Its official: Sir Tom Jones, the world famous singer hailed as a Welsh icon, is actually three-quarters English.
The shocking news arrived with the launch of the Welsh 1911 census records earlier this week. The Times, The Mirror, the Daily Star, the Daily Express, The Sun, The Daily Telegraph and Hello! magazine were quick to publish the story, announcing three of Joness grandparents hail from the West Country, not Wales.
Sir Tom Jones's paternal grandparents
His paternal grandparents (shown on the image above) were James Woodward, an ironmongers haulier born in Gloucestershire, and Anne Woodward, born in Wiltshire. His maternal grandmother, Ada Jones, who originated from Pontypridd, had parents from Somerset and Wiltshire. Sir Toms only wholly Welsh grandparent was his maternal grandfather Albert Jones, a miner from Cardiff. Albert and Ada Jones are shown below:
Sir Tom Joness maternal grandparents Joness ancestral revelation came as a shock to his worldwide army of fans, but most have remained relaxed about the news. Its quite a shock to discover he has more English blood in his veins than Welsh. But we still love him, said lifelong fan Margaret Owen.
Sir Tom Jones is just one of a plethora of celebrities whose ancestries can be revealed using the 1911 census. If you discover any others please let us know via this blog.
![[linked image]](http://dreammail.edgesuite.net/FindMyPast/woodwardssm.jpg)
![[linked image]](http://dreammail.edgesuite.net/FindMyPast/jonesfamilysm.jpg)