Parents not married on 1838 birth certificate?

[BSmith2268]

Hi all,

I recently received the birth certificate of my x3-great grandmother, Mary Lloyd from 1838.
Her father is listed as 'Evan Lloyd' and her mother as 'Margaret David, formerly Jenkins.'

On both the 1841 and 1851 census, Mary is living is living with her mother, Margaret David, older brother Rees Lloyd and a mix of a few lodgers/ relatives, but no sign of her father.

Does this suggest that despite Mary's mother was still legally married to her first husband and therefore couldn't marry Mary's father?
Would this make Mary illegitimate and therefore quite odd for her father to appear on the birth certificate?

Thank you,
BSmith

[AntonyMMM]

The 1836 B&D Act which introduced civil registration didn't specify any rules around the recording of illegitimate children and their parentage.

Most registrars seem to have declined to include fathers born to unmarried women, but some did so you do sometimes find records such as this where an (apparently) unmarried couple are both named.

The way the mother's name is recorded shows that she was, or had been, a married woman. A widow still has a maiden name, which should be recorded, so the entry doesn't tell you anything about whether her husband was still alive or not.

The 1874 B&D Act introduced a requirement that an unmarried father had to be present at the registration to sign as a joint informant if he was to be named on the entry ( which still applies today).

[Milliepede]

'Margaret David, formerly Jenkins.'

Do you know who her husband was or what happened to him?  Does she claim to be married in 1851?

older brother Rees Lloyd

Where does he fit in - when was he born? 

[Milliepede]

Rees Lloyd born 20 Dec 1834 Tidixton

father Evan Lloyd  mother Margret David

Baptist church register says natural son of Evan Lloyd labourer and Margaret David - "his wife" has been crossed out and another word written above I can't read.

[Mabel Bagshawe]

Rees' baptism is on Ancestry

He's described as natural son of Evan Lloyd, labourer, parish of Pyle, by Margaret David. Born in storm, parish of Tidixton, near Bridgend on 20 December 1834

Red text: Snap!  The crossed out bit is Storm, written in the wrong bit of the form

[Milliepede]

Oh I never would have got that!  I was afraid it was going to be some unsavoury description of a non wife. 

[Mabel Bagshawe]

I thought the same until I saw the same word later on the entry. Her address in 1841 & 1851 is Stormy - presumably what's now known as Stormy Down

[Mabel Bagshawe]

Couple of possible marriages in the area

Margaret Jenkin     Spinster
David David

Marriage     10 May 1828    Margam, Glamorganshire, Wales
First Witness    Robert Thomas
Second Witness    Margt Joseph


Margaret Jenkins    Spinster  otp
Thomas David       Pyle and Kenfig

Marriage    6 Jun 1828    St Bride's Major, Glamorganshire, Wales
First Witness    Wiliam Jenkins
Second Witness    Thomas Thomas


Alternatively - possibly the surname got adapted a bit, or looking at the image it could be David, mistranscribed

Margaret Jenkin
John Davies

Marriage    10 May 1823    Tythegston,
First Witness    Thomas Rees
Second Witness    William Howell

[Mabel Bagshawe]

Think we can discount Margaret and Thomas, married at St Brides as they appear to be in Tythegstone in 1851. Thomas b Pyle