On Mon, 25 Oct 2004 18:39:28 -0700 (PDT), Melanie Tucker
<melanieptucker(a)yahoo.com> wrote:
Hello all,
One of my relatives gave me the following explanation for the variation
in spelling of our Rees/Rhys surname. He spoke of the British government
requiring people to change the spelling of their surnames and "the
government's desire to analyze all Welsh, Scottish, and Irish
surnames." I'm not sure what this refers to either. I had never heard
this before, so I was wondering if anyone could offer some insight? If
this was true, does anyone have information about specific dates when
this came about?
Hi Melanie,
The process started much earlier than your uncle imagines with the
approach of the Act of Union of 1536, when Henry VIII decided to introduce
English law into Wales.
Bishop Rowland Lee was given the task of restoring order in the Marches
and taming the Welsh, something he proceeded to do with great energy and
enthusiasm in a judicial reign of terror. English became the official
language of Wales and no Welshman was allowed to hold office unless he
spoke English.
Lee disliked, and completely mis-understood, the Welsh patrynomic system,
and began to impose surnames. The process was quite arbitrary. Morgan ap
Meredudd (Morgan the son of Meredudd) might become Morgan Meredith, or
Meredith Morgan. Sion ap Hywel might become John Howell or John Powell. ap
Rhys became Rees, Preece or Price. Names that couldn't be pronounced or
spelled were simply dropped and all the 'Johns' became Jones!
The patrynomic system, however, survived in some measure right up to the
nineteenth century, when it gave the American compilers of the IGI similar
difficulties.
Cheers,
Glyn Hale
--
www.halefamily.net
www.oakdalevillage.net