I’m sticking with the changeable surname theme with this post, although I’m swapping my husband’s tree for my own, and Surrey for the comfortable, green-leaved familiarity of Wiltshire.

On Sunday 19 June 1763, in the parish church of Lydiard Tregoze (now better known only as the location of Lydiard Park, on the outskirts of Swindon), Joseph was baptised. His mother was listed as Martha Angle [sic], and the clerk had recorded that he was a “bastard child”.

It would seem that Martha was, in all likelihood, Martha Angell who had been baptised in the same church some 33 years prior, the daughter of Thomas and Mary (nee Palmer) Angell. One month later, on 14 July, Martha would marry John Love (alternatively and occasionally spelt Luff). He was of Market Lavington and quite possibly 14 years Martha’s junior, only just aged 19 when they married. It also seems possible – if not highly likely – that Joseph was John’s son. Either way, three years after the marriage John and Martha baptised a son, Gabriel, in Lydiard Tregoze. There is another baptism in Market Lavington for an Abraham Angel Love with parents John and Martha. Again, it seems likely it is the same family, but it gives a seven-year gap with no other children. However, the family moved back to Lydiard as it is here that the children were married, and also where Martha was buried in 1806.

Joseph Angell married Sarah Ann Tovey/Torvey/Turney in October 1787. She came with the addition of her daughter, Ann, who had been baptised two years previously, but would go on to have another five children with Joseph before passing away the same year as his mother. Later that year in December Joseph would marry again, to Rachael Hedges, and have two more sons – Abraham and John. It was when I started looking at Joseph’s children – and their children – that the research waters started to get a little choppy.

Children would disappear, only to suddenly reappear with wives, baptising children, then leave gaps and some would come back with names that clearly linked back to previous generations. What was going on?! It was only when I started searching for the children using first names only, and limiting search results to the parish I wanted, that things began to make sense.

All seven of the children (well, to be fair six as I can’t find hide nor hair of the eldest, Martha, after her baptism!) marry using the Angell/Angel surname: Gabriel and Elizabeth both in 1815, Joseph (junior) in 1821 and 1835, Thomas and Abraham in 1825 and John in 1828. (Abraham marries for a second time in Ontario, Canada and I suspect this is as Love although I can’t find the marriage.)

As for burials, they are all recorded (in the 1880s) using Love as a surname – except Gabriel when he dies fairly young in 1825 who is recorded using Angell. However, Gabriel’s children (baptised between 1819 and 1823) are all using the Love surname.

Joseph’s children seem to be baptised using Love (1825-1843), apart from one in 1837 who is recorded as “Angell alias Love”. The first four of Thomas’ children alternate between Angell and Love and then exclusively use Love. John’s children are recorded as Angell, Love and Angell or Love (1829-1850).

Abraham seems to complicate matters even further. His first marriage (1825) and daughter (1826) are under the name Angell. The family are recorded as Love in the 1841 census, but as Angell in 1851. After he appears in Canada, he is recorded only as Love on the Canadian censuses, his other daughter’s baptism (1855) and his death records.

Did I have to make an table in Excel to track the dates etc? Why, yes I did …

I have dealt with cases before where an illegitimate child assumes the name of their stepfather … and cases where they keep their mother’s maiden name. I’ve never before seen the grandchildren of an illegitimate child swap their surnames with such … verve!

Here is another post, via the Friends of Lydiard Park blog that mentions the family: Mr. Love’s Heritage Cider.