SAUNDERS, Norfolk/Suffolk, All dates

[heywood]

Hi
I have Saunders who interchanged with Alexander in Bacton, Suffolk e.g. my ancestor Osborne was both Saunders and Alexander at different times as were other members of the family. Then they seemed to become Alexander.
Good luck
Heywood

[gailkent]

Hi:
I have a lot of SANDERS, from mostly the London area.
Is this a connection or with a different spelling maybe not.
Thanks,
Gail

[Brian]

I have Saunders who interchanged with Alexander in Bacton, Suffolk

Have you seen the new novel "Lydia" based on a Saunders family in that area?  It gives a really good flavour of ordinary life at the time.
Brian

[heywood]

Brian
Re Lydia - I haven't seen it but had heard about it when it was in the pipeline some time ago and have now looked it up on the internet. I will now send for it.
I'm sure that the author's wife had Alexander ancestry because we spoke several years ago when I first began my interest in genealogy (oh what a journey!!) As I said in my previous posts the Saunders/Alexanders becaem wholly Alexanders by mid 1800s, I'm fairly sure.
I have wondered why there was the interchange- do you have any knowledge? I know that the first name Alexander is shortened to Sandy in Scotland but why this in Suffolk?
Just another mystery to add to the pile of unsolved!
Thanks for letting me know about Lydia.
Yours
Heywood

[gailkent]

Thank you for the heads up on the book, is it out on the shelves or where does one find it.
Thanks
Gail

[heywood]

http://www.stowmarket-history.co.uk/books_about_cotton.htm

Here is the information

[gailkent]

Thank you Heywood, are your Sanders/Saunders from the London area too???  or just Suffolk/Norfolk
Thanks,
Gail

[heywood]

My own line was Suffolk to mid 1830s and then Lancashire- sorry. Lots did move out about then so some possibly to London. They were Bacton, Wyverstone.

[Brian]

I have wondered why there was the interchange- do you have any knowledge? I know that the first name Alexander is shortened to Sandy in Scotland but why this in Suffolk?
Just another mystery to add to the pile of unsolved!

It seems to happen more in some parts of the country than in others.  I have come across the same family being Sanders/Saunders/Alexander or Saunderson in a few parishes although I had always assumed it was a cross between a local accent and an accident of spelling (after all some people are still not very good at it now we have standardized spellings!).  It can make life difficult if the Saunders in one parish were prolific.  Generally I take down all incidents from each parish of the possible spellings to see if any equate to the same people.  You can see how it happens when a family removes to another area or even county where there is a difference in dialect.  I hope you enjoy reading Lydia as much as I did.
Brian