ON SURNAMES AND THE Rules of Law affecting their Change. WITH COMMENTS ON THE CORRESPONDENCE OF THE LORD-LIEUTENANT OF PUBLISHED BY CHARLES W. REYNELL, LITTLE PULTENEY STREET, HAYMARKET. 1862. PREFACE. THIS Essay was written with the sole object of defending a very respected neighbour from a series of published attacks, of a most censurable character, directed against him on account of his having done a perfectly legal and innocent act. The Second Part of it contains the Correspondence of Lord Llanover and others on account of Mr Herbert of Clytha having changed his Surname without a Royal License. Among these letters is one, inadvertently it is to be assumed, written by the direction of the Lord Chancellor, which has given to the dispute more than a personal interest, and has occasioned this Question :namely-When the name of a gentleman is on the Commission of the Peace, and such gentleman legally assumes a new name, before a writ of Dedimus Potestatem is issued to administer to him the necessary oaths-can the Lord Chancellor refuse to recognise the change of name and impose conditions-such as the Sign Manual to a license to assume the name, accompanied with a condition making it void if not registered at the Herald's |