<<snipped>> "et populi" is interesting. Most entries I have seen use "illeg(itimate)" or even "bastard child". "Et Populi" means "and the people". <<snipped>> The SoG book, "My Ancestor was a Bastard" includes a whole page of synonyms for illegitimate, including "Filius Populi (child of the people)", "Puer Populi (child of the people)" and "son of the People" - also "Filius unius cujusque (child of everyone)", "Filius vulgi (child of the multitude)". So it's a consistent theme, albeit slightly differently expressed. Maybe it was supposed to convey, "child of the mother and the people"? Adrian B