Anastasia Tyler, a genealogist from Ancestry.co.uk, who researched Watson's heritage, said: "It is not every day we are able to trace the branches of a family tree back to the 16th century witch trials.

"It shows researching your family's past can have just as many twists and turns as a film blockbuster.

"As we researched Emma's family, we learned that her great great great grandmother was named Frances Playle - a very uncommon surname.

"The Playles have been in a small area of Essex since the early 1500s."

Watson grew up in Oxfordshire, roughly 100 miles from the area.

The actress, who achieved straight A grades at A level in English literature, geography and art at Headington School in Oxford, is reportedly set to attend Ivy League Brown University, in Rhode Island, USA, in September.

Very cool story

Oh, they are all so young in the first picture. Just babies!

What a fascinating connection.