Anyone ever seen this before?

[emanday]

I've just uploaded an image of an MC for James Docherty Stewart.

http://talkingscot.com/gallery/displayi ... ?pos=-1197

As it turned out, he wasn't my chap, but the note he has added about the use of his mother's surname, rather than his father's is interesting.

I just wondered if anyone had seen similar notations?

Added later: It's not a great image, but it actually says, "I have borne my mother's maiden surname for the past 14 years until now"

Gallery url added by Marilyn

[donna petrie]

I found a BC of a previously unknown half brother to my grandpa. On the BC there is a big long script in which the writer states " the mother is adamant that her husband is not this child's father" and goes on about when she last saw the husband etc. The child was registered with both his mother's MS and her husband's surname. It actually solved a riddle as to what became of her husband; I was able to track him to Newcastle living with another woman. Family.. ya gotta love 'um!! Donna

[SarahND]

Hi Mary,
I can't read what it says about the mother's surname as it is too small... When I blow it up it becomes unreadable. What does he say?
Regards,
Sarah

[emanday]

I've added the text to my original post. Although it is difficult to read in SP, I don't know why it is so much worse here.

[Ina]

Donna,

I have a birth record similar to yours. It states that the husband is not the father etc. and the child is named with both the mother's maiden name and the husband's name. This girl used the husbands name on her marriage record and also on her death record. I wonder if she ever knew she was illigitimate??

Would be interesting if one of her descendants decided to do a DNA test, only to find out that great great granny was illigitimate .

Ina

[donna petrie]

Hi Ina: I haven't checked Scottish law about this but in Canada the husband of a married woman is considered the legal father of her children even if they are not his; in fact there was a recent court case here regarding support. So in a sense they are not illegitimate. She must have really hated her husband . I don't blame her because he took off and left her with seven children. I wonder if she lived with this other man or what? I do know that my grandfather had never mentioned this half brother although they had lived in the same house until grandpa married. Maybe something happened to him. Donna

[Ina]

Hi Donna,

I believe the same law applies in Scotland (someone will correct me if I'm wrong). My gg granda died at the Little Sisters of the Poor house, his wife signed his death record, which leads me to believe they never divorced......just separated.

Ina

[DavidWW]

Hi Ina: I haven't checked Scottish law about this but in Canada the husband of a married woman is considered the legal father of her children even if they are not his; in fact there was a recent court case here regarding support. So in a sense they are not illegitimate. She must have really hated her husband . I don't blame her because he took off and left her with seven children. I wonder if she lived with this other man or what? I do know that my grandfather had never mentioned this half brother although they had lived in the same house until grandpa married. Maybe something happened to him. Donna

You've hit the nail on the head!!, in the sense that the presumption in Scots Law has always been that, unless otherwise stated, the husband was the father of the child of the marriage, i.e. there could very well be many situations, where the "real" father was other than the spouse of the woman concerned.

David

[joette]

The witnesses are both Stewart too Catherine & Suzanne-wonder if they are siblings to the groom?
Maybe he wanted to carry on his Mother's surname rather than the Father's.He may have been his biological Father but the boy just didn't want to bear his name.
I would be suspecting some notoriety connected to the name though or some family bitterness where he didn't want to carry on the name.
A wee trawl through the Archives for the local paper might show some leads if there is some scandal.

[emanday]

Oh Joette,

All sorts of such thoughts have crossed my mind as well.

Even though he's not one of mine, the temptation to look for more information is only being resisted by the screams of my credit card

Note to self - DOWN GIRL!!!