Is Dolly Parton a Wem superstar?

According to proud Salopian Paul Savage, who calls her "cousin Dolly," she has family roots in Wem, although admittedly it is an unproven theory and even if it is correct we are going back quite a bit.

"I did once see a fan website that said Dolly’s Parton ancestor was from Wem, although frustratingly I can no longer access it," says Paul.

"Dolly and my family must therefore be distant cousins – as must many other Shropshire folk from our area. I remember John Parton who was one of the organists at Wrockwardine Church, as was my mother. He had the most beautiful old-fashioned Shropshire accent."

Paul, who naturally is a fan of Dolly, was born in Wrockwardine and went to Adams' Grammar School in Newport.

"I have lived in Guildford since 2001 and like it very much, but am very proud of my Shropshire roots. My family is very Shropshire and family history investigation has revealed that I have two ancestors called Parton from Little Wenlock."

Having done research which he says shows that the surname Parton has a prevalent Shropshire origin, he has also trawled websites to find out where Dolly's English Parton ancestors might have originated.

"I found one which stated that she was descended from a William Parton and a Mary Richardson from Wem in Shropshire who emigrated in the 18th century.

"The disappearance of the website linking Dolly’s forebears to Wem is a blow.

"This is now therefore a gap in my story. There are apparently authoritative ancestries of Dolly online, but these seem only to go back to a John Parton born in Virginia, USA, in 1801, with no indication of an English antecedent. My old story is compromised, otherwise I would gladly boast that I and my myriad relations in Shropshire are Dolly’s flesh and blood in the Old Country.

"I shall keep my eyes out for new evidence"

For the record, Dolly was born in Tennessee in 1946.