A Dit Name ?

[derekpara]

I discovered, shortly after his death, that my uncle had worked for a government contractor for many years under the name of Jack Cox and yet he was known to all the family as Jack Bradsell - the name he gave to my aunt Lizzie when they married in the late 1920s.

This remained a mystery and no-one wanted to ask Lizzie about it. I have since tried to solve the mystery without success; no marriage certificate; Lizzie's death certificate records 'Bradsell', and there are no surviving relatives apart from me. The company's records no longer exist.

After much delving I've come across ' Dit' names which seem to be similar to aliases but less sinister, and are quite common in Quebec and France. Has anyone come across the use of Dit names in the UK , and could this be a possible solution to this mystery ?

By the way, I can find no trace of French descent anywhere in the family.

Thanks.

D

[jno]

I'd normally suspect him of having a secret second family tucked away in Surbiton - but that won't wash if his wife knew from his mail that he was also Mr Cox. So yes, some bureaucratic muddle like woofgang suggests is a likely answer.

So annoying not to know, though!

[derekpara]

I reluctantly agree, jno.

Thanks again.

D