Olympic gold medallist Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill explores her family history in this episode of Who Do You Think You Are? The track and field athlete attributes her success to determination and hard work and wonders if these traits run in her family. Ennis-Hill, who grew up in Sheffield, begins her journey in the Peak District, where her maternal grandparents reside. She uncovers a family mystery involving her great-great-grandmother, Emily Maud, who kissed her children goodbye and left with a suitcase, never to be seen again. Ennis-Hill is curious as to why Maud was effectively erased from the family history.
At the Sheffield City Archives, Ennis-Hill discovers that Maud accused her husband of assault but later withdrew the allegation. The 1921 census reveals that Maud was in a South Yorkshire asylum, where she spent the rest of her life. Ennis-Hill visits the site and learns that Maud had a history of psychiatric illness, a condition that carried significant shame during that era. Ennis-Hill reflects on how Maud’s story was almost lost to her family.
Ennis-Hill then shifts her focus to her paternal side, accompanying her father, Vinnie, to Jamaica, where he was born. They visit Linstead, Vinnie’s hometown, and connect with extended family. Ennis-Hill learns that her great-grandmother, Louise White, owned land and farms. With the help of historian Dr. Shani Roper, Ennis-Hill traces her family back to the 18th century and discovers that her four-time great-grandfather, George Thomas White, was born into slavery around 1795.
Historian Dr. Suzanne Francis-Brown looks at the brutal life Thomas would have endured on a sugar plantation. Ennis-Hill discovers that Thomas became a cooper, making barrels for rum, and that after slavery was abolished, he purchased 25 acres of land from the very estate he had been enslaved on. Ennis-Hill concludes her journey by visiting a relative on a plot of land that has been passed down through the generations from Thomas.
Who Do You Think You Are? Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill airs on BBC One on Thursday, 12 September 2024.
