I recently received a copy of a birth certificate from the GRO for my ggf living in Bolton. Column 4 (father’s name) states “John Morris”, Column 5 (mother’s name) states “Esther Morris formerly Rollinson”. In the right-hand margin it states: “Col 4 for “Morris” read “Morris otherwise Ashton” and in col 5 for “Esther Morris formerly Rollinson” read “Esther Ann Morris otherwise Ashton formerly Rawlinson”. Corrected on the 16th January 1923 by me ... Superintendent Registrar on production of a statutory declaration made by John Morris Ashton and Esther Ann Morris Ashton”. This looks like some sort of name change but exactly what/how/why I have no idea. I find it especially puzzling because (as it states) this change was made in 1923 but the certificate is for a birth registered August 1895. I have never come across this name Ashton before and my gm and mother were always known as Morris. Can anyone suggest what is going on here and possibly how I can find more details? I would be especially interested to hear from anyone who may be related to these people. Many thanks Ian

I don't know in your specific case what the reason might be but one possibility I found in my family was...... A child was born illegitimately to the mother and baptised under her name. A year later she married the father and from then on the child always used the father's name. Even though he always used the father's name from the age of one on, he married with his baptism name (his mother's maiden name) and had all the children christened with the baptism name. It took a long time to find the records as we only knew the name they went by, not the original baptism name. Some later used the baptism name as a middle name. Perhaps Morris was illegitimate and baptised as Ashton or the other way around.