Introduction The title "The Jones Family of Gorsebrook, Stafford Road, Bushbury, Wolverhampton" has been chosen because this was the family home at a time when the fortunes of the family were very much on an upward curve. Furthermore Gorsebrook was the home of a member of the Jones family for nearly 50 years from the end of the 19th century up until the early part of the Second World War. The origins of the family can, however, be traced back to the early years of the 19th century to the parents of Richard Jones who was born in Compton Hill, Tettenhall, on November 1st 1842. Richard Jones can in many ways be regarded as the founder of the family. It is his progression from modest beginnings that fixed the family firmly in the middle section of society. He was the son of a gardener, also named Richard, living in, what at the time was the rural area of the village of Compton which subsequently became part of Tettenhall, and, ultimately, Wolverhampton. For the times in which he lived, and the family background from which he came, he appears to have had a reasonable level of education. In the 1851 Census, when he was eight years old, he is described as a "Scholar." An examination of his signature on his marriage certificate reveals an educated hand suggesting rather more than a cursory introduction to literacy. He progressed through a series of jobs, starting out as a groom, and picking up skills on the way until, by the end of the 19th century, he had become Works Manager of a major company – the Electric Construction Company Limited of Bushbury.
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