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Archiver > DEVON > 2010-04 > 1272366090


From: Fireybird <>
Subject: Re: [DEV] Surname as a middle name
Date: Tue, 27 Apr 2010 12:01:30 +0100
References: <mailman.677.1272351707.30009.devon@rootsweb.com> <90F9A11EAEE24479B35FC1CC4B2A350C@Paul><4BD6C0CE.9020402@quineyclan.force9.co.uk>
In-Reply-To: <4BD6C0CE.9020402@quineyclan.force9.co.uk>


The Quineys wrote:
> Morning
>
> I don't think it was restricted to Devon, or even the West Country in
> general. I have ancestors from the Midlands and Northern England who
> also have their mother's maiden name as a middle name (Alice Ogden CORK
> and Robert Clarkson DAVY) and sometimes even their first name (Overend
> DAVY, Cork GREENWOOD and Bottomley MOSLEY - can't think why this last
> sticks in my mind!)
>
> When considering those who appear to use their mother's maiden name as a
> middle name, are you sure they didn't use both as a double-barrelled
> surname? I have a family in the 1790s using both surnames from the
> bride and groom (Smith-Jesson) and continuing to use both, as their
> surname, right through to mid 1800s. If anything, they dropped the
> Jesson and just used Smith (which I why I concluded that their surname
> was double barrelled and Smith wasn't just a middle name - also, *all*
> the children had both surnames).

I've come across an example of a family who used a double surname as
their family name with all the children being so named. However,
because it wasn't hyphenated, I was very firmly told it was *not* a
double barrelled surname at all and the person concerned insisted on
recording it as the second part only. Hyphenating the two names
didn't come about until the early 20th century.

I've yet to figure out where the second name came from though. It
might just be that of a friend or mentor. Uzseful though, as Challice
said :))

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