Step into your past today

Step into the Past

Walk in our forebears’ footsteps with Step into the Past, an immersive new podcast from Findmypast. Each episode connects the past and present as we take a stroll with Suzannah Lipscomb through places that made history, revealing incredible family stories along the way.

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb: podcast host

Meet our host

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is an award-winning historian, author, and broadcaster. She is Professor Emerita at the University of Roehampton; Senior Member at St Cross College, Oxford; and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and the Society of Antiquaries. She has written and edited seven books, most recently, What is History, Now? with Helen Carr. She was formerly Research Curator at Hampton Court Palace and has won awards for her work in the heritage sector, including as Creative Director of the National Trust’s exhibition at Hardwick Hall, ‘We Are Bess.’ She has presented history series on the BBC, ITV, and Channel 5.

In series one, we're getting to know host Suzannah Lipscomb (and her ancestors) a little better. Then, we're travelling back in time at some of Britain’s best-loved places cared for by the National Trust to uncover the lives of the people that lived and worked there.

Episode one: Suzannah's surprising family story

Ellie from Findmypast chats with Step into the Past host Suzannah Lipscomb about the family history that has made her, her. Suzannah's stories take us from London to India and the United States and we introduce her to some new relatives along the way. We hear how wartime bravery, family tragedy and adventurous ancestors have shaped fascinating chapters of her past. How will Suzannah feel when we reveal her mother's adoption papers could be hiding a secret?

A collage of Suzannah's Lipscomb's ancestors in India

Key record collections

Suzannah’s great-grandparents, William Franklin Rule and Nellie Orne spent several decades in India where William worked as a dental surgeon.

A house on Chart Lane with its 1921 Census record

Suzannah's maternal grandmother was Olive Smith, daughter of Charles Smith, a commercial traveller for Peek Freans chocolate and biscuit manufacturer. See Olive and her parents in the 1921 Census.

Newspaper clipping of Suzannah Lipcomb's ancestors

In 1940, Suzannah's adoptive grandmother Betty married Leslie Leonard Lochead while he was on 48-hour leave from the Army. Read about their nuptials.

Dig even deeper

Delve into the records we used to build a bigger picture of Suzannah's past, some you won't find anywhere else online.

Episode two: Quarry Bank connections

In collaboration with the National Trust, we meet David Higginson, whose ancestors lived and worked at Quarry Bank, one of Britain's greatest industrial heritage sites. Suzannah and David amble around Quarry Bank's vast estate and immerse themselves in the sights and sounds his ancestors experienced. Stopping by key places along the way, including the cottage his 5 x great-grandparents lived in, David learns more about his family's remarkable past. By telling David's story, we're telling thousands of connected British family stories. Stories that echo through time and affect how we view the world around us today.

Oak Cottages, Quarry Bank on the 1921 Census of England and Wales

Key record collections

The Greg family were living at Quarry Bank's Oak Cottages in 1921. View the full record.

Collage of 1851 census record and Quarry Bank Mill

David's ancestors the Pearsons worked at Quarry Bank Mill for generations. William Pearson is listed as a cotton warper on the 1851 Census. View this record.

A clipping of a separation report in a newspaper

With her husband Willie seemingly stranded in Australia, Ada Higginson applied for a formal separation in 1933. The story was covered by the local press. Read this newspaper clipping.

Where will your past take you?

Explore more of the records we used to piece together David's past and make your own amazing discoveries.

Follow in their footsteps

Use this map to retrace Suzannah and David's footsteps in the breath-taking surrounds of Quarry Bank. Plan your visit and remember to share your strolls with us on social media with #StepIntoThePast.

Uncover more Quarry Bank stories

Episode three: The wonders of Wordsworth House

A family divided. Two divergent paths. Rags and riches. In episode three, Suzannah meets Charlotte, the 4 x great-granddaughter of poet and national treasure William Wordsworth. Exploring Wordsworth House and the surrounding streets in Cockermouth, they retrace the steps of Charlotte's ancestors and discover how two branches of this famous family had very different fates. As the story comes full circle, where will we find the Wordsworth relatives in the 1921 Census?

Key record collections

There were Wordsworths living at Wordsworth House in 1921 and one of their jobs might surprise you. View the record.

A listing in Essex Newsman on 15 April 1939 announced Mary Wordsworth's marriage to Alistair Hugh Andrew. Read the full article.

By the outbreak of the Second World War, Christopher Wordsworth and his family had relocated to Suffolk. View their 1939 Register record.

Trace your own fascinating history

Family records are packed with secrets and surprises. See if you can find your ancestors in the resources researched for this episode.

Take a walk around Wordsworth House

Starting and ending at Wordsworth House, visit the memorial, church and brewery for yourself. Plan your trip today. We'd love to see where your past takes you. Use #StepIntoThePast on social media to share your journeys.

Discover more Wordsworth House stories