Maiden name used in Census after husband's death

[Binkie]

I've now come across two entries for separate families where the mother of the family has reverted to her maiden name for inclusion in the census return although all the children correctly bear their father'r surname as their parents were married.

I haven't found this in any other county & wonder if anyone knows the reason for this.

Binkie

[Daffodilly]

I have one the same in Forfar in the 1861 census.  I am assuming the father is dead by then although I haven't found his death as he was in the army.  He is "deceased" in 1864 on a son's marriage certificate, so I shall be interested in what others have to say.

Thanks for asking the question.
Daff

[Little Nell]

I haven't found an example of this in the census, but Scottish women were still known by their maiden names even after they married.  I have a number of wills where a father mentions his married daughters by name - their maiden name first and then their married name.  A will that I have of a widow also describes her as Mrs X or Y, where X is her maiden name and Y her married name.  What you are seeing is relatively normal rather than unusual. 

In Scotland, you will also find married women indexed in the death registers under both their maiden and married names.  This is a bonus if they chose to die somewhere unexpected in Scotland - if they have a common name, like one of mine did, I was able to opt for the correct certificate.

Nell

[Binkie]

Thanks Little Nell

I'm aware of how Scottish women were & are referred to in legal documents as I live in Scotland & my sister is a solicitor.

The point was the Census only.

I find that this was not the norm when recording a widow's name in the Census.

Having discussed it with researchers from different Scottish counties, can someone answer the original query please?

Binkie

[dkmcad]

Little Nell is right, there is nothing unusual in a widow reverting to her maiden name. 

As far as the census' are concerned, it is not peculiar to any particular county and not unusual.   

Here's what ScotlandsPeople say about this:

"In census records, however, married women are usually recorded under their married name, although a widow might revert to her maiden name after the death of her husband."

Dorothy

[Boongie Pam]

Hi All,

I recently transcribed the Lochmaben 1841 census for Freecen and the wives are often listed under their maiden names and not their married names AND their husband's are in the house.  This happened in my family on this census.

Whether it is the enumerator or the families insisting I don't know - it isn't in all the families.  I can confirm it isn't any moral attitude by the enumerator as 2 of the couples are definitely married pre the date in the parish church.

Recently a friend of mine lost his grandmother and they were arranging fro the new grave inscription and they wrote a passage showing it to her widower.  It had her written under her married name.  He was shocked and horrified and made quite a fuss saying that she would roast him alive when he joined her!!!

So even today women (and their husbands) will refer to themselves officially by their maiden name.  In Scotland the main place you see this is on gravestones and long may it continue.

Hope this helps,
Pam

[Binkie]

The entries I have come across relate only to Lanarkshire, specifically the Barony & Bothwell Districts in 1841 & 1851 which made me wonder in the variance.

The Steel/McCallums & Hutton/Chambers or Chalmers were probably carnaptious so thank God for the rest of the family from Angus to Yorkshire who have made tracing them a joy.

Thanks for the replies,

Binkie

[Forfarian]

I've now come across two entries for separate families where the mother of the family has reverted to her maiden name for inclusion in the census return although all the children correctly bear their father'r surname as their parents were married.
I haven't found this in any other county & wonder if anyone knows the reason for this.

It's quite normal, happens all the time, especially in the earlier censuses. Sometimes you even get the wife under her own name when the husband is still alive. I certainly wouldn't regard it as in any way unusual.

[runner]

Hi there

Using her maiden name is still common in my village and when referring to a particular worthy folk often say 'she's ................by her ain name!'

I think this happened when a village community was particularly closed off from contact with outsiders. Kilbarchan in Renfrewshire was a weaving village and the skills of the craft were kept within the families. People married the boy/girl next door rather from outside the village so there were lots of family lines which were intermingled. The easiest way to keep them sorted out was to use the maiden name.
Sometimes it was the physical isolation of a community having a similar effect
All perfectly normal here in Scotland.

Russell