Victoria Beckham nee Adams earned the sobriquet 'posh spice' because she came from a rich family, often being driven to school in nice cars. However, it was Victoria's parents who established the family's fortunes through their business activities, and it is clear that the further back in time you go, the closer to poverty you get.
For example, one family - the Feasey's - were listed in the 1901 census numbering 8 children, yet all 10 people lived in only 3 rooms of their tenement. Even one generation back in time one of Victoria's grandfathers was a capstan operator involved in mixing rubber compounds for cable making.
One surprising discovery was that of German ancestry through her mother's ancestors, the Pfanders. It is possible that this is where Victoria's artistic side originates, as Charles Pfander - her 2 x great grandfather - was listed in the 1881 census as an 'artist'.
His mother, Catherine Pfander, was born in Wertenbergh, Germany and it is likely that she came over with her husband, possibly Charles Henry Pfander who died in Jun 1876. There are also links to clothing and fashion - we find umbrella makers, hat sellers and shirt finishers amongst her ancestors.
One curious fact is that two of Victoria's ancestor families, the Akehursts and Feaseys, were in relatively close proximity to David Beckham's relatives in Clerkenwell.
It is also possible that Victoria has an ancestor, Arthur Porter, who died in the Boer War, though further work would be required to confirm this. Circumstantial evidence strongly points to this conclusion, and seems to be the case that his widow moved in to live with her mother - also widowed - and siblings around 1901.
One curious fact is that two of Victoria's ancestor families, the Akehursts and Feaseys, were in relatively close proximity to David Beckham's relatives in Clerkenwell. There is also a tenuous family connection in the dim and distant past, as Victoria Adams has Eltridge relatives whilst David Beckham has Eldridge blood. It is possible that at some point these were two branches of the same family whose surname was spelled differently creating two lines. Obviously further work would be needed to prove such a link, but surname research often shows how similar surnames often originated from the same place or common ancestor.
