Professor Hawking and his links to North Yorkshire

The world was in mourning yesterday as tributes were made world-renowned physicist Professor Stephen Hawking following his death at the age of 76.

By The Newsroom

Published 15th Mar 2018, 07:43 BST

Updated 15th Mar 2018, 08:50 BST

How Stephen Hawking reminded us all to look up at the starsBut did you know that the descended from a small town in North Yorkshire?

In his autobiography 'My Brief History', Hawkins tells how his great grandfather, John Hawking, was a wealthy farmer in Yorkshire. Unfortunatley, he was declared bankrupt in the agricultural depression.

His son Robert was also made bankrupt when he tried to help his father.

Jayne Dowle: Stephen Hawking boldly went where no one had ever gone beforeLuckily, Robert's wife owned a house in Boroughbridge, near Harrogate, which she ran as a school.

They managed to get enough money together to send their son to Oxford to study medicine.