Jack Jones was born in Wrexham, Wales in 1926. During the Second World War unlike many of his contemporaries he was called up to serve as a miner, known as a Bevin Boy, rather than being enlisted in the Armed Forces. He trained at Walkden, near Salford, before being sent to the Gresford Colliery at Wrexham. He started his professional career as an Assistant Curator at the Grosvenor Museum, Chester and later became Curator at Carisbrooke Castle. He obtained his PhD in 1978 at the University of Southampton for his thesis 'The Isle of Wight 1558-1642', an analysis of the social, economic and political life of the island at the time. He subsequently worked as an historian, writer, lecturer and broadcaster.