Two surnames for wife

[DianneReuby]

While merging some new data from a relative with info I already had, I saw that for one spouse he showed the name Purkis for a maiden name, while I had Whybro, although the given name was identical. Checking the index for the marriage, which was in 1953 at Southend, I found that it shows "Purkis or Whybro" for the surname.

There were several in the same index page that were similar - but why? Surely the registrant would ask to see evidence of the legal surname?

[..claire..]

Hi

I had this with someone in my tree, and they had been married before, one was her maiden name, the other her married name.

claire

[Galium]

If the woman has been married previously, the index may show both her surname and her previous married name.

As you can't tell from the index which is the maiden name, you should look for a previous marriage of, eg Mary Whybro marrying a Purkis, or Mary Purkis marrying a Whybro.

[ScouseBoy]

Could have been widowed in her first marriage.

[aghadowey]

FreeBMD has a marriage for Leonard H. Purkis Apr./June 1931 (Hackney, volume 1 b, page 974) to Lucy B. Whybro.

[Galium]

In the case you are asking about, the woman's first marriage ended in divorce.  

Search:

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/search.asp

using 'Purkis' in the 'Word or Phrase' box and J77 in the 'Department or Series Code' box.

[DianneReuby]

Thanks for all that - if this is the same one, looks like a divorce in the family. My husband's family, of course, not mine.  They really were a bunch of rascals. I'd forgotten how (relatively) recent this marriage was, and hadn't thought about divorce.

Thanks all!

[Fleurdedieu]

Hi, only just noticed the rootschat site.  I can answer the "two surnames for wife" re Leonard Horace Purkis.  He married firstly Lucy Whybro, but a divorce occurred back in the 1930s, then he remarried in 1944 to Doreen Trundle.   Do you have any other information about Leonard as he is part of my family.  Lucy Purkis (nee Whybro) married again in 1953 to Walter Golesworthy.
Kind regards
Barbara

[DianneReuby]

Sorry - Walter Golesworthy is my husband's relative, so I have no info on Leonard. Thanks for clearing the confusion over Lucy for me.