A Family History Of...

What if the ancestor you're searching for in the records is someone you'd rather not find?

Every family tree contains surprises. Some inspire. Others leave you questioning everything you thought you knew. After exploring the families at the heart of the Battle of Cable Street, host Jen Baldwin examines the darker discoveries hidden in the records, from fascist organisers to enslavers, and asks how we should respond when our ancestors end up on the wrong side of history. How do you reckon with a past you'd rather not claim?

Host: Jen Baldwin
Researcher: Jen Baldwin and Sidra Baldwin
Editor: Guy Bettison
Script editors: Madeleine Gilbert, Niall Cullen, and Daisy Goddard
Producers: Madeleine Gilbert, Ellie Ayton, and James Plumb
Designer: Michael McCosh
Social media: Sarah Cornes, Ellie Ayton, and Thomas Davis
Executive Producers: Helen Kaye and Steve James

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Not everyone wanted the march to be stopped.

As one of the British Union of Fascists' most prominent female organisers, Anne Brock-Griggs spent the 1930s campaigning, writing and recruiting in support of the movement.

In this episode, host Jen Baldwin and the British Library’s Beth Gaskell examine Cable Street from a seldom-heard perspective, following Anne's story through family records, newspapers and political archives. What drew people towards fascism in Britain, and what happened when those beliefs collided with a community determined to resist them?

Advisory note: This episode features themes that listeners may find offensive. These are treated according to the standards of the time and in their historical context.

Host: Jen Baldwin
Researcher: Jen Baldwin and Sidra Baldwin
Guest: Beth Gaskell, Lead Curator of News and Moving Image, British Library
Editor: Guy Bettison
Script editors: Madeleine Gilbert, Niall Cullen, and Daisy Goddard
Producers: Madeleine Gilbert, Ellie Ayton, and James Plumb
Designer: Michael McCosh
Social media: Sarah Cornes, Ellie Ayton, and Thomas Davis
Executive Producers: Helen Kaye and Steve James
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One day in 1936 would shape the rest of this young woman’s life.

When Minnie Keeping joined the crowds on 4 October 1936, she was one of thousands opposing fascism on the streets of East London. The events of that day would remain with her for the rest of her life.

Joined by British Library Lead Curator Beth Gaskell, host Jen Baldwin traces Minnie's journey from young activist to one of the people who helped preserve the memory of Cable Street for future generations. As the day itself recedes into the past, a different struggle begins: the fight over how it will be remembered.

Host: Jen Baldwin
Researcher: Jen Baldwin and Sidra Baldwin
Guest: Beth Gaskell, Lead Curator of News and Moving Image, British Library
Editor: Guy Bettison
Script editors: Madeleine Gilbert, Niall Cullen, and Daisy Goddard
Producers: Madeleine Gilbert, Ellie Ayton, and James Plumb
Designer: Michael McCosh
Social media: Sarah Cornes, Ellie Ayton, and Thomas Davis
Executive Producers: Helen Kaye and Steve James
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As tensions rise across East London, one family finds itself at the heart of the story.

In October 1936, three brothers from a Jewish hairdressing family step out onto the streets of East London as tensions over a planned fascist march reach breaking point. By the end of the day, all three will be under arrest.

Host Jen Baldwin and British Library Lead Curator Beth Gaskell uncover the story of the Jacobvitch family, exploring how ordinary residents became caught up in one of the most famous confrontations in modern British history. As East London prepares for a day of uncertainty, the conditions for conflict are already falling into place.

Host: Jen Baldwin
Researcher: Jen Baldwin and Sidra Baldwin
Guest: Beth Gaskell, Lead Curator of News and Moving Image, British Library
Editor: Guy Bettison
Script editors: Madeleine Gilbert, Niall Cullen, and Daisy Goddard
Producers: Madeleine Gilbert, Ellie Ayton, and James Plumb
Designer: Michael McCosh
Social media: Sarah Cornes, Ellie Ayton, and Thomas Davis
Executive Producers: Helen Kaye and Steve James
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As fascism advanced on East London, whole communities fought back.

The Battle of Cable Street is remembered as the day East London stopped the fascists. But inside that famous story are very different lives, choices, and consequences.

Host and genealogist Jen Baldwin and Beth Gaskell from the British Library uncover the history of this day through ordinary people: Jewish brothers arrested amid the disorder, a young activist who spent decades defending its legacy, and a woman helping build support for fascism itself. Together, their stories reveal a day of resistance, division and conviction, and the people pulled into its path.

Listen from 29 September, wherever you get your podcasts.

Host: Jen Baldwin
Researcher: Jen Baldwin
Guest: Beth Gaskell, Lead Curator of News and Moving Image, British Library
Editor: Guy Bettison
Script editors: Madeleine Gilbert, Niall Cullen, and Daisy Goddard
Producers: Madeleine Gilbert, Ellie Ayton, and James Plumb
Designer: Michael McCosh
Social media: Sarah Cornes, Ellie Ayton, and Thomas Davis
Executive Producers: Helen Kaye and Steve James
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.