Inconsistent literacy

[Gillg]

In earlier marriage records for my family the same witness names cropped up frequently.  Turns out these people were the parish clerks.

[Geoff-E]

Our son in law and his best man had to print their names next to their "signatures" after the latter were deemed inadequate.  That was in 2008.

[Guy Etchells]

Our son in law and his best man had to print their names next to their "signatures" after the latter were deemed inadequate.  That was in 2008.

Yes the guidance states
"4.26 If one or more of the signatures (including the officiating officer) are illegible, please ensure that you print the names that they relate to, in pencil, in the margin of the entry. This will help when you come to prepare the quarterly return and produce a certificate from the entry."

Cheers
Guy

[Melbell]

I have personal experience of people signing in 'unorthodox' ways in the last couple of decades, e.g. a young, obviously literate and sensible man signing just his first name (no surname); a middle-aged woman signing "Mrs Smith".  These, and indecipherable squiggles, are all OK as long as they are deemed to be the person's usual signature.

Melbell

[CarolA3]

I knew someone whose usual signature was 'Mike'.  He was often told that wasn't acceptable without his surname (which he heartily disliked and rarely mentioned), so he would produce his driving licence and point out that the UK government found 'Mike' perfectly acceptable as a signature.

Last I heard, he was considering changing his name by deed poll to 'Mike Usualsignature' just to stop the hassle.

Carol

[Guy Etchells]

I knew someone whose usual signature was 'Mike'.  He was often told that wasn't acceptable without his surname (which he heartily disliked and rarely mentioned), so he would produce his driving licence and point out that the UK government found 'Mike' perfectly acceptable as a signature.

Last I heard, he was considering changing his name by deed poll to 'Mike Usualsignature' just to stop the hassle.

Carol

If he was in the UK all he needed to do was call himself Mike. There is no requirement to have a surname in the UK and the only way to change ones's name is to use the new name.

Cheers
Guy

[CarolA3]

Quite right Guy, you and I and Mike are all aware of that.  However some of the people we all have to deal with in everyday life are less enlightened and will argue with anything except an official document  

Yes, this was in the UK.

Carol

[mijath]

So many of you have set my mind at rest. It was niggling me because I've never seen an example of it anywhere else in my family history, people either sign with marks all their lives or signatures all their lives.

I've enjoyed the stories and suggested reasons. I suppose eyesight could also have been a reason for people who could sign changing to marks.

[andrewalston]

I seem to remember a chap in a high power job (Bank of England iirc) who commonly used an X as his signature on official documents, because he had so many of them to deal with.

Perfectly legal, and he would put right anybody who claimed otherwise.