« Reply #5 on: Monday 08 March 10 22:33 GMT (UK) »
It does happen. One of my grandmother's cousins was illegitimate and apparently when the birth was registered in 1903 while her first name was correct, she used her mother's maiden name as her maiden name and gave the father her actual surname and what is assumed was a fabricated first name. I suspect this was to cover the tracks of him being illegitimate. He was also born at the house of her Uncle rather than at her parent's house. He was brought up by his grandparents as being one of their children and apparently not told he was illegitimate until the day before he got married. Thankfully his wife's family didn't call of the marriage but I think it may have caused bad blood since little contact seems to have occured between them and the rest of the family. This was in the London area rather than Ireland but I would imagine the reasons for it were the same.
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