Error on Death Certificate

[Elizabeth Herts]

I have just received my grandmother's death certificate. Although I knew when she died (1974) as I remember it well, I wanted it for the full set!

When I ordered it from the index, I noticed that they had put her forenames as "Muriel May" instead of "Muriel Mary".

They have sent me the certificate, which looks like a photocopy, with the names "Muriel May" typed on it. As my aunt notified the death, it is unlikely she would have got her mother's name wrong!

They sent the mauve form with it. I had written "Muriel Mary" on my application and not "Muriel May" and they have put in the "Checking Point/Reference" box "AFN=Mary". (I assume AFN is alternative first name). They have ticked the name Mary in biro.

So it looks as though they know her name is Muriel Mary.

Would you assume the original was issued in the wrong name? I would imagine the first copy was hand-written, and given to my aunt, but it was typed up incorrectly. Would you think that was the case.

[Jessbowbag]

They dont 'know' anything, except what they are told!

I wonder if th R in Mary was feint on the index & went unoticed, hence May?

have you checked her other certs- birth & marriage? is she May or Mary there?

[JayG]

I've got original certs from the 1960's & 70's which are typed.

Your aunt may of given the incorrect name or she thought her her was May. This has happened in my family & from posts i've seen oh here others too.

I would contact the local RO & double check their register.

[dicole]

Birth Death and Marriage certificates, and parish registers, are only as accurate as the people giving the information and writing it up.

Have you checked her birth certificate to see if she was, in fact, registered as Muriel May, either by design or accident ?

My grandmother always thought she was registered as Eleanora and that was what was to be registered for her death, and no, she was registered at birth as Eleanor. So her death had to be registered as Eleanor... it caused no end of problems.

Someone misread my fathers writing and typed EOCLES as my mothers maiden name on my birth certificate - it took 50 years before anyone decided that the O was not a C just running into the next C, so I had to go and get the birth certificate amended !! If I had never applied for a passport, no one would ever have noticed it and made it right, and I don't know if there would have been a problem later......

[Uncle John]

They have sent me the certificate, which looks like a photocopy, with the names "Muriel May" typed on it. As my aunt notified the death, it is unlikely she would have got her mother's name wrong!

If it looks like a photocopy (greyish background in the relevant area of the certificate) then it will be a scan of the original. So the error is on the original (either informant's or registrar's error).

[Little Nell]

My Uncle got his father (my grandfather)'s birthplace and birth year wrong on his death cert.

[Elizabeth Herts]

I have all my grandmother's certificates - she was definitely Muriel Mary!

I have her will as well - Muriel Mary on that.

My aunt died just before Christmas, so I can't ask her now. Perhaps I will contact SW Surrey and ask them. I did wonder if my mum had the original or a copy, but it was the one thing I couldn't find.

[jebbo]

My aunt was born Hilda Ada and yet on her death cert its recorded as
Ada Hilda , her husband is listed as informant
and yes everyone called her Hilda

Jebbo

[Elizabeth Herts]

I've just found a print-out from the London Gazette dated 6th June 1974 re Notices under the Trustee Act (concerning her estate), and she is given as Muriel Mary there.

I suppose it could have been a typo by the person typing the certificate. My aunt would have filled something in by hand, I assume.

[JBee]

My Mum always spelt her name with an "h" on the end but her birth reg was without. Her sil with exactly the same christian name always spelt hers without a "h" though her birth was registered with one. My mum had also knocked off a couple of years off her age on her wedding certificate and ultimately this error was compounded on her death cert. Needless to say no-one knew until I started this hobby.

As said before the info on a death cert is only as accurate as the information provided by the informant

[kylejustin]

i've had a similar problem with that. i couldn't find my 2nd great grandmother's birth.it took 6 months. i had father's name. and the only reason they found it was because i had the mother's maiden name of gebert.

she was registered as ammada victoire allmann, instead of amanda victoria altmann. my ancestors were of german descent, but in 1900, should have had australian accents.

she was on her mothers death cert as amunda victoria altman. but havn't had any problems since.though her sister was registered as henda blodwin, instead of linda blondina.

[Kit]

Elizabeth it may be that the registrar couldn't read your aunts handwriting, or in her grief she wrote the wrong thing, not intentionally though.

I will probably register my Dad's death incorrectly as I can never remember how to spell his name.

[Elizabeth Herts]

After looking at her birth certificate, I can see what might have happened:

If you write "Mary" the r and the y can almost look like one letter. However, it is definitely "ry" and not "y". I know that it's "ry" and that she was Muriel Mary, but to someone who didn't know her name you could quickly read "May" and not "Mary".

[Kath nr the Crooked Spire]

My great grandmother's death certificate gives the informants name as Thomas her father in law but her f i l s name was William, her husband was Thomas. I'm sure I have the right certificate although I pondered over it for a while, then just put it down to human error.

[Lindag]

My OH's grandfathers death cert has his date of birth wrong. It has the date his birth was registered rather than the birth date. I have wondered if he lived his whole life thinking he was born in January instead of December. Mind you, the informant is down as Thomas William but he was named at birth as William Thomas although he was known to my OH as Uncle Tommy. Then we've got the surname, spelt Glasbey on the birth certificate but Glasby on the death certificate. Sometimes makes me wonder just how we manage to find the correct certificates.


Linda

[Guy]

Did you get the certificate from the LRO or GRO?
If from the GRO it is a transcript of the certificate written or typed by the local Registrar.
The GRO does not have original certificates.

The most likely reason is a typo has been made in transcribing the original certificate.
Cheers
Guy

[Elizabeth Herts]

Guy - I got it from the GRO. I was wondering if that could be the case.

If I contacted the LRO could they look at the original?

Thanks for your input.

[lizzy]

My father in law's name was spelled as Sydney on his birth cert and Sidney on his death cert, never seen his marriage cert so don't know how he spelled it then!

[Joan of Archives]

I think death certs are really susceptible to incorrect details being recorded.
For instance there is always the chance the informant didn't know the deceased very well, or their grief made them confused or even maybe they had so much to do arranging everything that a mistake was made

OH's father had to register his f-i-law's death. He was born Charles Joseph but ended up being registered as Charles Joshua instead. I wouldn't mind but Charles Joshua was OH's great granddad's name & he is the one we can't find the birth for with any certainty, lol!!

:D