Ricky Tomlinson learns the difficult choice his ancestor had to make to give her children a better life.

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Ricky Tomlinson is well known for playing the archetypal Scouser and it turns out that his Liverpool roots run deep. Ricky discovers that he comes from generations of carters, who transported goods on Liverpool's docks when the city was the British Empire's busiest port.

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The actor Ricky Tomlinson has one simple question as he sets out to trace his father’s family: “Who were the Tomlinsons?” It’s a question rooted in regrets over not asking his dad – Albert, who was just 55 when he died – about the family’s story.

The answer to the question involves a journey through Liverpool’s 19thcentury history. Ricky’s first information arrives via a meeting with his brother, Albert, who has a copy of their grandfather’s death certificate. This reveals that Richard Tomlinson was born c1886. Armed with this clue, Ricky is able to trace his family back to his 3x greatgrandfather, Richard Tomlinson.

The men of Ricky’s family worked as carters. This means they took charge of the horses and carts that were vital to transporting goods around Liverpool at a time when the city was a bustling port. As a former plasterer and a union organiser, Ricky is delighted to be related to “grafters” instead of the great and good: “I’d rather be descended from a carter, kid, than from royalty,” he jokes.