John
I dont know about Carmarthen but in Glamorganshire I have been tracing
ancestors who used patronymics
In indentures for the lease of land, the last Wills and Testaments and
parish registers recorded the following.
1604 Cadoxton Juxta Neath Glamorganshire Indenture ~ William John ap Owen
but by
1724 the same piece of land was being passed down by William John Bowen, the
named remained Bowen ever since. His wife in 1723 left her Will as Mary
Lewis alias Bowen.
Later in Margam Glamorganshire 1803 John Bowen married Gwenllian Thomas
the daughter of Thomas Hopkin, in 1812 her sister married Thomas David
using the same
patronymic Mary Thomas, the surname David later called Davies, but the
youngest sister married 1808
using the modern form Catherine Hopkin.
These sister's parents also used patronymics
Thomas Hopkin married Margaret Thomas at Margam. 1773.
Thomas Hopkin's father was named in a Will as Hopkin Thomas William Howell
and the grandfather Thomas William Howell
both listed in the Leet court records as Thomas William Howell (Senior) and
(Juniior)
Margaret's parents were William Thomas Herbert and Mary Herbert, and
indenture 1756 give him
his full name but he signed it with the letters W.T. and the parish record
states Willitam Thomas
signd with an 'X'. is he a Thomas or a Herbert?
In Llangyfelach Glamorganshire marriage Mary David alias Samuel
daughter of David Samuel married Henry Rees in 1786. But the family
came through with the name Samuel as the surname in Parish, Land tax and
census records.
My surname had the 's' added in 1845 by the registry office Carmarthen
although the
son then used Richards from then on, the grandfather and the father used
surname Richard
until his death just before 1891. Somewhere before the grandfather I am sure
going further back
I will find we do not have the surname Richard it will be ap Richard
somebody.
Patronymics varied with dates, places and gender. There was no big cut off
date.
Regards
Bryan Richards