Sir Tom Jones is more English than Welsh, reveal family records
10 Jun
2009, 1330 Hrs
London, Jun 10 Sir Tom Jones might have been known as a great Welsh singer for a long time, but he is actually three-quarters English, if his family history is to be believed.
As per the 1911 census that were released for the first time on June 9, the singer had just one grandparent who was of Welsh blood, while the other three had parents from the West Country.
The revelation has shocked some of Jones' loyal fans, but that does not stop them from being faithful to him.
"I can't believe it. Tom is the symbol of Welsh manliness around the world and has been for decades," Times Online quoted Margaret Owen, 54, a local historian and a lifelong fan, as saying.
"It is quite a shock to discover he has more English blood in his veins than Welsh, but we still love him.
"A lot of people moved from around Britain to South Wales at the end of the century because of the boom in the mining industry," she said.
During his long career, which took off in the mid-1960s, Sir Jones, 69, had made much of his Welsh origins.
His father was a coal miner and he was born in Pontypridd and describes himself as a "proud, proud Welshman".
The census records for 1911 show his paternal grandparents were James Woodward, an ironmonger's haulier born in Gloucestershire, and Anne Woodward, from Wiltshire.
His maternal grandmother was Ada Jones, who was born in Pontypridd although her parents came from Somerset and Wiltshire. His only all-Welsh ancestor was his great-grandfather Albert Jones, a miner born in Cardiff.
Jones, who had been named as Thomas Woodward in 1940 when he was born, grew up in a small terraced house in Laura Street, Treforest, Pontypridd.
He sang with a local band called Tommy Scott and the Senators, but changed his name before releasing his first hit single 'It's Not Unusual' in 1965.
His biggest UK hit was released the following year.
'Green, Green Grass of Home' was said to refer to his roots in the Welsh valleys, despite having been written by an American about the US.
Sir Jones was so proud of his Welsh home that he bought the telephone box, which once stood at the end of the street so he could take it to his new home in Los Angeles.
He now lives in Los Angeles, although he still makes regular visits to family and friends in Wales.
"This will surprise a lot of people who believe Tom is as Welsh as the red dragon and the daffodil. He may have English blood but it pumps through a Welsh heart. He is all man and all Welsh," added Ann Hughes, another fan who has turned her home in North Wales into a shrine to the singer. (ANI)
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