Why did John change his surname?

[Forfarian]

John Stor(r)e/i(y) was born in the parish of Whitburn in West Lothian on 19 November 1827. His parents were John Stor(r)e/i(y) and Mary Walker, and his grandparents were John Stor(r)e/i(y), Janet Thomson, Alexander Walker and Elizabeth Barrie.

On 15 March 1847 he married Janet Murray, daughter of William Murray and Janet Turner. They had seven known children including William who was born 1849 and died 4 July 1891.

Yet when John had died on 21 September 1906 in the parish of Forgan in Fife, his name had been given as "John Storry Stewart, formerly John Storry", and the informant was William Stewart, son. There's no doubt John is the correct person because he is described as 'Married to Janet Murray' and the age fits.

Janet Murray or Stor(r)e/i(y) died in Glasgow on 17 March 1909, and her death certificate makes no mention at all of the surname Stewart.

So in the absence of any obvious connection to anyone named Stewart, does anyone have any ideas why he might suddenly have acquired a new surname, and why his widow had not also acquired the same surname?

[Eleesavet]

On the premise you would want your child to be known by the true family name, and his son is William Stewart, I feel John's father must have been a Stewart.

If so, you then wonder where the Stewart came into effect.  Did his mother have him to another man but John was given the name of her husband, Stor(r)e/i(y).  Or perhaps her husband or her husband's father was really a Stewart, but this wasn't known and/or acted on until much later.

It would be interesting to find out what his son William's siblings are called.

[sancti]

Who was it that died July 1891?

Who was the informant for John?

[Seoras]

Have you found him on any census Forfarian,to get some idea of when this name change occurred.

[Forfarian]

Who was it that died July 1891?

His son William, born 1849 died 1891.

Who was the informant for John?

William Stewart, son.

[Forfarian]

Have you found him on any census Forfarian,to get some idea of when this name change occurred.

No. I have his wife and two of his sons in the 1881 census, but have so far failed to find John himself in the 1851 or 1881. I have not had an chance to look in any other census. I would have expected him to be in either Whitburn or West Calder in 1851, then West Calder from then on.

[sancti]

On the death record for William was John recorded as John Storrie (sp) or John Stewart

Who was the informant?

[Forfarian]

On the death record for William was John recorded as John Storrie (sp) or John Stewart

As I said in my initial post, he was recorded as "John Storry Stewart, formerly John Storry"

Who was the informant?

As I said above, it was "William Stewart, son".

It cannot be his son William Storry, born 1849, because that William died in 1891, 15 years before his father John's death in 1906.

[sancti]

I was meaning the death record in 1891

What are the names on it?