Registered births??

[Guest]

Were births around early 1800's always registered??

I have several ancestors who I can trace in census's and with marriage certs etc but no birth certs can I find. I'd like to get the certs to make sure I am tracing the right people.

I presume they had to pay to register the birth and get a cert? Maybe they couldn't afford it.

Was it actually law that births should be registered?

Thanks so much.

Amanda

[Durham Lady]

Birth registration didn't start until July 1837, even then it wasn't compulsory to register until the 1870's so a lot didn't bother, prior to 1837 you need to look for Baptisms in parish registers.

[Guest]

Thank you Daphne.

[Guy]

Were births around early 1800's always registered??

Not always but sometimes if the incumbent of the parish was conscientious enough

I have several ancestors who I can trace in census's and with marriage certs etc but no birth certs can I find. I'd like to get the certs to make sure I am tracing the right people.

I presume they had to pay to register the birth and get a cert? Maybe they couldn't afford it.

There were a few times prior to 1837 when one had to pay to register a birth for example 1695 to pay for the war against France. In most cases however births were registered free of charge.

Was it actually law that births should be registered?
Thanks so much.

Amanda

Yes since 1644.
In 1695 a fine of 40 shillings was imposed on any parent who omitted to give notice of a birth within 5 days and a fine of 40 shillings imposed on the vicar.
At that time it cost 6d to register the birth
Cheers
Guy

[Joy Dean]

My grandfather was born in 1880. His birth was registered as were most of his siblings, but the birth of one was not registered.

[Christine in Herts]

Of course, there are a few records which reached the local/District registration, but that didn't get transferred in the quarterly transcriptions for the GRO.

There are also some where the registration is recorded, but an error has been made in the spelling of the name(s) - which makes it very difficult to find, of course!

And people sometimes acquired new names on their way through life, so the birth registration wouldn't match later records, or they shed names, or swapped them around. My mother's initial registration didn't match her baptism, so the last column was utilised for a revision.

Christine

[Uncle John]

And people sometimes acquired new names on their way through life, so the birth registration wouldn't match later records, or they shed names, or swapped them around. My mother's initial registration didn't match her baptism, so the last column was utilised for a revision.

The registered first name(s) can be changed by request to the registrar (recorded in column 10 of the certificate) up to a year after the original registration. Both names should then appear in the index. One of mine was given completely different first names after a family disagreement.