In a message dated 26/01/2004 09:35:18 GMT Standard Time, aspenlea(a)uq.net.au
writes:
ROWLANDS Robert, Head, M, 42, Slate Quarryman, CAE Llanddeiniolen
ROWLANDS Catherine, Wife, M, 34, CAE, Llanddeiniolen (she was actually born
at Llanrug)
ROBERTS Owen, Son, U, 17, Apprentice joiner, CAE Llanddeiniolen
ROWLANDS William, Son, U, 13, scholar, CAE Llanddeiniolen
EVANS Rowland, Son, U, 8, CAE Llanddeiniolen
But why do I have THREE forms of surname? Thanks to Alwyn's explanation, I
can understand the patronymics of ROWLANDS and ROBERTS but not EVANS.
However by 1881 all the boys are using ROWLANDS as a surname.
Despite the fact that there are so many John Jones, William Williams and
David Davies in Wales, before the adoption of surnames there was a strong dislike
for having the same first and second names so Rowland Rowlands would be
avoided. What one would normally expect in the example you have given above would be
for Rowland to be Rowland Roberts.
There are two possibilities for Rowland Evans, the most likely is that he has
been named after Robert's father and that he has been given the whole of his
grandfather's name, rather than just his forename, if so you might expect to
find that Robert's father is also Rowland Evans.
The other possibility is that he is using his mother's maiden name to avoid
Rowland Rowlands. I know that you said that she was a Miss Jones, before
marriage, but if this was a patronymic Jones from John, her father; the Welsh names
Ifan, Ioan, Ieuan and Iwan can either be "translated" into English as John or
"Anglicised" as Evan; so the surnames Jones and Evans (and the forenames John
&
Evan) are often interchangeable.
All the best
Alwyn