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Viewing Birth, Death or Marriage Certificates

ProfilePosted byOptionsPost Date

mgnv

mgnv Report 21 Jan 2021 10:43

From 1837q3 on, normally births and deaths were registered in the local subdistrict office.
At the end of each quarter, a copy of that quarter's Bs & Ds was made in each subdistrict, and taken to the district office.
After checking the copies, they were sent to the GROhead office in London - later moved to Southport.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/778120/Birth_certificates_leaflet_Web.pdf
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/778111/Death_certificates_leaflet_Web.pdf

If you look at these annotated examples of b.certs and d.certs, you will see the certificate you get is a certified copy of a certified copy of a register entry kept at some rego office.
The GRO also sells uncertified copies of older certs where the image hasn't been put on the special certificate form.
You can also buy BMD certs from the local rego office that now holds the appropriate rego.
Here the cert just says it's a true copy of the entry in the rego held by the rego office.
(The cert you get will usually be a copy made for you as most local offices lack the ability to put images of their rego's onto certificate forms.)
Completed rego's were kept at the local district office. They might be moved by subsequent RD changes - e.g., all the Kentish RDs (except the Medway towns and the London boroughs) are now held by Kent RD.

Marriages are a bit different.
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/778094/Marriage_certificates_leaflet_Web.pdf
Pre-1898, only the established church (C of E, or Cof W), jews, quakers and registrars were authorized to keep official marr rego's.
If you had a non-conformist marr, then a registrar had to attend with his official rego for the couple to sign to complete the ceremony.
After 1898, non-conformist could apply to be authorized to keep an official marr rego, and after abt 5 y, pretty much everyone who wanted was approved.
(RCs chose not to apply until 1980-ish).
At the end of each quarter, the vicar sent in that quarter's marrs, and the local RD kept an identical copy of each church's rego,
and also sent each church's quarterly marrs to the GRO. One can buy an m.cert from the GRO, the local RD or from the church (if it's in their current rego).
Completed church rego's are sent to some archive - usually the county records office.

Some county records offices have their parish rego's online, so maybe one can seee an image (which will have original signature on it)


Here's one free example
https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/list/?fcs=region%3AUNITED_KINGDOM_IRELAND&ec=region%3AUNITED_KINGDOM_IRELAND
England, Manchester, Parish Registers, 1603-1910

supplemented with a transcription from https://www.lan-opc.org.uk/



Marriage: 21 May 1872 St James the Apostle, Bolton, Lancs.
William Cliffe - 41 Clerk Widower of 1 Cooper's St
Elizabeth Ann Bottomley - (X), 44 Milliner Widow of 1 Cooper's St
Groom's Father: Thomas Cliffe, Gentleman
Bride's Father: Thomas Blagden, Farmer
Witness: Joseph Bullough; Elizabeth Forest, (X)
Married by Banns by: T.T. Berger Vicar
Register: Marriages 1872 - 1894, Page 1, Entry 1
Source: LDS Family Search

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6B1S-Z79?wc=M6FH-16D%3A143838901%2C146436201%2C146436202&cc=1788853

We can also go back pre-1837

Marriage: 4 May 1752 St Peter, Blackley, Lancs.
William Hanson - Cordwainer, Ripponden in the Parish of Halifax in the County of York
Eleanor Fielden - Spinster, Manchester in ye County of Lancaster & Diocess of Chester
Married by vertue of a license granted by ye Revd. Mr. Shrigley Chaplain of ye Parish Church in Manchester Surr. by: Edwd. Hulton Minr.
Source: Private Transcription

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6549-4KB?i=80&wc=M6FH-BM9%3A143838901%2C146278101%2C146316401&cc=1788853



In this final example, the m.cert image is not online, but a transcription of the regiister entry is.

https://www.ukbmd.org.uk/local_bmd
Lancashire Marriage indexes for the years: 1840
Surname Forename(s) Surname Forename(s) Year Church / Register Office Registers At Reference
MCCANN Patrick HEATON Hannah 1840 Wigan, Register Office or Registrar Attended Wigan & Leigh ROW/1/144

Marriage: 7 Jan 1840 St John RC, Wigan, Lancs.
Patricium McCann -
Hannam Heaton -
Groom's Parents: Samuelis McCann, de Drogheda in Hibernia & Bergittae
Bride's Parents: Danielis Heaton, de Comtu. Carloviensi in Hibernia & Hannae
Witness: Edwardo Diamond; Birgitta Smith
Married by: T. Dilworth M.A.
Register: Marriages 1837 - 1840, Page 53
Source: Original register at LRO

This parish rego entry is obviously quite different from a standard official rego entry.
It is Latinized, with case endings - case endings existed in Anglo-Saxon, but have almost vanished in modern English
(although theystill exist in personal pronouns).
One can guess most names, except James appears as Jacob, and William (or Gwilam) appears as Guillame.

This entry was very useful as it identified where in Ireland, Patrick's family came from, and my wife was descended from Patrick's brother, George.

Shirley~I,m getting the hang of it

Shirley~I,m getting the hang of it Report 18 Jan 2021 13:28

I would really hope not!

Birth records are private and shouldn’t be freely looked at

Sometimes a baptism will show parents and actual birth date if noted by the vicar but apart from that it’s personal info

ErikaH

ErikaH Report 17 Jan 2021 15:34

Don't use GR for research - it's far from being the best.

GR charges 5 units to view BMD indices (NOT certs).................freebmd is FREE

What is the time-scale for the records you are trying to access?

There are numerous other sites - many of them free - which carry more detailed info for early records

Give us some names and dates, and we'll try to help - or, at least, steer you in the right direction.

BMD certs cost £11.00 from the GRO - PDF versions of births for certain dates and for deaths (NOT marriages) are available from the GRO website at a lower price.

https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/indexes_search.asp

KathleenBell

KathleenBell Report 17 Jan 2021 15:15

You use the reference numbers you refer to (district, volume number and page number) to order certificates.

Only order from the GRO:-

https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/login.asp

I think they cost £11 at the moment (although I haven't ordered one for some time). You can get pdf copies of some certificates at a slightly cheaper price. This is the cheapest price anywhere.

Don't use other websites as some of them charge a fortune.

Some images from very early parish records are online.

If you give the names and dates of what you are looking for someone will try to help.

Kath. x

Mel Fairy Godmother

Mel Fairy Godmother Report 17 Jan 2021 15:03

Not unless the order the cert. If it is an older one if you give us the details soemone may be able to look up a baptism or find the mothers maiden name.

Neil

Neil Report 17 Jan 2021 14:53

Is it possible to view actual BDM certificates on the Genes Reunited site?

I have found some very simple information which is a scan from a reference book.
There are references lists for example Volume number page number and line number is it possible to see these references?

Regards
Neil