Genealogy Chat

In the past Welsh women retained the use of their 'maiden name' throught their life regardless of marital status. Like the use of patronyms this custom did not die out in 1813 with the introduction of printed registers. If the mother's 'surname' appears in the baptism register it does not necessarily mean the child was illegitimate, but it is a bonus when searching for the parent's marriage. Women were also buried under their maiden name e.g. Ann John the wife of Rees Howell. In the 1871 census a widowed women was listed under surname Howells, this was her maiden name, not her married name , nor was it the surname of a 2nd husband!

I had forgotten that I knew this! Thankyou for the reminder. Welsh Law was considerably different from English/Norman French Law in the 11th and 12th centuries, and the Welsh maintained many of their inividual laws for centuries after this. They had a far more enlightened attitude to women and their rights than the English - I believe that a Welsh woman could divorce her husband because she didnt like him! She could also own property in her own right, regardless of marital status, and that property did not automatically go to her spouse on death, but to her children, legitimate or otherwise. They also, incidentally, retained the 'Blood Price' law long after the English abandoned it. This was an amount of money agreed by the relatives of a victim to 'put things right' and was calculated on what it was thought the victim's family had lost due to murder, disablement, rape etc.It also ensured that the perpetrator of the crime was not put to death. Olde Crone