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?
Please see below for my uncle's explanation to me.
Thanks,
Melanie Tucker
"You are absolutely correct to find that the family name of "Rhys" was
changed to "Rees" in all record-keeping, archives, and genealogy, after about
1865. This was in keeping with the British government's desire to analyze all Welsh,
Scottish, and Irish surnames. Of course, this idea was not popular with the general
population, but if you wanted a government job, or worked in any way with British affairs,
you had to comply with the government order. My Grandfather, Richard, was a bit of a
rebel, from what I understand, and though he changed the spelling for public records, he
made it clear to his children that they were "Rhys" family members, and some
changed the spelling back to Rhys before they went back to England."
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