Change of name

[nab1970]

Hi,

My grandad's birth certificate (in 1899) doesn't have a fathers name so he took his mother's surname (Hilliard). However by the time he married 20 odd years later he had the surname of the man who married his mother (Hazlehurst).

My question is will there be a documen tthat shows this change from one surname to another and if so where could I find it?
Thanks. 

[Girl Guide]

Unless he chose to change his name by deed poll, then I wouldn't consider it likely that there would be any official record of his new surname.

I'm not sure when deed polls came into existence so there may be nothing official at all regarding any change of surname.

[Girl Guide]

There is an article from the Nat. Arch. regarding name changes:-

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/changes-of-name/

[iluleah]

It has always been perfectly legal for people to use another name ( and still is) without offical or legal paperwork as long as they are not doing it to commit a crime.
 
There were many children born outside of marriage and until the last few decades, this was seen as shameful to the mother, child and their extended family so many took the surname of their step father or simply made a father up when they eventually married that way the 'family shame' in society stopped as they moved on with their life........ thankfully times have changed and we as a society don't blame /shame people now
So you wont find a document of a name change, you just need to research each and every record during their life time so you can cross reference them all and come to your own educated conclusion about their life.

[nab1970]

Many thanks for the prompt responses.
I guess from the information you have supplied that I won't find anything official to confirm the name change. It's frustrating that the family history on the fathers line can't be traced with any certainty.

Thanks again.

[hallmark]

Even if he did it by Deed poll instead of common-usage it would only record the change from mother's name to  Hazlehurst.


If Hazlehurst wasn't the father then you wouldn't get any info on father anyway so it makes no difference.

[Girl Guide]

Yes, I'm afraid trying to find fathers of illegitimate children is a thankless task.  You may possibly get a clue from names given to the child.  Particularly if one looks more like a surname than a christian name.

Sometimes it is worth looking around the areas in which the mother worked or lived.  Regrettably most of the time it is a hopeless task.

I would imagine that it would be very rare to find any written evidence of the name of the child's father.

[iluleah]

Maybe you should search and see if you can find Petty Sessions for a maintenance order against the father, also newspapers can be a food source
Check the PR record to see if the vicar knew who he was and some did write some very unsavoury comments next to a childs baptism (but you need the real record not an online transcrption) and if the parish day book is still in existance they are always worth reading

[cuffie81]

A few more suggestions of documents that might show name changes:

1) 1939 Register
As the register was continually updated, name changes may be recorded. This was common for women (when they married) but sometimes also happened for men. I've come across examples of this where there seemed to be doubt about a man's father, and the man changed their surname later in life (after the register was recorded).

2) Death certificates
If someone changed surnames but was still known by both names sometimes both names are recorded on death certificates, and also on the index.

3) Wills and probates
If someone changed surnames but was still known by both names it's sometimes recorded on their will, and if so, it may be recorded on probate indexes under both names.


And a couple of suggestions for finding illegitimate fathers:

1) Baptism records
Occasionally baptism records name fathers of illegitimate children, even if the father isn't named on the birth certificate.

2) Newspapers
Occasionally you can find newspaper items of fathers being ordered to pay maintenance charges for illegitimate children.


EDIT:
iluleah ninja'd me re. finding illegitimate fathers.