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My great-grandmother was known as Margaret Roberts until she got married to Arthur Spurr in 1948. My Nana knows nothing about her birth.

She apparently took up the name of her mother's boyfriend or later husband which was Roberts, regardless of whether this is true, she was always known as Roberts. I'm unsure as to whether they were married but I'm failing to find any record of such a marriage.

Margaret was born on 29th of January 1930 and I can't find any date which contains that surname. I don't know what her mother was called, only that she took up her father's surname.

All I have is: Margaret Roberts
Born: 29th January 1930
Death: 1988
Marriage: 1948
^ All in Nottingham!
Help?!

well she married as Roberts have you got the marriage cert

Name: Margaret Roberts
Spouse Surname: Spurr
Date of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar 1948
Registration District: Nottingham
Inferred County: Nottinghamshire
Volume Number: 3c
Page Number: 971
Find Spouse:Arthur Spurr

England & Wales, Death Index, 1916-2007 about Margaret Spurr
Name: Margaret Spurr
Birth Date: 29 Jan 1930
Date of Registration: Aug 1988
Age at Death: 58
Registration District: Nottingham
Inferred County: Nottinghamshire
Volume: 8
Page: 1185


suggest you buy their marriage cert for its info on her father etc

There is no info on her Father or Mother, that's the problem
Is that the only way I can get information?

Do you have the MC? If so does she give the name of the father, even if you believe it to be 'made up'.
What were the names of the witnesses as they may be relatives on her side of the family.

Have you checked the residential address on the ER to see who else was living there? You would need to contact or visit the nearest library who has a Local Studies section, or Nottingham Archive.

As children born to unmarried mothers were registered with their surname, try searching on freebmd for all Margarets born the first quarter of 1930 in Nottingham (if you are absolutely sure it was Nottingham, rather than say Basford or other near-by reg district.

An illegitimate Margaret would be show as (say)
SMITH Margaret (mmn) SMITH

So illegitimate children were named as Smith?
There was no name, that's where I'm struggling. It's literally worthless.
Thank you, I'll look through freebmd, obviously I'm worried it could go anywhere as they don't state the dates so it's a lot of going back and forth between sites.

No - not all illegitimate children were named Smith - that was an example! :-D

They'd take the surname of their unmarried mother.....Smith, Brown, Dogsbody, Forsyth, Shufflebottom or whatever :-D :-D :-D

Although there were no Margaret's with the same surname as their mother's maiden name b Nottingham reg district, there are at least four in Nottinghamshire as a whole.

If you don't have her MC, get that to start with

I see :D
I'm not totally sure as to whether she took up her father's name or her mother's name straight away. All I know is that on later records she's Roberts and was until her marriage

Say the mother's maiden name came up as Reynolds, I'd then look to see if she ever married?

This could lead to the father, surely? If not I think I'm stuck with this one for real.

If she was illegitimate and her mum married later then her father may never be known .
She may have been known as Roberts as the new hubby brought her up.

You really need to know who she named as her father on the marriage cert. that's the only way forward .we can't help without that info

Taking your example of Reynolds. If the child's mother was an unmarried mother with the surname Reynolds, then the entry would read

REYNOLDS Margaret REYNOLDS - the 2nd Reynolds being her mothers maiden name.
The 2nd surname is always the mother's maiden or former surname.
Rather than search for Reynolds/Roberts marriages, buy her own MC first

Yes, Margaret could have taken her mother's later partner or husband's surname or had assumed that he was her father

My grandmother has the MC, she said there is no father's name written but there must be?

Not if Margaret didn't know it. As this is the case, it's virtually impossible to find the name of the father unless a maintenance order was sort. Remember that not all babies were conceived in an act of mutual passion, if you get the drift.....or a long term relationship where the father acknowledged paternity.

Ask your grandmother for the names of the witnesses and for Margaret's residential address. Both bride and groom might list the same one to save on fees, but its worth checking out the ER for them/it

Does your grandmother have any other details about your grt grandmother - siblings, or even her aunts/uncles?

No, she was very secretive about it which doesn't help at all.
Someone did some family tree work but I looked it up & none of the dates add up at all. The birth dates are completely wrong.

Even if I could just find the mother that'd be good, but I don't think her name was listed either.

English MC's only give the father's name if known. In this case it's not - that's why you need the names of the witnesses who could be relatives and the residential address for the bride.

Come back to us when you've spoken to your Grandmother again and have the above info, or have borrowed the MC or made a copy of it.

Thank you both!