Birth Certificate

[zilkens]

A friend tells me that the only record of her birth that she has is -
"A Certified Copy of an Entry of Birth Pursuant to the Birth & Death Registration Act 1953".
Some mouthful, but can anyone tell me exactly what it means or stands for ?

[Anne in Carlisle]

It might be a 'short' certificate? I doesn't mean there isn't a proper, full certificate available - just that the only bit of paper she has in her possession is the short one.

Edit: No - it says what you have put on most of the certificates I have!!!!

Anne

[Olde Crone Holden]

It just means your friend has a copy (not the original) of their birth cert.

When this copy was issued, the relevant registration law was that of 1953, so the copy was issued later than 1953 but earlier than whenever the next change or amendment ro registration law took place.

OC

[margaretmarch]

It's just the legislation that describes what is to be registered when and where etc have a look at this link http://http://www.opsi.gov.uk/Revise..._19530020_en_1 for the full details of the Act. The fact that the certificate has that on it means it is an official one and can be used for official purposes.
The ones we get from GRO for our research have the same inscription on the back. This is the only way to get details of a Birth Death or Marriage and why we have to pay £9.25 for the priviledge.
Margaret

[JudithM]

Yep, that's what it says on my certificate which is the original, issued when my birth was registered. All certificates are properly described as a "Copy of an Entry..." as the events are registered in a register (book) then a "certified" paper copy of that entry is issued.

[zilkens]

It's just the legislation that describes what is to be registered when and where etc have a look at this link http://http://www.opsi.gov.uk/Revise..._19530020_en_1 for the full details of the Act. The fact that the certificate has that on it means it is an official one and can be used for official purposes.
The ones we get from GRO for our research have the same inscription on the back. This is the only way to get details of a Birth Death or Marriage and why we have to pay £9.25 for the priviledge.
Margaret

Margaret,
The link you gave doesnt come up when I click it

[margaretmarch]

Margaret,
The link you gave doesnt come up when I click it

Sorry it isn't for me either but all I did was google Births and Deaths Act 1953 and it takes you to the www.opsi.gov.uk site.
Margaret

[Olde Crone Holden]

Doing a bit of guessing here - why are you surprised that your friend "only" has a copy of her birth cert issued in accordance with the 1953 Registration Act?

My original birth cert was misplaced or lost and I have one issued in 1977. There isn't anything sinister in that fact!

OC

[Little Nell]

My parents only got the short form of my birth cert, which I was quite happy with for years. Once I started this family history trail, I sent for the full version. I was thrilled to discover that I'd been registered "by declaration" which meant my Dad had gone to his local register office and the info was passed to the register office in the district where I was born.