A royal tapestry woven through time

Discover the extraordinary connections of our family tree, stretching from the humble beginnings of Ernest Albert Jones born in Battersea, in 1903, to the illustrious royal courts of Sweden, Russia, and France, and the ancient Lords and Barons of Northern England. Prepare to be amazed by the unexpected branches of our ancestry and the surprising breadth of our historical footprint.

Ernest Albert Jones: The starting point

Our incredible journey into royal and noble lineage begins with Ernest Albert Jones, born in Battersea in 1903. Who would have imagined that from this bustling London borough, a direct path would emerge leading to the heart of European monarchies and the ancient peerage of England? His life story is the initial thread that unravels this astonishing genealogical narrative, inviting you to explore the unexpected.

Ernest Albert Jones 1903-1974

Echoes of European Empires

Beyond British shores, our family history reveals striking links to the crowned heads of Europe. Delve into the fascinating connections to the royal families of Sweden, Russia, and France, understanding how these distant yet profound ties shaped generations and history itself. It's a testament to the intricate web of European heritage and the surprising global reach of our family tree.

The Lords and Barons of England

Closer to home, our lineage intertwines with the powerful Lords and Barons of North England. Explore the stories of these influential noble families, their impact on regional history, and how their legacy continues to resonate through our family's narrative. This connection sheds light on centuries of English aristocracy and their enduring presence in our ancestry, from the Lancaster, to the Musgrave and de Dacre lines.

Thomas Robert Jones 1854-1922

How we are connected to royalty and nobility.

From the Jones's to the Rounding's Families:

Ernest Albert Jones 1903-1974 Grandfather:

Born on the 28th of April 1903, at 49 Russell Street, Battersea in London S.W., the son of Thomas Robert Jones and Lily Martin. Married Edith Elizabeth Williams on the 10th of May 1923 at Willesden Registry Office, London N.W. He had six children and died 11th September 1974, at Hammersmith in West London.

Thomas Robert Jones 1854-1922 Great Grandfather:

Born on the 8th of October 1854, at 22 Church Street, in Lambeth, Surrey, (now S.E. London,) the son of Thomas Jones and Isabella Rounding. He married Lily Martin 1877-1903, his third wife, on the 19th of September 1901, at St. Andrew's Church, Earlsfield in S.W. London. Thomas was a master builder, he had nine children and three marriages, he died on the 5th of April 1922.

Isabella Roundning 1828-1885 2x Great Grandmother:

Born in 1828 at Woodford in Essex, to Robert Rounding and Mary Clement. Isabella married Thomas Jones a lace warehouseman and sales rep (commercial traveller) on the 8th of November 1853, at Woodford. She had seven children and died on the 11th of April 1885, at 11 Tidbury Street, Battersea.

Robert Rounding 1794-1877 3x Great GRANDFATHER:

Born and died at Woodford, the son of Richard Rounding and Jane Richardson. He married Mary Clements on the 7th of August 1817, at St. Leonards Church, in Shoreditch, Middlesex (East London.) He had many different jobs from Farmer to Forest Keeper (Epping Forest) and colt-breaker to master of the workhouse at Walton-on-Thames, and one time the village constable. Robert and Mary had fourteen children.

RICHARD ROUNDING 1766-1814 4X great grandfather:

Born in Woodford, the son of Robert Rounding and Ann Gray, he married Jane Richardson of Staindrop in Durham, on the 7th of June 1793, at St. George in the East, Tower Hamlets in Middlesex. Richard along with his brother founded the Epping Hunt in 1785, hold on the Easter weekends. He was owner of horses and hounds, Richard had four children and died at Woodford in 1814.

Robert Rounding 1737/38-1792 5x Great grandfather:

Born at Morton in Durham, the son of Timothy Roundhead Rounding and Jane Farrer. he married Ann Gray of Woodford, on the 23rd of January 1761, at Woodford Wells in Essex. Robert and Ann had five children. Robert was the Landlord of the Horse and Groom, also known as the Horse and Wells and the Wells Inn, at Woodford in the County of Essex. he was elected constable of Woodford in 1769-1771, he died at Woodford in 1792.

Timothy Rounding 1707-1741 6x great grandfather:

He was baptised Timothy Roundhead, son of Timothy, on the 21st of August 1707, at Heworth in Durham, he was married as Timothy Rninding on the 17th of April 1735, to Jane Farrer. Timothy and Jane had three sons. Timothy was buried with his grandparents Ralph and Ann Clark.

EDIE ELIZABETH WILLIAMS 1896-1975 GRANDMOTHER:

Born the 26th of October 1896, at 12 Harries Street, Queens Park, in West London, to Walter Williams and Elizabeth Mary Clayden. Married Ernest Albert Jones 10 May 1923, at Willesden Registry Office, London N.W.

Edie died on the 11th of May 1975, at Charing Cross Hospital, in Fulham.

Lily Martin 1877-1903 Great Grandmother:

Born the 3rd of March 1877, at Lintons Lane, Epsom, Surrey, to Charles Edward and Mary Ann Shaddick. Married Thomas Robert Jones 19 September 1901, at St. Andrews Church, Earlsfield, London S.W.

She died on the 13th of May 1903, at 49 Russell Street, Battersea, two weeks after giving birth.

Thomas Jones c.1830-c.1884 2x Great Grandfather:

Its unknown when he was born, maybe in the City of London, there was no father's name on his marriage's certificate, so was no doubt illegitimate. He worked as a lace warehouseman and commercial traveller. Married Isabella Rounding 8 November 1853, at Woodford in Essex.

Mary Clement 1794-1870 3x great grandmother:

Born on the 22nd of December 1794, at Bethnal Green in Middlesex, to William and Mary Clements. Married Robert Rounding 7 August 1817, at St. Leonards Church, Shoreditch. Mary had fourteen children in twenty-one years, between 1818-1839.

Mary died at Woodford in Essex, on the 29th of October 1870.

JANE RICHARDSON C. 1773-1806 4X GREAT GRANDMOTHER:

Born c. 1773, at Staindrop in Durham, to Joseph Richardson and Isabella Brown. Married Richard Rounding 7 June 1793, at Staindrop in Durham. Jane died at Woodford in Essex, in April 1806.

Ann GRAY C. 1733-1769 5X GREAT GRANDMOTHER:

Born c. 1733, at Woodford in Essex, to Richard and Hannah Gray. Ann married Robert Rounding 23 January 1761, at Woodford in Essex. Ann died after given birth to her fifth child in November 1769.

JANE FARRER 6X GREAT GRANDMOTHER

Jane had three son, born at Morton in Durham. She married Timothy Rounding spelt Rninding the 17 April 1735.

Thomas Rounding 1761-1841; 5th Great granduncle.

THE BREAKTHROUGH THE INSCRIPTON ON A GRAVE:

Here lieth the body of Anne wife of Ralph Clark of Headlam Gentleman who departed this life January 3^rd Anno Domini 1727/28 aged 62 years. Here lieth the body of Ralph Clark Gentleman who departed this life January 30^th, 1736/37, aged 72. Likewise Timothy Rounding grandson to Ralph and Anne Clark died September 8^th, 1741, aged 34 years.

From the Mossock's, Draper's, to the Birkbeck's Families.

Residents of Headlam Hall near Gainford in Co. Durham

Timothy Roundhead 7th Great Grandfather, dates unknown, married a daughter of Ralph and Ann Clarke, her name may have been Elinor or Dorothy, a son Timothy was born in 1707, at Heworth in Durham.

Ann Mossock c. 1665-1727/28 8th Great Grandmother:

Ann was the daughter of Thomas Mossock and Anne Draper, she married Ralph Clarke a merchant/gent of the City of London. Ralph and Ann inherited the Hall in 1721, when he died in 1735/36, his only surviving child Ann, who had married Lawrence Brockett inherited the Hall.

Anne Draper c. 1637-1697 9th Great Grandmother:

Anne was the daughter of Henry Draper and Eleanor Birkbeck, she married Thomas Mossock. Thomas and Anne were resident at Headlam Hall from 1671, after the death of her brother John. Anne died in October 1697 at Gainford in Durham.

Eleanor Birkbeck 1613-1649 10th Great Grandmother: Eleanor the daughter of Henry Birkbeck and Anne Brackenbury was born at Headlam Hall in 1613, she married Henry Draper from Newcastle, on the 28 of April 1636, at Durham. Henry and Eleanor had six children and had inherited the Hall after the death of her father Henry Birkbeck in 1637.

Henry Birkbeck c. 1564-1637 11 Great Grandfather: Born at Hornby, Westmorland, the second son of Thomas Byrkbeck and Joan Lancaster, Henry was not included in the entail of Hornby by this father, although mentioned in his will and in those of his grandmother Jane and his uncle Ambrose. He was married on the 26 of May 1606 to Anne, widow of Christopher Hutton, of Hunwick, and daughter of Henry Brackenbury of Sellaby, parish of Gainford and Joan Lancaster, at St. Andrew's Church, Auckland in Durham. He bought the estate of Headlam from Ambrose Lancaster in 1611. The house he built is still standing, and though partly rebuilt, the mantelpiece in the hall still contains a shield with the arms of Henry Birkbeck and his wife.

Ralph and Anne inherited the Hall in 1721, from Anne's brother Thomas Mosssock. When Ralph died in 1735/36, his only surviving child Ann Clarke, who had married Lawrence Brockett 1694-1750 inherited the Hall. Lawrence was an attorney, he made substantial alterations and additions to the house. when he died in 1750, his eldest son Henry Brockett inherited the Hall, who put it up for sale, but the property do not sale, and when he died in 1752, the property was left to his younger brother, historian Lawrence Brockett 1724-1768. Lawrence did not marry but had an illegitimate son named William Neville Brocket 1761-1840, who inherited the Hall, in 1768, when he was only seven years old. From about 1800, he rented the property out to various tenants, and from 1804-831 it was a boys' school called Chapmans Academy. William died in 1840, and the property was sold in 1845, to John Hett.

The Beginning:

Henry Birkbeck 1564-1637, built Headlam Hall in about 1611, and as a present to his wife he had an elaborate oak fireplace installed in the main hall with the Birkbeck coat of arms displayed in the centre on the mantle. which can still be seen today.

In 1846 John Richard Walbran a antiquarian had written: It was a richly ornamented fireplace in the centre compartment of which is a mantled shield, hearing a fess gobony, between three lions heads erased, a crescent for difference; impaling three chevronels interlaced the arms of Henry Birkbeck.

Henry's daughter Eleanor and her husband Henry Draper inherited the Hall after his death in February 1637/38.

After the death of Henry Draper in 1666, his son John became the owner of the hall, who died in 1671.

John's sister Anne and her husband Thomas Mossock inherited the hall after the death of John Draper.

Thomas Mossock died in 1710, and his son Thomas took over the hall until his death in 1721, when Thomas' sister Ann and her husband Ralph Clark inherited the Hall.