We seem to have come a long way from JustinL's original query which was only to decipher the middle name of Reginald PRENDERGAST
I wonder whether he wants to explore things further?
The very first reply, from Sylviaann, proposed
Vereker; I read it that way also.
But then CharlotteCH, Gadget and Nick29 didn't agree with this so, being convinced it was
Vereker, I went Googling for combinations of the names Vereker and Prendergast - there were quite a few (some with Prendergast as a given name and surname VEREKER, and some with Vereker as a given name and PRENDERGAST as a surname). I posted a couple of these latter (first Colonel Evelyn David
Vereker PRENDERGAST, and then Arthur Frederick Claude
Vereker PRENDERGAST plus their connexion to General Sir Harry North Dalrymple PRENDERGAST VC of India and Burma fame).
JenB, it's absolutely great that you have finally found a record of Reginald with his middle name recorded in full - I guess any who might still have harboured doubts are now converted to Sylviaann's original interpretation
I didn't specifically mention earlier what seem to be the origins of the connexion between the Vereker and the Prendergast names so will do so now for completeness - it is rather convoluted and might be of interest.
It apparently goes back to the Irish peerage, specifically the Prendergast Baronets of Gort.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prendergast_BaronetsThe title died out at the death in 1760 of the second Baronet who was childless. The Prendergast estates passed to the Baronet's nephew (son of his sister) John SMYTH who assumed the name of PRENDERGAST.
John SMYTH/PRENDERGAST could not inherit his uncle's title but he was subsequently created Baron Kiltarton of Gort. Later he was created the 1st Viscount Gort.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viscount_GortAs it happened, John SMYTH/PRENDERGAST also died without sons to inherit his title. But he had somehow managed to secure a special remainder such that the title would pass to his nephew, Charles VEREKER, the son of John's sister Juliana SMYTH by her marriage to Thomas VEREKER.
As can be seen from the Wiki list of holders of the Irish peerage, Viscount Gort, quite a few of them were given Prendergast as one of their given names.
The title is now held by the ninth Viscount, Foley VEREKER.
Another twist to the tale is that the sixth Viscount, John Standish Surtees Prendergast VEREKER, was created Viscount Gort in the UK Peerage in 1946. But he too died without sons so he was the 1st and last Viscount Gort in the UK Peerage as there was no special remainder for it to pass to anyone else. The Irish peerage passed to his brother.
Phew!
Well, that's all very interesting (or I found it so) about certain connexions between the Prendergast and Vereker names.
One has to suspect that the use of Vereker as a given name with the surname PRENDERGAST might well have connexions to the stories of the Irish Peerage - but we can't know that so, if Justin is interested in delving further into the background of Reginald Vereker PRENDERGAST, there's plenty more digging to do! Especially his connexion (presumably there would be one) with Mabel and little Lancelot PRENDERGAST, both born Burma - fascinating find by Aniseed in the
1891 1901 where they were visitors at the school where Reginald V PRENDERGAST was boarding.
JAP
PS: A couple more snippets.
1. Our old friend Arthur Frederick Claude Vereker PRENDERGAST also appears with a Patent Application for design of improvements to a collapsible suitcase ...
2. There's a 1935 (as I recall) Divorce case involving Lancelot Claude PRENDERGAST.
3. And now a rather puzzling record. There's a medal card for Lieut L C PRENDERGAST (with names in full as Lancelot Claude added in a different hand)! I haven't found him elsewhere but I'm wondering whether (unless there has been some confusion) this might be the father of little Lancelot from the 1901 ...
Edited to correct a census date from 1891 to 1901