William Rootes, (Senior)
William owned a cycle and motor engineering business in Goudhurst[1]
1901 William Rootes 31, cycle maker, lived in Hawkhurst, with Jenny Rootes 34, William E Rootes 6, Reginald C Rootes 4[2]
1908 Jenny died in Cranbrook[3]
1911 William Rootes 41, motor and cycle engineer, lived in Hawkhurst with his wife Elizabeth Jane Rootes 27 and their son Leslie Charles Rootes 7 months, and his son Reginald Claud Rootes 14[4]
Rootes ancestry [5]
William Root(e)s born 11 June 1869 in Goudhurst, Kent. William died on the 24 January 1955. He married Jenny Catt on the 3 September 1892 in Goudhurst and they had 2 sons William Edward (later Lord Rootes) and Reginald Claude (later Sir Reginald) before Jenny died in 1908.
On the 20 December 1909 he married Elizabeth Jane Burt and went on to have a further 5 sons Leslie C. (b.1910), Leonard W (b.1912), Arthur D. (b.1913), Maurice (b.1917) and Basil (b.1921).
While Basil was still very young, the family story says that William set up home with the parlourmaid, some versions have them spending some time in Canada and having a further 3-5 sons.
William Rootes died in Worthing on 24 January 1955 and his death was registered by Mrs N. A. Rootes, widow. Elizabeth Jane was still alive so presumably they were divorced.