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General => The Common Room => Topic started by: wiltshire21 on Saturday 01 June 19 21:41 BST (UK)
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I believe my great grandfather changed his name from John Stanley Woods to Robert John Stanley Burns sometime before his marriage in 1923. Can anyone tell me how easy it would have been to do this and any possible reasons why people change their name.
Thank you
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There are many reasons why someone may change their name. You can call yourself you like, as long as it is not for illegal purposes.
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Firstly- very easy. It may have been done by deedpoll officially, or he may simply have started using another name. I believe it is true to say that one can use another name in this country without official paperwork as long as it is done without intent to defraud.
As for the reason... There are various reasons, from trying to avoid being found for marrying bigamously, avoiding issues as a result of a criminal record, from being illegitimate and already having the use of more than one surname as a result, from a mother remarrying and having the use of more than one surname as a result, honouring someone else (such as a more affluent or influential relative who might give him an inheritance or suchlike if he currys favour), actually receiving an inheritance/business and carrying on the established family name of that business... The inclusion of Robert may be for any of the above, or potentially if there was more than one John Stanley in the family he may have been known as Robert to differentiate him from the others.
-Edit... forgot about adoption... Once traced a guy who kept changing surname or using double barrelled surnames... turned out the family was from the US, came over to visit UK relatives, son fell ill and they abandoned him in the UK! He was "adopted" by the relatives over here and kept using different variations for the rest of his life.
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For example, he may have been born John Woods but then his mother marred a Mr Burns and he was always known by that name - or adopted by a Burns family (no legal adoption process in those days - people's names just changed!)
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Robert may well have been one of his names,. I note his son's birth is registered as Stanley J R, but he's Robert J S on the 1939 register. Some families just love switching the order round!
Scrap that - noted I have the dob wrong. Stanley appears to have been another potential child born a few years later
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marriage
Lilian E Mitchell
Registration march 1/41923
Registration district Pancras Middlesex
Spouse - Robert Burns Or Wood
As he appears to have declared both surnames at marriage it doesn't seem as if he was trying to hide from any criminal intent.
Birth reg surname is Wood - no 's'
His birthday on the 1939 register as Burns matches his birth reg
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If you are researching the origins of Robert John Stanley Burns, and you are interested in using a forum, it would be useful to start with the information on the marriage certificate, 1923.
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Looks like he was discharged for lying about his age;
Name John Stanley Wood
Gender Male Birth Place Islington, Middlesex, England
Document Year 1915 Regimental Number 15489
Regiment Name Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex) Regiment Form Title Short Service Attestation
Put his birth as 22 Jan 1897
Mother Mary Jane Hills or Mills (hard to make out)
Matches his Bapt date of birth;
John Stanley Wood
Age 6
Baptism/Birth
22 Jan 1900
Baptism Date 20 Jan 1907 St Mary, Islington
Parents Joseph/Mary
Looks like he was a bit of a lad as lost his job on the Railway also.
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Mother Mary Jane Hills or Mills (hard to make out)
GRO has mmn MASLEN
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Thanks Mabel but I knew his Birth Reg had Mothers mn as Maslen.
It had Mills/Hills on the Military Record but I couldnt find a possible re-marriage for her as Mary Wood/s to a Hills/Mills.
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There are many reasons why someone may change their name. You can call yourself you like, as long as it is not for illegal purposes.
I seem to remember that one could put a notice in a newspaper stating that from henceforth Joe Bloggs wished to be known as Freddie Fly. I don't know whether this automatically cancelled all JB's debts, I rather doubt it.
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Incorrect assumption made.
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marriage
Lilian E Mitchell
Registration march 1/41923
Registration district Pancras Middlesex
Spouse - Robert Burns Or Wood
As he appears to have declared both surnames at marriage it doesn't seem as if he was trying to hide from any criminal intent.
Birth reg surname is Wood - no 's'
His birthday on the 1939 register as Burns matches his birth reg
Don't understand what you mean by "birth reg surname"??? He was born pre-1969 so his birth entry would not show a surname, only those of his parents. OK, presume what is meant is the name under which is he indexed. (I had thought on first reading that his parents had different surnames).
Melbell
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Thanks for your help. Further research on this site shows that John Stanley's mother Mary Maslen married a Charles Mills in 1888. they had no children and by 1900 she had two children with Joseph Wood. Joseph Thomas in 1895 and John Stanley 1900. It does appear that Joseph and Mary never actually married. Joseph Wood senior died in 1910 and then Mary seems to revert to her married name of Mills. Her and John Stanley appear in the Islington workhouse records and he is listed as John Mills. The older son Joseph keeps the Wood surname all his life and I have been able to trace records for him upto his death in 1951. Unfortunately I have not been able to find out why or when he started using the name Robert burns, but he called my grandad Robert John Stanley Burns when he was born in July 1923 and told him that it had been his father,s name and a family tradition ! Any help tracing John Stanley between 1915 upto his marriage in 1923 would be appreciated. Incidentally he is also told the family he worked as a chauffeur for the American Embassy in London during the 1930s. This may also have been a lie but I wonder if there is anyway of checking