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Robbie Williams’ Williams Family (Paternal Line)
Robbie Williams’ paternal ancestry follows a direct Staffordshire bloodline across the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The Williams family moved gradually from rural agricultural labour into industrial employment and military service, reflecting wider economic and social change in the region.
This page follows the direct paternal line linking Robbie Williams to his great-grandfather John Thomas Williams.
Thomas Williams (born early 1800s)
Robbie Williams’ great-great-great-great-grandfather
The Williams family can be traced to Thomas Williams and his wife Mary Cole, who lived during the early nineteenth century in the village of Trysull, Staffordshire. Both came from families rooted in agricultural labour.
Like many rural families of the period, the Williams family depended on seasonal farm work and moved short distances to follow employment. Their lives were shaped by the rhythms of rural labour rather than by long distance migration.
During the mid-nineteenth century, the Williams family moved between Trysull, Penn and Wombourne, villages within a few miles of one another. These moves reflected changes in local employment rather than social advancement.
Improved roads and transport links made it easier for labouring families to relocate than in earlier centuries. Even so, work remained insecure and wages were low.
Eliza Williams (born mid 1800s)
Robbie Williams’ great-great-great-grandmother
Eliza Williams was the daughter of Thomas Williams and Mary Cole. During the eighteen sixties, she entered domestic service, one of the few forms of paid employment available to working class women.
Domestic service often required living within an employer’s household, meaning Eliza lived away from her family for extended periods.
In 1868, Eliza gave birth to a son, John Oakley Williams. The child was registered under her surname.
Illegitimacy carried strong social stigma in Victorian England. Birth registrations frequently omitted the father’s name unless formally acknowledged. The identity of John Oakley Williams’ father cannot be confirmed from surviving records.
After the birth of her son, Eliza returned to live with her family, where John Oakley Williams was raised within the wider household.
John Oakley Williams (born 1868)
Robbie Williams’ great-great-grandfather
John Oakley Williams grew up in Staffordshire during a period of rapid industrial expansion. As agricultural work declined, he entered manual industrial employment in the Black Country, including heavy iron and metalworking roles.
He later married and started a family. His son was John Thomas Williams, continuing the direct paternal bloodline to Robbie Williams.
John Oakley Williams’ working life reflects the transition experienced by many families from rural labour to industrial employment during the late nineteenth century.
John Thomas Williams (born 1895)
Robbie Williams’ great-grandfather
John Thomas Williams, born in 1895, was the son of John Oakley Williams. Before the First World War, he worked as a steam hammer operator in Dudley, shaping white-hot metal in heavy industrial conditions that required strength and endurance.
In September 1914, shortly after the outbreak of war, he enlisted in the British Army and joined the Worcestershire Regiment. By March 1915, he had been deployed to France with the British Expeditionary Force.
He later served as a sniper, a role that required marksmanship, concentration and extended periods in exposed forward positions. Snipers were used to disrupt enemy attacks and target officers and non-commissioned officers.
During 1916, he was wounded by a gunshot to the shoulder. After recovery, he returned to active service and was promoted. In April 1917, he took part in fighting during the defence of Gillemont Farm, where regimental records credit him with significant effectiveness under fire.
Later in 1917, during operations near Langemark, he was wounded for a second time when shrapnel struck his face. He was evacuated to Britain and hospitalised. Due to the severity of his injuries, he did not return to front line service.
For his conduct during the war, John Thomas Williams was awarded the Military Medal, recognising bravery and devotion to duty in the field.
He spent the remainder of the war in Britain and later returned to civilian life.
Read the full history of Robbie Williams’ Farrell family →
This account is based on documentary records and historical research, and presents the Williams family history as it can be established from available evidence.