Question on Welsh naming styles

[Rivermaster]

Hello,

I am looking for an ancestor John Phillips b. 1660 in Wales. Unsuccessful trying to find his father, I have seen his name written as John Phillip John. Does that mean his fathers' last name was Phillips or John? Not sure how they flip the names around. I have been looking for a while now, any help appreciated.

Also is there somewhere reliable for ancestors pre-1700's? Very little material unless you were royalty.

Thank you.

[Megan Roberts]

Family name - the short answer is neither, and the long answer is the Welsh patrionymic naming convention. Below are links to a couple of articles about that:

https://welshpatronymics.blogspot.com/
https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryU...elsh-Surnames/


Ancestors pre 1700s you could include the nobility in with Royalty, but for most you have hit the nail on the head. If you had someone of note, or an unusual surname you have a better chance.

However, you might find records in land records or Wills etc.

Try searching the National Archives and the National Library of Wales.
https://nationalarchives.gov.uk/
https://www.library.wales/


The latter has a section on Wills made in Wales pre 1858 - https://www.library.wales/discover/l...esources/wills These are free to view. However, if the estate included assets outside of Wales then it may well have been proved in the one of the English jurisdictions. Again check the National Archives guidance.
https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/...s-before-1858/