Family tree's and falling Mayors

In my younger years I always wondered what a family tree was. Was it in our garden and what did it look like? And what happened when we moved? Did we take it with us? Why did people spend so long asking other people about something that was in our garden? Was that why my mum spent so much time out there? And how could dad use that chainsaw on something that people spent so long looking at? What about when the dog pissed up against it? Why did nobody tell him off?

With progression of age I developed something called common sense. Of course it wasn’t the tree in the back garden. I was to learn of course that it was the tree that mum bought in December, the one that we put all the presents under at Christmas.

Recently I discovered that a few family members were trying to create a history of the Heathcote family, my mum’s side. I’m still undecided on the matter. Maybe people who do this do it because they are interested in the history aspect? Maybe an ancestor was a famous Duke or notorious villain? Maybe they could inherit a fortune? On the other hand, and most likely, they have got far too much time on their hands, choosing to spend hours in the library sitting in the birth and death section. Personally when I found out that Cooper’s were originally barrel makers I lost all interest.

There was one positive to come out of this exercise. Apparently my great, great, great Grandad was the Lord Mayor of London. Yes Sir Gilbert Heathcote was the man in 1711. Now nothing really interesting about that I hear you think? Well I have given him the credit of passing down the ‘drinking too much when you shouldn’t’ gene. Up until my great granddad bloke was Mayor, it was tradition through the centuries that the Mayor should ride by horse back whilst on parade throughout the streets of the capital. Trust Mr Heathcote to end this fine tradition. He fell off his horse after drinking too much and broke his leg. From that point on all future Lord Mayors had to ride in a carriage.

I can sleep better tonight.