CHRISTOPHER ECCLESTON

This week, I'm looking into the background of Christopher Eccleston, who became the ninth actor to play Dr Who when the cult BBC series was successfully regenerated in 2005.

Christopher Eccleston took on one of the most challenging roles on television, becoming the latest incarnation of Dr Who following in the footsteps of William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy and Paul McGann. The series was a massive success, with Eccleston and his co-star Billie Piper receiving rave reviews from fans and critics alike. Yet he surprised everyone by announcing that he would not be returning for a second series, fearing he might become typecast. Therefore let's take this opportunity to step back in time and investigate Eccleston's roots...

To whom is Christopher Eccleston related?

Yet it is clear that this life was not for him, and he made a decision to find some other way of making ends meet - and joined the army, or more accurately the 64th Foot Regiment. In 1861 he was stationed at Canterbury, and four years later had moved north to Salford barracks. It was in this year that he married Mary Elizabeth Dunn, a cotton warper from Oxford whose father, William, had served as sergeant in the 62nd Foot Regiment before his death. Shortly after, Peter left the army and was able to find work as a tailor, making his home in Salford with his wife. Yet it is clear that times were hard for Peter and his family; in the 1871 census, they are living as boarders at 16 Dalton Street, Salford, with Mary still at work as a cotton warper yet finding the time to raise their 2-year-old son William. Yet they thrived, and raised at least six further children even though Mary continued to work at the mill over the next twenty years. By 1891, there were three generations living in the same house, another son Robert having married and produced a granddaughter for Peter and Mary called Frances.

“you can use your own family tree to travel back in time”

This situation was quite common in communities like this, where work was scarce and accommodation often hard to find. What was perhaps more unusual was the fact that Frances was only two years junior than Peter and Mary's youngest daughter, Josephine! It is clear that the family stuck together over the next decade, and by the time the 1901 census was taken, a further three granddaughters had been added to the first. Robert was now a labourer in a cotton mill, along with his sister Louisa, whilst his wife Anne worked as a charwoman. It is perhaps work reflecting on the fact that over a century later, this pattern of three generational dwelling is once again on the increase, as the cost of buying a house once again makes it difficult for young families to get their foot on the bottom rung of the property ladder. By 1901, Peter junior had moved out of the family home, albeit only a few doors down the road in James Street. This decision might have had something to do with space; after all, with five adults and a further five children under the age of thirteen, it must have been a very crowded household - unless of course it was constructed on the same principles as the TARDIS, and was larger on the inside than the outside. Yet there might also have been a practical side, as in 1903 he married Mary Connor, and the couple had a son of their own in 1906. Sadly, Peter senior did not live to see these happy events; he had died by the time of his son's wedding.

Therefore you can use your own family tree to travel back in time, and start to gain an understanding of a life and times that now seems remote. This is one of the joys of family history, and - as you can see from Christopher Eccleston's story - there are sometimes some surprising discoveries to be made. And at least you don't have to worry about encountering Daleks in your travels!