Birth Certificate changed by Statutory Declaration

[scuda]

I have recently received a birth certificate for a 1941 birth, which was substantially altered in 1945, by Statutory Declaration. When the mother registered the birth she gave a false name, and gave details of the name and occupation of the father (correct, according to both the child's middle name and knowledge within the family). In the Stautory Declaration made by herself and her mother, she corrected her name, and removed all details of the father. The surname of the child therefore changed to her married name. The certificate is marked “Adopted”.

The father's distinctive name has enabled me to discover that he married someone else in 1944.

Several questions arise:

What might have prompted her to make such a declaration?

Would she have faced any penalty for giving incorrect information initially?

If I had ordered the revised certificate in the mother's married surname, would it also have the details of the Statutory Declaration, or would they be omitted from the revised certificate?

Hope someone can help.

scuda

[Olde Crone Holden]

The declaration was prompted by the adoption for several reasons. If a legal father exists, he must give consent to the adoption. As he was not the legal father because she was not married to him and he presumably did not acknowledge paternity then his name could be legally removed from the cert making the adoption process much simpler ( for the authorities that is).

Yes, she would have theoretically faced a penalty for giving false info but in these cases where adoption was to take place, a blind eye was turned and I don't think she would have been fined.

Once an amended birth cert is issued that is the only copy you can get. The issue here was not about false names it was about pretending to be married to the father.

As it happens, I have a friend who has three "birth" certificates issued in exactly the same situation as you describe. The third certificate is of course an adoption certificate. His was an inter family adoption, so the original certificate was retained by the family, although I don't think it should have been.

OC

[scuda]

Thanks OC, that's really helpful.

scuda