change of surname

[dewisfamily]

i am researching my family history and in the 1891 census my great granddad is Alfred Wagstaff and is down as stepson ,but in the 1901 census he is Alfred Baker stepson.will there be any record of this change of surname? if so where can i look for it??

[Peter Goodey]

If you mean that he took his stepfather's surname, this is pretty standard. In most cases you won't find any record of a change of name, see this National Archives Research Guide (http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/RdLeaflet.asp?sLeafletID=176)

However, be on the lookout for a possible reversion to his former name when he married - people were as unclear then as they are now about the law regarding name changes.

[dewisfamily]

he used the surname Baker until he died in 1944.