Re- Taylor,Grant and Gavin's comment about info. on Death Reg.   I have a Death Reg. for the father of my Gt.Grandmother's sister's  5 children who all had their father's last name. They lived together from 1889 until his death in 1904. On the 1891 & 1901 Census she is listed as his housekeeper.Scotlandspeople Death Reg. of his death she was named as his wife and the Death informant  was his sister occupier of the home where he died. In 1920 she moved to Canada with her 4 daughters and died at the age of 98 but was never married or used his name.   Adeline U.S.A.

MISS ADELINE MARTIN wrote: > Re- Taylor,Grant and Gavin's comment about info. on Death Reg. > > I have a Death Reg. for the father of my Gt.Grandmother's sister's 5 > children who all had their father's last name. They lived together > from 1889 until his death in 1904. On the 1891 & 1901 Census she is > listed as his housekeeper.Scotlandspeople Death Reg. of his death she > was named as his wife and the Death informant was his sister > occupier of the home where he died. In 1920 she moved to Canada with > her 4 daughters and died at the age of 98 but was never married or > used his name. I suspect that, whatever she may have thought, she WAS married under Scots Law! One of the forms of "Irregular Marriage" was (and still is - when the other forms were abolished in 1940, this remained in force), namely "Marriage with Habit and Repute". This means that, if you live for a period of time just as if you were man and wife, and are generally accepted as such, then Scots Law considers that you ARE married. The fact that his sister was happy to report him as married suggests that they were so regarded by those around them. Gavin Bell