father, John Forbes, a Church of Scotland minister on the island in the nineteenth century. David is delighted to discover that his ancestor was something of a local hero. Not only did John Forbes work tirelessly on behalf of his parishioners, he also became involved in helping to rescue some girls from his parish who had been trafficked to work in a mill in Manchester.
However, the story takes an unexpected turn when David discovers some old church papers and John Forbes's will. These documents reveal another, more disturbing side to his ancestor's character...
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"Stop smiling, this is very serious." DAVID!
And then David himself ended up married to a professional poker player who can hold her liquor. Clearly the gents in the family have a type!
Suggested episode order:
1. David Mitchell (DM) visits abandoned farm
2. DM learns how to be a shepherd
3. DM uncovers why family farm closed down
4. DM traces Gaelic language roots
5. DM finds family will from 1863
I think some parts are cut out and therefore watching the right sequence won't completely help, but this sequence made the most sense to me and seems to be the order that it was posted in.
Thank you. This is very useful and I really appreciate you taking the time to do this for others.
F-ing _thank you_
I watched the uncut version of this before and believe 4-5 precede the large farm sequence 1-3, which, to me, is more interesting. But thanks, nonetheless.
I love the way they spoke in those days.
David is carrying on that tradition, well, adequately. :D
I disagree that it was heartless or wrong, or even controlling. If his wife was a drunk, then he did exactly the right thing. He ensured that she would be taken care of, but without direct access to the money. The money he left to his daughters was left to them, and only them, not offered as a dowry to their prospective husbands, which would have been more common at that time.
Indeed. Not sure if it was a sign of the times, or merely an individual trait, but this man was very blunt, honest, straight to the point. Not too much of that these days.
That’s one of the funniest and saddest things I’ve ever seen
Maybe the wife sang a lot and that’s now why David hates music
The annoyance of it has been carried down in the family 🤣
That will was definitely written by his relative
I see this a completely different way.
This man - who's will is being read....
It just trying to make sure all his efforts to protect and provide for his family are not in vain...since there are people in the world who will take you for every penny you have ...or others who will flit it all away and look to others to replenish their pocket after they have been irresponsible.
I totally agree. Assuming his wife was a drunk he did exactly the right thing.
He looks so much like the first ancestor pictured.
Why is it heartless David? He was ensuring her safety and making sure she didnt stand on the streets after spending it all. About the daughters' marriage as well, it was all done with good intention to ensure their safety. A loving father and husband, responsible to the end.
You have no evidence at all that the woman was a drunk or irresponsible. Interesting how you jumped there immediately; it says far more about YOU than it does about her. In those days an actual incorrigible drunk woman was easily committed to a confining facility by her family. She may only had a tendency to fun & frivolity that her straight laced husband was determined to stifle "for her own good". So sad he could then reach out and choke her from the grave - though I'm happy for her she outlived the old Christian soldier. I hope her children were kind because it must have been miserable living with that fanatic. A lifetime of submission, emotionally, spiritually and physically - whether she wanted to or not - because he had every right to her body as well as the rest... what a horror to contemplate.
@@hensonlaura To the contrary.There is ONLY evidence the she was a drunk and irresponsible.There is no evidence that she wasn't. Point to the evidence that says she wasn't. I only need too point to the will as eyewitness testimony of evidence that she was.
@@hensonlaura You're deranged. The will is evidence that she was drunk. That's the only evidence we've seen presented.
@@hensonlaura - while it’s true that we don’t know for sure that she was a drunk, we certainly don’t know for sure that she wasn’t. IF she was a drunk, then he did exactly the right thing. He made sure she would be taken care of, but without direct access to the money. He also provided very well for his daughters, leaving their share of the inheritance directly to them in their name instead of as doweries for their marriages.
Whats wrong with the way he did things? The sons/daughters will look after the mother
3:02 You're loving this
Ah.. but if the wife was addicted as he thought that she was, he was trying to protect her for what remained of life. Much harder was the money left to daughters but only if they married well according to their siblings.
There is also the part of whether they were married or not, the money was in a bank under their own name and no one else was allowed to touch it- which gave them independence.
I think siblings would be a pretty good judge of what makes a suitable spouse for their sister. My sister didn't listen to us and lived to regret it.
This was back when opium was legal...being an alcoholic back then was heavy vice. This is why it was seen as more ‘lady like’ for women to carry little bottles of opium instead of drinking-also drinking made one gain weight...
Sounds reasonable to me. He obviously knew something about not getting into debt. He still said she should be looked after. As for the daughter, he was protecting her interest from any unsuitable husband getting her share and gave his reasons. At the end of the day it was his money to give away after his death as he sees fit.
Some people should not rely on the death of loved ones to get wealth.
Sounds like a stand up chap to me.
This is literally a scene from peep show.
The way the Will was read was taken out of context. I believe the father was genuinely concerned about his family and more reason to mistrust his wife then portrait in an overly comical way.
"Then portrait in an overly comical way?"
More parents need to do same to protect their children
Perhaps the wife drank too much as it was her only "escape" from being stuck in a marriage in which she had zero control and felt judged in everything she attempted to do?
It sounds like he was trying to protect her from herself. We don't know what drove her to drink but he didn't really say anything about her I wouldn't have said to a dear friend in an intervention. But how are we to know, really
'Intemperance' doesn't only mean someone being an alcoholic. It means that the person had a total lack of self-control ie spent wildly.
If you have ever dealt with an alcoholic, you’d understand.
raaaaa.. wish my dad wrote that in his will ahaha
Did you mention how I could contact the firm drew up that will?🤭
Spoken like someone who has never lived with an addict. Lucky you!
Poor you?
Well, i think we knowwhy the wife drank 😅
Smart man
Oh dear, that looks very much like a clan-based inheritance as expressed in a legal system that doesn't allow those. I cannot believe the degree of stuck-in-the-mud scottish-ness going on here. That's why the sisters have to have their marriage approved by the siblings. The brothers would ordinarily have to have their marriages approved by the mother, if it's anything like what got passed down in my family - the absence of that condition here being either down to a more patrilineal family structure altogether, or just the man's distrust of his own wife's judgement. Couldn't say which; every family was always a little different.
Not making a value judgement one way or another, save to say that it's a wonderful thing to see that their descendants are both alive and well, and one has gone to the trouble of tracking down the history and paying his respects. Because that's lovely.
just remember folks it was a different time back then when his ancestor live so dont judge the man with a modern way of thinking like you are in now...just think about it. what would our ancestors think if its the other way around... i doubt we can survived a days if were in that time with our modern thinking... so just watch and learn from it.. dont be a judge.
No wonder that woman took up intemperance and started drinking if she had to deal with him.
Yeah that's what I thought listening to his will. If I'm stuck sharing a bed with that judgemental, insufferable man I will be drinking too.
Can't trust her...
Lol!
🙏✌🏼❤️
Clearly neither one of these gentlemen has had to live for years with an active alcoholic. You can love the person and have to recognize that they are incapable of managing their own affairs. Let's remember that this was long before AA and a modern understanding of alcoholism.
Yeah i dont see how that will is bad.
I guess people could call him controlling over his daughters. I’d call him protective over his daughters. It’s his money. He gets to decide it’s use.
Argggghhh… are these totally out of order?
Something isn't right
We don't know what kind of wife she was. She is not protected after his death. He has written to trash her and at the same time tried to make himself look good. God help her and that misogynist family. The men could marry whom they wished? Yuck.
Grownups don’t say “yuck.”
Yuck!
@WyrdGuy If he's a tightwad and she borrowed a few shillings, it's a lot different than her being fall down drunk routinely and running up massive debt. Given she had lots of children to care for, it coulda gone either way. We'd need to hear her side to know.
Did you actually hear what he wrote? He was saving the poor woman from herself. The children were instructed to look after her lovingly despite her faults. She wasn't trashed, far from it; he looked after her best interests.
But if she was a drunk then he did exactly what a responsible, loving husband should do.
Go ahead, make fun of the man and make light of his concerns. You weren't there. You didn't live through nor deal with his trials. Judge him based on your own character which apparantly is completely flawless.
Kind of defensive reaction there. lol Unless...omg, is that you John?? xD
Lol you funny
Why would an already rich person need to look at a will of an ancestor? 😂😂
are you dense? He's not looking for an inheritance.
@@Gulliedoutbigup not on camera...
Think
I would highly recommend that you google the very premise of the show he's participating in. lol