This is the last of 3 parts about verifying your ancestors through the various birth records.
In 1836 the General Registration Office was founded and civil registration began in 1837. The need for this office was due to the increase in nonconformity and a gradual relaxation of laws against Catholics and other dissenters. More and more baptisms and marriages were going unrecorded.
In the early years it was up to the local registrar to find out what births, deaths and marriages had taken place and it has been estimated that only 50 – 60% of births were registered as parents were not legally required to inform the registrar. It was not until 1875 that the “Births and Deaths Act” made registration mandatory.
Births had to be registered, usually by the mother or father within 42 days. There was a fee imposed for late registrations which may have caused some parents to lie about the actual birth date. Until 1926 there was no registration for still-born children and sometimes if a child was sickly the parents held off registering the child in case the child dies, even though he/she was not still-born. This does not stop the parent from having the child baptised though.
Birth Registrations information includes:
- Birth date and place (usually an address and town). In some cases, if the child was not born at home there might be a time recorded.
- Child’s name and sex
- Father’s name and surname
- Mother’s name, surname and maiden name
- Occupation of father
- Informant’s name and relationship to the child
- Date when registered
I have included Evelyn Hilda May Buck’s birth registration. As I mentioned previously, my mother was sure Evelyn’s father was a Joseph Buck but when I received the certificate the truth was there – James Buck!
The other example is Eliza Bingley Smith’s birth certificate as it does show a time.
As you can see, some Registrar’s need a course in penmanship!
Back when I started things were not online as much as now and I had to send a request for the registration and waited for snail mail to deliver me the certified copy. Now I can go online to www.gro.gov.uk to order birth and death certificates and they send a PDF copy within 7 days. So much easier!
I would recommend that you get a copy of the birth registration for any direct ancestors you have to verify the connection as well as provide you with additional information the registration can provide.
Across the Pond 