One Name Study

Colin Ackehurst & David Evans

The Guild is the international society for everyone interested in one-name studies. Members may if they wish register surnames of which they are conducting a one-name study.

Since the formation of the Guild in 1979, a Register (of surnames & members) has been maintained. The main purpose of the Register is to enable individuals who specialise in researching specific surnames to have their interests on record. Only one person may register a given surname.

The aims of the Guild include the maintenance and publication of a register of surnames being researched and to encourage and ensure, by a written undertaking, that members will deal with all reply-paid enquiries relative to their published surname.

Although in many cases the compilation of a comprehensive collection of appropriate data is carried out by an individual working alone, there are instances where a One-Name group has been established. Such a group may become associated with the Guild through an individual member from the group.

As members undertake to study all references to a given surname, the Guild will only accept one registration for each surname. A listing of surnames in the Guild's Prospectus in 1988 did not contain the name Akhurst or any known variant.

To become a member of the Guild and hence register a name of study, applicants must meet one of the following classifications:

      1) Formally constituted Societies. Correspondence groups producing a newsletter.

      2) Individual researcher specialising in all references to a single surname and the specified variants.

      3) Overseas groups or individuals specialising in a single surname.

      4) Individual researcher specialising in a single surname, but subject to limitations of area or period as defined.

A member of the Guild is registered as belonging to one of the above categories.

The Guild expects that in order to cope adequately with enquiries a Registered Researcher will have accumulated a reasonable amount of data on the specified surname and its variants.

      1) The Guild suggests a registrant should aim to compile the following listings.

      2) All relevant index entries of Birth, Death and Marriage from St Catherine's House.

      3) All relevant entries in the PCC with indexes up to 1700; and

      4) The name and variants from the UK telephone directories.

Whilst the Guild hopes that each entrant in the Register will eventually compile such lists, completion of these tasks is not a prerequisite of registration.

David Evans has applied for and obtained membership of the Guild which has about 1500 members worldwide and 6000 registered surnames (including variants). David has registered the surname AKEHURST plus four variants (the maximum number allowed):

Ackehurst, Ackhurst, Akehurst, Akhurst, Akurst

The registered surname of AKEHURST has initially been given a "C" category by David to indicate the level of the research on the name. This is defined as:

Surname for which the member has started a one-name study but has not yet built up a significant collection, but fully intends to acquire sufficient data to transfer to Category A or B. The member may or may not produce a newsletter.

David Evans and Colin Ackehurst will maintain the One Name Study for the benefit of all Akehurst researchers.

The Guild’s Register becomes a starting point for investigation and new Akehurst researchers will have a point of contact to get them involved in Akehurst research.

Guild of One-Name Studies: https://one-name.org/

Family Tree DNA https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/akehurst/about/background