"Rules" for wearing family tartan

[Pleater]

At one time the use of a surname was a far more casual thing than it seems to be today.

There were of course always those who changed their names more frequently than they changed their shirts in order to conceal their identity, but - although I strongly suspect that is was not half as common as recorded in the many old novels I found in my grandmother's house, it did seem that where a family member went to live with a widowed lady with no immediate family of her own, they would alter their surname to hers, and often inherited as though they were her son or daughter, despite actually being a cousin or nephew/niece.

I was reminded of this when listening to a BBC Radio 4 serial - I think it was called 'The Expedition of Humphry Clinker' where something similar happened.

Having inherited land or money, or both, a man might then be in a position to marry above his expectations, particularly when war or other disruption to the normal order of things occurred, but it was not, apparently, unusual for someone in that situation to take his wife's surname, particularly where there was no close male relative to maintain the line and name.

It was, however, rather difficult to get away from your Christian name, which was regarded as sacrosanct, at least for legal matters.

I wonder how someone would be advised who chanced to find out that his surname was that - say - of his great grandfather's maternal aunt, rather than of his actual paternal line.

Anne the Pleater :ootd: