Alias on an English marriage record

Linda Dungy Ray

Under what circumstances would a spinster bride in 1794 England have her name showing as "(name) alias (other name)? Please and thanks in advance. 

George Baynes

I have always presumed that the person in question was illegitinate, base born or a natural child.

Linda Dungy Ray

Thank you.

Phillip Dunn - Sr Brit. Res. Specialist F.S. ret.

Hi, Linda,

Indeed, in many cases Illegitimacy had much to do with a person bearing an alias surname.

 

Here's an outstanding wiki article (link) on the variety of other reasons (but including "illegitimacy") as to just why there could have been an ancestor with an alias:

https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Use_of_Aliases_-_an_Overview

 

Or here it is--[cited below] for your convenience/consideration--reasons for aliases:

"1. Retention of patronymics. During the 16th century, many men were reluctant to abandon ancestral names, and consequently retained the forenames of their fathers or grandfathers as surnames. For example, William HARRY of Luxulyan, Cornwall, in 1547, was described (in a legal document) as William HARRY alias WATT - Watt being his grandfather's forename. These practices were not limited to "the gentry" who, because of land interests, made limited use of patronymics. According to John Chynoweth's book, "Tudor Cornwall", in the 1569 Muster Lists for St. Ives, 41% of the able-bodied men thus mustered had the forenames of their fathers as surnames.

2. Retention of topographical reference points - especially in relation to a manor or place name from which some families derived their surnames. A case in point is that of John RICHARDS of Bosavarne (1547), who had a son Thomas BOSAVARNE (1570), who had a son Martin THOMAS alias BOSAVARNE(1620).

In the 16th century, it was not unusual for a farmer to be born and grow up on a particular farm, and be identified by that name; i.e., John Thomas Penhall, son of Thomas Penhall. He would then marry, and either buy or rent another farm, and become John Thomas Trehair; lastly, as a prosperous farmer, he moved to a much bigger farm, and became John Thomas Stackhouse, of Stackhouse.

3. Commemoration by descendants of a marriage to a heiress, or to a member of a "socially superior" family.

4. Illegitimacy. For example, John Reskymer had an illegitimate son with Margaret Gerber named John Reskymer alias Gerber. In later generations the son may well have been baptized as John Reskymer Gerber which, as with the use of an alias, served the purpose of publicly proclaiming his parental origins.

5. Rights of inheritance, and other economic reasons.

In the days of copyhold land (passing of leased land to next generation), a persons' entitlement to land was only recorded in the manor court rolls. Deeds as they are known today, did not exist. The only "proof" one had that one owned particular land was in the "copy" rolls held by the manorial clerk. If a woman was widowed, and later remarried, the children of her first marriage often took the name of the step-father. But, to maintain their right to their inheritance, they would use the step-father's name as an alias. There were variations in this practice. In one well-documented case circa 1558, William Camborne married Elinor Wilton Paynter, a widow with seven children, and adopted the surname of her first husband, becoming William Camborne alias Paynter of Trelissick, St. Erth. Their descendants used both Camborne and Paynter, with the use of Paynter eventually completely overtaking the use of Camborne within three generations.

In some cases, persons legally changed their names to obtain an inheritance from a line in their family which was in danger of "dying out." For instance, a man would take the name of his maternal uncle to become his legal heir.

Of course, aliases might be used in cases of adoption, as well."

 

Paul W

I first queried this many years ago when I encountered an ancestor named "Solomon Hucks alias Reason". I was very surprised this format was also to be found in records relating to the family going back several generations, spreading well over a hundred years. In other cases, family members are shown as "Reason alias Hucks" and in others as plain "Reason", or "Hucks".

 

As mentioned, this probably relates to an inheritance factor - the importance of being seen to remain as part of the "other" family line - and this might or might not involve an illegitimacy factor. In some cases, a direct comparison can be made with the "double-barrelled" formatted names we find more commonly today.