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QUAYLE HUGHES Hi everyone, got a bit of a problem and dont know if anyone will be able to help (i hope so)! My grandad Ronald Quayle Hughes (15/8/35-09/12/02) was born at 2B South Hill House, Sth Liverpool to George Quayle Hughes & Louisa McMichael. Throughout his life he always claimed that Quayle was not his middle name, but was joined with Hughes to create a double barrelled surname (although when he married my nan Evelyn Lillian Shelley in 1960, she only took the name Hughes. As did my dad when he was born in 1962). Also, by law (& on his birth certificate) his surname was Hughes (Quayle as a middle name). The strange thing is that all of my family in Liverpool have the middle name Quayle and the women who have married into the family have also taken Quayle aswell as Hughes (although it is still not a double barrelled name). Looking through the records, it seems that as far back as the 1850's, all family members (boys & girls took the middle name Quayle and their future partners also). I do believe that years ago it was infact, a double barrelled name by law...but can find no record of it. My Grandad told me that in the late 1700's a young maid named NANCY QUAYLE was in service at the house of a Mr Hughes (first name unknown) on The Isle Of Man. Apparently Mr Hughes got Nancy pregnant and she had to leave. Years later he was still without any children and his health was declining rapidly. So he hired a private detective to track down Nancy to see if the child had survived and if it was a boy (so as to inherit the estate). The detective found them both & the young boy was asked to accompany him back to the Isle Of Man. As it goes, Mr Hughes (having no family of his own) agreed to leave all of his estate to the boy...aslong as he took his surname. This was agreed & the young boy changed his surname to Quayle-Hughes. After the death of Mr Hughes, the boy emigrated to Canada & may have been involved with the Hudson Bay Company. He married a Miss Clayton (first name unknown). I believe his name may have been Reginald Quayle-Hughes, but I am unsure. He must have later returned to IOM (or his children did) for the name to continue. I don't know how much is true (if any) as my grandad could only remember a vague story that his father had told him when he was a little boy...It's a family legend & has been a complete mystery for years! Can you help? Even the smallest bit of info could lead to something else, so if you are familiar with ANY of this...please contact me. I would be over the moon to find out truth behind this family legend. Thanks, Best Wishes & Good Luck Gemma