Married woman buried with maiden name?

[Galium]

Does anyone know whether this is at all likely in Wales in the early 1800s?

I have an ancestor William Thomas b c1765.  He married Frances Williams at Llanfihangel Genau'r-glyn 6 February 1790, and they lived in Borth, where they baptised three  sons,  the last one being Evan, on 10 March 1805.  I'm fairly confident that I have the right couple, since their descendents usually take the earliest opportunity to name a daughter Frances.

I think that William possibly married for a second time to a Mary Evans in November of 1807 - at least, this William Thomas is a widower.

I can't see a burial of a likely  Frances Thomas anywhere in the area either before or after 1807 (there is one at Llanfihangel G-g in 1820, but she is a 3 year old). However there is a Frances Williams of Borth buried at Llanfihangel G-g on 19 March 1805.  Could this be Mrs Frances Thomas?

[PurdeyB]

It's common for a woman's maiden name to be cited in the baptism register even where a couple are long married. Frances (if it is her) died within a few days of Evan's baptism. Was she named in the baptism register? Just a thought with nothing to back it up, but if she was buried soon after the baptism it might have been a case of the wrong name being recorded. Mistakes like that do happen - I was thrown off track for ages because my GG grandfather's father was named as John on GGG's marriage certificate when his name was George!

Might also be worth tracking down gravestones if they are intact or on record anywhere. Another GG grandfather married twice. His first wife died shortly after childbirth. Many years later he was buried with her, and his second wife (my ancestor) was buried separately.

[Gadget]

Evan's baptism does give Frances's  surname as Thomas.

[Gadget]

I've just been looking at the burial entry for Frances.  It does look likely. I wonder if it was just and error. Also, I've seen the odd entry in patronymic form for married women ( e.g xyz vch abc).

Gadget

[Zaphod99]

I've got a Scottish ancestor buried under her maiden name, and it was spelled incorrectly on the slab  too.

Zaph

[Galium]

Thank you, both.  So more likely a mistake than routine?  I wondered if perhaps the priest, having known her from a child had continued to think of her as Frances Williams.

(It doesn't help that the man I think is her father doesn't mention Frances' children in his will.)

--Gadget, I am reminded that it was a link you posted for someone else which now makes it impossible for me to read 'Llanfihangel Genau'r-glyn' with hearing it being sung  .

--Zaphod - I think it was more usual for Scottish women to go on being known by their maiden names after marriage, but hadn't come across it in Wales before.

[KGarrad]

Happens a lot on the Isle of Man.
But usually entered as Smith als Jones, where als - is short for alias.

[Gadget]

It happens very rarely in Wales, apart from, as I said, in the patronymic form. In Scotland in was fairly common. However, Galium is concerned with Welsh records.

In the early 1800s when patronymics were becoming less common, this could have taken the intermediate form of first name, father's name - eg. Frances vch William, might become Frances William(s).  I have come across it with a few of my ancestors in Merionethshire.

Galium - what was Frances's father's name? 

Alternatively, given that her husband was a William, the clerk who entered the burial details might have been told it was Frances, William's wife, and wrote it as we see in the record.

It's difficult to know.  There doesn't seem to be a burial record  in that area and  around that time for a Frances Thomas

Gadget

[Gadget]

I've just found one of my favourite pieces on Welsh  patronymics:

http://www.clwydfhs.org.uk/helachau/patronymics.htm

This paragraph from the piece is relevant to what  I was suggesting in my previous post.

The ladies, who have been more or less ignored up to now, come into their own to illustrate one more aspect of the patronymic system that may not have occurred to you. What is the wife to be called after marriage? Yes, of course, she keeps her maiden name. She does not cease to be the daughter of her father by getting married and no other arrangement of names makes sense. Therefore, when you come across a baptismal entry such as John son of William Jones and Mary Edwards it does not necessarily mean that John was illegitimate. If he was, it will generally say so. Very often the entry will be John son of William Jones and Mary Edwards his wife, which can cause confusion for those not up on their patronymics.

Gadget