A SANDIWAY man frequently travels back in time and delves deep into the history books to discover the meaning behind certain names.

Professional wedding toastmaster Fred Jones said his passion was sparked by a second-hand book on names, which he found in a sale three years ago.

And the 70-year-old, who lives in Weaverham Road, has now captured the interest of a number of brides and grooms-to-be by developing the unique addition to his business.

“I love it because when I get an unusual name, I can’t wait to research it,” he said.

“And the wedding couple love it - some of the family come up to me after the ceremony and say they knew about certain things but that I have researched much further back.

“You can do that with names but you can’t with genealogy.”

He added: “Some of the things I have found out are great and include famous people’s surnames such as Shackleton and a girl who was a relative of the Bromley-Davenport family, and she didn’t know she could be related to them.”

And the enthusiastic name historian said it doesn’t take very long for him to root out the history behind a name, particularly common Christian names, as he stores all previous searches in a detailed database.

Fred said he hoped his research, which is presented in a scroll for an added historical touch, also set him apart from other toastmasters.

For further information call Fred on 01606 882696.

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