Author Topic: Maiden Name & Married Name  (Read 18965 times)

Offline baltibluebird

  • RootsChat Veteran
  • *****
  • Posts: 722
  • Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
    • View Profile
Maiden Name & Married Name
« on: Wednesday 05 May 10 11:34 BST (UK) »
Hi

Can someone please clarify something for me?

When a woman married in Scotland, did she always retain her m.s. name? By the way, what does the m.s. mean please?

The reason I ask is that on numerous censuses I have found wives recorded with either their married name or m.s. name which confuses me somewhat; eg 1841 might be married surname yet 1851 might be m.s. name.

Hope I have got across what I am trying to say!

Thanks in anticipation ...

Offline carol8353

  • RootsChat Marquessate
  • *******
  • Posts: 17,587
  • Me,mum and dad and both gran's c 1955
    • View Profile
Re: Maiden Name & Married Name
« Reply #1 on: Wednesday 05 May 10 12:11 BST (UK) »
MS stands for Maiden Surname.

 ;D

Carol
Census information is Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Offline Joyful

  • RootsChat Aristocrat
  • ******
  • Posts: 1,626
  • My beautiful Mum & Uncle Neil
    • View Profile
Re: Maiden Name & Married Name
« Reply #2 on: Wednesday 05 May 10 12:29 BST (UK) »
Hi

In Scotland to the present day women are enitiled to retain their maiden surname

when they marry. In earlier times you sometimes find their death certificates in their

maiden names and saying that they were married to whomever. I have some like that.

Hope this helps

Joy :)
Anderson R&C & Orkney, Jack, Patience, Hood R&C, McVicar Argll & Glasgow, Gourlay Glasgow, Docherty Glasgow, McNicol Argyll, Leask Orkney, Cumming Okney,
Tait Orkney, Brown Orkney, Sinclair Orkney, Craigie Orkney, Foulis Orkney, Beard Gloucester & Bundarra NSW, Pamplin Cambridge & NSW, Ashman Cambridge, McCarthy Ireland & Glen Innes NSW, Raleigh Ireland, Connelly Ireland, Waldron Ireland.
UK Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Offline ScottishAncestry

  • RootsChat Veteran
  • *****
  • Posts: 511
    • View Profile
Re: Maiden Name & Married Name
« Reply #3 on: Wednesday 05 May 10 12:32 BST (UK) »
Hello,

Yes, this can be a little confusing but also helpful when you understand what’s going on.

In Scotland a married woman can legally be known by both her maiden name and her husband’s name. In fact on gravestones it is usually a woman’s maiden name that will appear and it will say something like “wife of John Smith”. This still happens to this day.

In the census it is a little more haphazard, usually she will be listed with her married name but it is not unusual to see a maiden name. The 1841 census can therefore be confusing as there are no relationships listed but then again in most families it is quite obvious.

In our own census indexing project [http://www.maxwellancestry.com/census/default.htm] we have indexed these women under both married and maiden name (when it is obvious) to save confusion. We have added an alternative surname column too.

So if you do come across the maiden name in the census it will make it much easier to find a marriage.

Another thing to remember is that if the woman is a widow the chances of her being listed under her maiden name increases dramatically and if you don’t know what to look for these widows can be hard to find. I usually look for her children in the hope she is living with one of them.

Emma


Offline Skoosh

  • RootsChat Marquessate
  • *******
  • Posts: 5,736
  • Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
    • View Profile
Re: Maiden Name & Married Name
« Reply #4 on: Wednesday 05 May 10 13:08 BST (UK) »
Women in Scotland kept their own names on marriage, changing became fashionable, like the "not guilty verdict", post the Union, to be upsides with the English....Skoosh.

Offline Archivos

  • RootsChat Veteran
  • *****
  • Posts: 605
  • Work is the curse of the drinking classes
    • View Profile
Re: Maiden Name & Married Name
« Reply #5 on: Wednesday 05 May 10 14:37 BST (UK) »
I'm known by both maiden and married name, depending on who I'm dealing with, including my bank using both!  Women in Scotland tended to be known by their maiden names as people in their own right.  I'm not sure how much this had to do with their legal standing under Scottish Law as women have been able to inherit property and land for centuries.  Perhaps this was to help distinguish that where a woman was married the property was hers? 

Anyhoo, it's a very useful thing when you're looking back!

Offline Skoosh

  • RootsChat Marquessate
  • *******
  • Posts: 5,736
  • Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
    • View Profile
Re: Maiden Name & Married Name
« Reply #6 on: Wednesday 05 May 10 14:48 BST (UK) »
Archivos,  a buddy of mine married a girl from a Lanarkshire town and moved out there from Glasgow, twentyfive years on he's still known as Jeannie Broon's man!(name changed  to protect the innocent)
Skoosh.

Offline baltibluebird

  • RootsChat Veteran
  • *****
  • Posts: 722
  • Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
    • View Profile
Re: Maiden Name & Married Name
« Reply #7 on: Wednesday 05 May 10 16:01 BST (UK) »
Many thanks to you all for your most helpful replies.

Offline liverbird09

  • RootsChat Veteran
  • *****
  • Posts: 511
  • socken
    • View Profile
Re: Maiden Name & Married Name
« Reply #8 on: Wednesday 05 May 10 16:09 BST (UK) »
This post has helped me also...thank you.  :)
I have just found 3 generations living together in Cadder...the 3xgt grandmother confused me as she is listed under her maiden name, she was a widow.