girls using wrong paternal surname at marriage

[chafox]

hi everyone,
 
I've come across something weird done in my traveller ancestry a couple of times now.
I'll give you an example.

In 1876 at her marriage to Charles Whitehouse, Elizabeth Clayton, daughter of  tinker Major Clayton of Pelsall, called herself Elizabeth Holland, and him Major Holland.

I have the family n the censuses, living right next door to Charles and his wife, and I know I'm right.

So why do this?

And another example: At the marriage of Christina, daughter of Isaiah Whitehouse, Charles' brother, she is using the name Stackhouse, not Whitehouse.

Although this last one could mean that she was just born out of wedlock what on earth was the first example about?

Has anyone else come across smilar instances of flexibility in surnames  and maiden names like this in their gypsy and tinker ancestry?


Puzzled look!   

Terry

[An65]

oh yes, often. Aliases werent uncommon. Often its a case of using whichever parents surname suits at the time (sometimes to avoid the law of the land). Wives surnames instead of hubbys, even grandparents surnames sometimes.

Ambrose Smith spent his latter years as Ambrose Reynolds - Reynolds being the first name of his wifes father!

[casalguidi]

Yes, me too.  I found a 19c newspaper report that lists about four aliases for the same woman, other families who used one name in the census but another for birth registrations and so on - the aliases usually being a clue to their origins somewhere along the line.

Casalguidi

[behindthefrogs]

I think you will find even today many travellers have more than one surname which they use at their convenience.

David

[kerryb]

I have a family that I am yet to find the marriage of the parents.  The baptisms of the girls in particular show father a, and it is usually a different father for each girl (for those I have managed to find that is!) and then when it comes to marriage certificates of their own they show father b and again each girl has a different father!!!!

Very confusing and puzzling.  The odd thing is the name they tend to use on their marriage certificates is Lovekin.  The next generation down change this to Luffkin.

Kerry