Genealogy Chat

Some people are listed as British subject due to parentage, I wonder if anybody knows why, as I believe they were born in Britain.

I've seen this before. I believe it is because people didn't quite understand the form (we've all been there haven't we!) and thought they needed to fill this in even if born in Britain.
Jan

I think it's because of the way it is worded:

State whether:
1) British Subject by parentage.
Or
2)Naturalised British subject, giving year of naturalisation.

It seems as if one has to declare one or the other.

Being born in Britain doesn't make one a British Subject.

Back then, one's nationality depended on the nationality of one's father, so if an unnaturalized resident Russian (say) alien fathered a kid born in London (say), then that child would be a Russian Subject under British law.

Neither was being born in the UK necessary to be a British Subject. There was even a 1920s UK prime minister who was born in the colony of New Brunswick (but his father was Scottish).

Thank you all

Prior to 1949

At common law, every person born within the dominions and allegiance of the English and later British Crown was an English or British subject. This meant that to be a subject, one simply had to be born in any territory under the sovereingty of the Crown

This all changed on 01/01/1983

Thank you x.x