Actor and singer Layton Williams on an emotional rollercoaster on TV’s Who Do You Think You Are?
Strictly Come Dancing star Layton Williams discovered his ancestors were kept as child slaves in Jamaica when he delved into his family’s history on TV’s Who Do You Think You Are?.
The actor and singer, 30, has admitted it was something he had always dreaded finding out. He said: «When you are a person of colour you always know that that is probably the eventuality.. to actually have it all spelled out to you that your family would have been slaves.»
Layton has become a household name after appearing in the West End musicals Billy Elliott and Everyone’s Talking About Jamie, starring in the BBC comedy Bad Education and making the final of Strictly in 2023.
He agreed to take part in the BBC genealogy show Who Do You Think You Are? as he was keen to find out more about his roots as he had “never given it much thought”.
Born in Bury, Greater Manchester in 1994, Layton and his three siblings were raised mostly by mum Michelle. His grandparents also helped out. His father Prince, who was of Jamaican heritage, left the family home when he was small.
Layton said: “I saw Dad here and there on the weekends. He is a character but he wasn’t very present in my life. We are not close like that but I definitely see a lot of myself in him.”
As part of his family tree search, he flew to Jamaica to look into his father’s past. The openly gay performer admitted going to the country itself was tough and revealed: “I am proud to have Jamaican roots and I have lots of family there but the laws there aren’t very accepting to the queer community so I have always felt like it’s hard to love somewhere they don’t love you back.”
It was during his trip there that he unearthed a dark truth about his ancestors. He is told his great-great-great grandfather Alexander Denton appears to have been a child slave.
A ‘Baptism of Slaves’ list is uncovered from 1825 and someone with the same name was on that list. Alexander is referred to on the piece of paper and it also mentions a twin sister called Peggy.
Both are described as ‘Creole’ – meaning they were born in Jamaica. They are listed as being just four months old at the time. It also states that they «belong» to the Battersea Plantation. And then, according to another document entitled ‘A Return of Slaves’ in 1826, they were «in the possession of owner Francis Hall» in the parish of Manchester.
Slavery was not abolished in Jamaica until 1834. So that meant for nine years they lived as slaves.
Layton said of the discovery: «I can feel it. It is him. Oh God. It makes me feel so uncomfortable even reading it. So the whole beginning of their childhood, they were enslaved.»
The records also mention the twins’ mother – Layton’s four times great grandmother – who was called Jessy and originally came from Africa. Once free, many former slaves were able to buy freeholds and settle. And the star discovers that Alexander went on to become a labourer and married someone called Elizabeth Richards in 1862 in the village of Porus.
Layton adds: «It is a good thing. It is like – we just want space for us away from the madness to be with our families so we don’t have to answer to anyone. My grandad Clarence was always drilling this into me ‘Buy your own property and save your money’. I guess it’s from a history of this and this is what they had to do to truly be free.»
At the end of his journey on the TV show, he admitted it had been an emotional ride and he had had to face an ‘eventuality’ that his ancestors would have been slaves.
He added: «When you are a person of colour you always know that that is probably the eventuality but when you actually have it all spelled out to you that your family would have been slaves, quite frankly, to actually think about it and to really know their names and know that they were children growing up in it, there is so much black power in that.
«I don’t think I have been really, really proud of being a person of colour and really leaning into like .. I’m like a beautiful black man and I am proud to have come from people who went through that but came through the other side.
«Now I am gonna cry. It’s really beautiful and important that we don’t forget because it’s real and it happened and it was sad. I am sure it was awful but we made it here and my family are bonkers but they are amazing.
«There are so many of us and I really really hope that whatever they went through …like we were kind of worth it. I will look back at this experience and I will be really happy and really proud of the family that came before me.»
Also in the show Layton looks into his mum’s side of the family and finds out that even though he is from Bury, she has roots in London where he now lives.
His relatives include a six times great grandfather Edward Downing Snr who was a piano tuner living in posh Golden Square. Layton says: “The area is still a hub for music. The fact he used to be part of a music scene feels magical and it makes sense why I am here. I always felt at home in London. It is the place that accepted me.”
* Layton’s episode of Who Do You Think You Are? airs on BBC One on Tuesday May 13.
Follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.
