English Orders of Chivalry and The Jones Surname

In 1906, William Shaw published a book listing a complete record of all the "Orders of Chivalry in England". It is titled: "Complete Record from the Earliest Time to the Present Day of the Knights of all the Orders of Chivalry in England, Scotland, and Ireland, and of Knights Bachelors".

The following tables present the abstract of this reference for the surname JONES. It begins with the reign of Edward III. The first JONES [spelled Johanes], appears 1542. This would be just after the completion of the Act of Union.

The names are arranged in chronological order from the first JONES ,1542, to the last in 1901.

Thomas Johanes, Kt. is the first. He is followed by Henry Joanes, Kt. in 1553. It is not until 1584 that the spelling is given as JONES. Hereafter, the spelling is JONES. Only six individuals are listed under the surname from 1542- 1591.

Elias Jones, Kt. starts the 1600s, with 12 individuals recorded.
Some information is given, such as Roger Jones, Kt. of Sligo; in Ireland, by viscount Falkland. Only one individual, Henry Jones, Kt., is identified during the Commonwealth period under Cromwell. [1658]

For the 1700s, there were only four individuals, with Thomas Jones, Kt. leading the way. [I suspect that most of the JONES had already left the Island.]

Twenty two individuals were knighted during the 1800s. It seems the 1830s were a good decade.

Alfred L. Jones, K.C.M.G., begins the 1900s, but the book was published in 1906, thus leaving Alfred as the only JONES to this date.

The orders of knighthood was initiated by the eldest son of Edward III, widely known as "The Black Prince", 1336. This again suggest that the surname JONES did not appear in these
order books until after The Act of Union, 1536.



The various abbreviations are as follows:

Order of the Garter, dates from 1348 - Kt.

Order of the Thistle, dates from 1539 - Kt.

Order of Bath, dates from 1725 - K.C.B. or G.C.B.

The Guelphic Order, dates from 1815 - K.H.

Order of St.Michael and St. George, dates from 1814 - K.C.M.G.


The tables are taken from The Jones Genealogist, Vol. VI, No.3, Sept/Oct, 1994, pp. 1-3. The information is abstracted from "The Knights of England", Vol.I, and Vol. II, by W.A. Shaw, Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, MD, 1971. Remember, you can click on the tables to enlarge them.