Martin Freeman
Freeman in 2013, photo by Prphotos.com
Birth Name: Martin John Christopher Freeman
Place of Birth: Aldershot, Hampshire, England, U.K.
Date of Birth: 8 September, 1971
Ethnicity: English, some Irish
Martin Freeman is a British actor.
He is the son of Philomena and Geoffrey Freeman, a naval officer. His brother was singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer Jamie Freeman. Martin has two children with his former partner, actress Amanda Abbington.
Martin’s paternal grandfather was Leonard William Freeman (the son of Richard William Freeman and Ada Louisa Meldrum). Leonard was born in Sculcoates, Yorkshire, England. Richard was the son of Richard Marlow Freeman and Jane Lenny. Ada was the daughter of Oscar Mowbray Meldrum and Mary Alice Sisson.
Martin’s paternal grandmother was Alice Craven (the daughter of William Ernest Craven and Ada Winn). Alice was born in Sculcoates, Yorkshire, England. William was likely the son of John Craven and Anna/Ann Ayres. Ada was the daughter of Rowland Winn and Emma Loft.
Martin’s maternal grandfather was George Norris (the son of Robert Norris and Emily Rose Cann). George was born in Prestwich, Lancashire, England. Robert was the son of William Norris and Susan Savage, who was Irish. Emily was the daughter of Charles Cann and Louisa Bovett.
Martin’s maternal grandmother was Rose Byrne (the daughter of Robert Byrne and Mary Jane Hackett). Rose was born in Salford, Lancashire, England. Robert’s parents, Patrick Byrne/Burns and Sarah Ann Rogers, were from Carlow, Ireland. Mary Jane was the daughter of Michael Hackett, who was born in Tyrone, Northern Ireland, and of Martha Drakeford; Martha was the daughter of William Henry Drakeford and Irish-born Mary Ann Turner.
Sources: Genealogy of Martin Freeman (focusing on his father’s side) – http://www.geni.com
Family history of Martin’s father – http://www.whodoyouthinkyouaremagazine.com
So how much Irish and how much English is he? I can’t tell from the names. Seems like at least 25% Irish, which parent is how much?
Martin Freeman’s father appears to be 100% English. His mother has three Irish born great-grandparents I believe, plus a great-grandmother from England with an Irish mother. so instead of a quarter Irish, Martin is probably 7/32 Irish to be exact. Also, George Norris, the maternal grandfather (1912-2003) was the son of Robert Norris (1884-1960) and Emily Rose Cann (1886-1963). Robert was the son of William Norris (1856-1913) and Susan Savage (1861-1918). Susan was Irish. As for Alice Craven, the paternal grandmother, she was the daughter of William Ernest Craven (1872-1958) and Ada Winn (1874).
Okay, so instead of “English, Irish” which when listed as the only ethnicities on this site usually implies half-and-half, we’re talking about “English, some Irish.” or “English (father)” and then “‘however much his mother is’ Irish, ‘however much his mother is’ English (mother).”
Are you our new site inspector?
He is a nice bloke after all.