Silly question of the day

[Chrissy Confused]

Can you order cert pre 1837 in the same way as post 1837?

All cert I have pre 1837 came from people who went to the record offices for me so have never had to order one before.

Sorry if this is a daft question :o

[Merry Monty Montgomery]

The records you have been sent by others will most likely have come from parish registers which are church records, whilst the registration system is civil record keeping which only began in July 1837.

After 1837 religious marriages were recorded in the civil system as well as in parish registers. Before 1837 they were only recorded in the parish records.

Births and deaths were often not recorded as all before 1837, but baptisms and burials were (sometimes including the birth date or death date) recorded in the parish records.

So, you can't get a civil certificate for an event before 1837 because the civil records didn't exist then, but you can get a copy of a record from a parish register (if it has survived etc!)

[Chrissy Confused]

Thanks Merry, so I would have to contact the record office direct is this what you are saying, sorry not woken up yet :D

[Phoenix]

Don't ask for a certificate. You can get certificated copies of what Merry has described, but you will be charged for the certification (and the chances are that the details would be transcribed, rather than a photocopy of the register)

[Harrys mum]

Chrissy...
Are you after certs from Dr Williams Library?

I have some from the 1790s up to 1822 and I would cal them certs. They are certainly different to the parish records I have bought.

Mine are beautiful full page handwritten records with three generations and signatures of all the witnesses.

[Chrissy Confused]

So phone record office and ask for a photocopy, will this costed the same as a cert?, which the last time I ordered one was about £7.

[Chrissy Confused]

Chrissy...
Are you after certs from Dr Williams Library?

I have some from the 1790s up to 1822 and I would cal them certs. They are certainly different to the parish records I have bought.

Mine are beautiful full page handwritten records with three generations and signatures of all the witnesses.

Sorry Libby, but who's Dr Williams?

[Harrys mum]

It was a library where (mostly) wealthy people put their records. My lot were non-cons so didn't get baptised till adult. These are all birth records (certificates) I have.

[Elizabeth Herts]

Chrissy,

If you know of a definite baptism or wedding, for example, and you want a photocopy of the entry, the charge will vary, depending on the Record Office concerned. There are no set charges.

However, if it involves them doing research on your behalf to find a possible baptism, wedding, etc. you will be charged for the research and probably photocopying.

Or you can go to the Record Office yourself and take the photocopy!

[Chrissy Confused]

Thanks Elizabeth, that makes it a lot clearer to me now.:D

[Little Nell]

Bear in mind that pre-1837 the information is much less detailed.

Baptisms will have date of baptism, parents' names and child's names. It might also have birth date, father's occupation, family address and mother's maiden name - but not necessarily.

Marriages will have names of spouses, which parish they were resident in at the time of the marriage (not an exact address) plus the witnesses. No occupations or fathers' names.

Burials have the date of burial, person's name and usually their age. They may say where the person was living, they may give cause of death and they may give cause of death, but again, not necessarily.

[Chrissy Confused]

Thanks Nell, I do have some baptism and marriages that were got from the record offices for me, but I have a few areas where no one on here goes to, so thought it was about time I order some myself. And for the first time everyone has listen to me and have given me money for my birthday so I have a few quid

[Merry Monty Montgomery]

Happy Birthday Chrissy