And time for

Don't feel bad....my maiden name was Stripp; you can imagine the fun the kids had with that one!

The family story is that my aunt enlisted in the WAAF during WW2 in England. Her name was called out, Edith Mary May Stripp, and the NCO in charge promptly replied "Not here she can't".

Gillian

I can, most definitely! >

Good one! >

I may be wrong, but I believe the house is the one where L.M. Montgomery lived with her Aunt and Uncle while on P.E.I., so while it isn't Anne's house, her creator did live there.

MargW

Yes, I think Olwen may be more common, but the "wyn" or "wen" part means white, and the spelling not always the same. After all, the language existed before the act of writing it down!

NE England is close to Scotland, and there are many similarities in the languages. I once saw and heard two girls, one Welsh and one Scottish, having a conversation, each speaking her own form of Gaelic/Celtic!

Joyce >> Olwyn is - or was - quite a normal Welsh name.

And wasn't it Penelope Keith who was in "To the Manor Born"? Because the leading lady there was certainly perfect for the part she played!

Arnhild

LMM's spent her time quite a distance from there, but I am not sure, maybe it was where she lived when she was married and writing the books, too long since I was there. The house was more interesting than Green Gables and contained memorabilia of LMM, including her wedding dress.

It was indeed Penelope Keith who played the Lady of the Manor. She also played Margot in "The Good Life" opposite Barbara (Felicity Kendal)

I loved the Hamish MacBeth series. But, alas, even the rerun-reruns are gone. I don't recall the Agatha Raisin ones being done, but I'm no authority. Interesting that some of the actors from Hamish MacBeth then became familiar on the bigger screen - namely Shirley Henderson (who was in the Bridget Jones movies, and the first Harry Potter), and of course Robert Carlyle - who has been in any number of films - good and bad.

I've kept up reading the HM series, but haven't started the Agatha Raisin ones - but I may.

ellice

Depends where (country). I've been asked for my maiden name for various things when I was living in France. IME it was pretty usual for women to be asked for their birth name as well as married name in many situations when filling out forms.

Ellice

The Scottish registrars of births, deaths & marriages require a lot of detail. When I registered the death of my grandmother, aged 84) in 1985 I had to give the maiden name of her mother (who died in 1938). Apparently this is why genealogists are always happy when they have to trace anyone with family connections in Scotland.

"Bruce Fletcher

(VBG) With my mum's family, there are enough Margaret Andersons and John Andersons, across generations and on both sides, to make your head spin. Footnotes definitely required.

Dawne

Mirjam wrote In Europe it is Common to ask for the maiden name , mirjam

It is curious to me in this new millenium why we still assume women will change their name throughout life and men never will. My name is my name is my name--so probably no use to my children as a secret code to get the bank to hand over their PIN.

Dawne

Yes, that's true, excellent records were kept and are now available a long way back - probably even further now - online.

I never changed my name, had a terrible fight with the passport office over it (British) and they even felt that before I could put the kids on my passport I should have a letter of consent from David. I enquired if he needed one to put them on his passport, no he didn't, and that is when the proverbial s**t hit the fan.

I can just see you slightly apoplectic over that gaffe.

Similar, but not as serious, was when a department store insisted on putting my husband's name on the credit card I had in my maiden name from the time I was 18 and giving me access to it. As soon as I changed the name to my married name, they automatically put the card in his name. I fought them and after a very long, hard fight got them to put my name as the primary cardholder and his as the add on.

Slightly would be an understatement lol

I know I had friends who could never see the point of maintaining credit cards in one's own name. They did of course when they were widowed, however, that has changed for the better here and now a widow is not considered penniless anymore.

I had one friend who when her husband died in 1983 found the bank had cancelled her Visa card. The manager said he wanted to talk to her before she had any cards. She was in there in a flash and tore a strip off him, she had always earned more than her husband and had paid the bills and done all the finances. He offered her the card back but she took it, folded it and walked out and changed banks. As she said, hell of a nuisance to do so, but worth it !

"lucretia borgia" wrote

When I bought my house, which was paid for out of my bank account with monies I had from the sale of a previous house, the bank I dealt with in Regina sent the money back to my bank in Yellowknife, because they had filed the mortagage papers under DH's name alone (he was NEVER co-owner, so not on title of the house, but had to sign the mortgage papers under the then homestead law) and claimed to have no knowledge of me. I was stuck with the mortgage at that bank, but switched all my other banking.

That was 25 years ago--things must be better now, right???

My current bank recently called last month to leave a message for DH, which I passed on, but of course didn't reply to. A week later, they called again--the call was about a jointly held account. The second time they left the message for "either T or Dawne". They are aware I am unimpressed.

I don't know why banks, particularly when so many banking officers are women, are so 19th century in their dealings with women.

Dawne

They seem to have learned their lesson fairly well around here although the other day I did have an altercation with my bank. It is true they don't know me, monies come and go electronically and it's a rare day I actually go inside the branch. She started giving me flack and I simply said I would be sorry to leave Scotiabank after all these years but it would be a simple matter of a transfer to my account at Royal Bank - boy did her attitude change fast.

All I had wanted was new cheque books but with the address corrected on them. It has taken me nearly five years to finish the incorrect cheque book and I didn't think it was much to ask but I began to feel I was up to no good when she said I could bring in my passport !!! I don't think so !! You're right, it probably stings more because it was a woman ill treating me !

Has your cold weather left yet ?

Same here. The Scots are notorious for naming the children for the parents or grandparents. Margaret and John are probably the most common names in my family as well.

In my McQueen and Logan ancestors there are numerous Margarets including in one instance, a mother, daughter, granddaughter and daughter-in-law. Try figuring out who is whom! I'm Margaret Elizabeth, who was named after an aunt Margaret Elizabeth, who was named after an aunt Margaret Elizabeth....

MargW