How about poor Pansy (Gladys) Bastard born in 1896? Liz _______________________________________________ Elizabeth Jack Hidden Heritage: www.hidden-heritage.co.uk Researching BLINKHORNE, SOSBE, GWINNETT

On 3 Jun 2010 at 8:19, Elizabeth Jack wrote: > How about poor Pansy (Gladys) Bastard born in 1896? > > Liz > > _______________________________________________ > > Elizabeth Jack > Hidden Heritage: www.hidden-heritage.co.uk > Researching BLINKHORNE, SOSBE, GWINNETT > Actually, BASTARD is not that uncommon a surname, though I believe the numbers have declined in recent years - probably for obvious reasons! If you look at the 1881 census with the Surname Atlas CD it was most prolific in Devon and Cornwall. Pansy Gladys Bastard was born at Erpingham, Norfolk, and in the 1911 census her parents Benjamin and Hannah Elizabeth Bastard were living at the post office there, her mother being the sub-postmaster and Benjamin being a carpenter and wheelwright. Her parents obviously chose flower names for their daughters because she had sisters called Lily, Violet and Iris (sounds a bit like Hyacinth, Rose and Violet Bucket in Keeping Up Appearances!). They also had a brother called Algernon Bastard. Pansy married in 1919 to George E Amies, so ceased to be a Bastard. -- Roy Stockdill Genealogical researcher, writer & lecturer Newbies' Guide to Genealogy & Family History: www.genuki.org.uk/gs/Newbie.html "There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about." OSCAR WILDE