Surname Change-Maxwell to Black Riddle

Post by **Scully** » 28 Jan 2011 22:50

Hi Everyone,

I'm hoping someone can shed some light on a reason for a surname change.
My gt gt gt grandad Francis Black (married to Dorothea Burns) was originally called Francis Black Maxwell. His mother was Catherine Black & father was Francis Maxwell. As far as I know Francis' parents never married & on Scotland's People Francis is described as Illegitimate. Francis & Dorothea's children's surname is Maxwell up to having Robert Black Maxwell in 1882. In 1885 they have a son Archibald who is given the name Maxwell Black. The rest of the family then use the surname Black after that.
Does anyone know of a reason for the change (good or bad)
I've only recently discovered this & I'm very intrigued now.

Thank you for your time with this.

Tracey.

Post by **dickiesam** » 28 Jan 2011 23:41

Hi,
Name changes are not that uncommon and can be for all sorts of reasons, some legal, some not!

Found Colin Burns Maxwell's birth in 1875 and Francis Maxwell's in 1878 but haven't been able to find a Maxwell or Black family yet in 1881.

Found Robert Black Maxwell's birth in 1882 and then Archibald's registration as Maxwell Black in 1885.

A possible explanation is that when Archibald's birth was registered someone, perhaps the registrar, made a mistake and got the names the wrong way round. When the family got the birth certificate they were loth to go through the 'legal hoops' to get it changed for some reason. Although I doubt it.

It was probably 'convenient' to change the family name between 1882 and 1885 and the reason will remain a mystery.

Dickiesam

Post by **Scully** » 28 Jan 2011 23:58

Hi,

Thanks for your interest.
The family were living at 52 Potter Street Everton in 1881 under the surname Black.

Tracey.

Post by **MaryA** » 29 Jan 2011 08:26

Just bobbing in to say that I didn't come across anything in the newspapers doing a search on both Francis Black and Maxwell.

Post by **dickiesam** » 29 Jan 2011 12:35

Hi Tracey,
Thanks for the 1881 census prompt.

Given that in 1878 their son Francis was registered as a Maxwell, then in 1882 Robert is also a Maxwell, but in the 1881 census the family are shown as Black gave me the idea of a simple explanation for the name change.

The father Francis was illegitimate with no apparent eventual marriage between his parents. Simply put, he probably did not know which 'legal' surname to use, that of his mother or his father.

Not knowing if you were Maxwell Black or Black Maxwell, the latter being the conventional sequence for married parents, would be confusing. What was the sequence on his birth cert? If his parents never married his surname should have remained Black. However, if the parents lived together and were in the Scotland 1851 census as Maxwell, his name would probably be shown as Maxwell by default.

Later, he may have found out his parents were unmarried and his 'legal' name was not Maxwell but Black. He might have decided he didn't 'like' his father so dropped the Maxwell. Unless one had substantial property there would be no reason to go through the legal [and very expensive] hoops to change one's surname. You became that by which you were known by!

Dickiesam