General Chat

I must have hit the wrong button. It didnt post. I wasnt thinking straight when I posted last night, either.

The actual Parish Registers dont have the signatures of the parents either as far as I can see. Your best bet, if the person is the head of the household in the 1911 census is to look at the image, as the head signed the page he had filled out. Can you see the 1911 census images?

Huia.

Well, if they married in London you might find the cert on the LMA records on Ancestry.

Likewise if they married in Medway / Gravesend areas you can see the original marriage certs on Cityark.

I think there are other sites for odd areas of the country so worth googling.

Jill

Birth certificates do say Signature, description and residence of informant in column 7, so in theory that person must have signed the actual book, I guess.

I have never seen an original register of births, but one would imagine that they might still be in a Registry Office archive.

Gwyn

Occasionally it is possible to find marriage certificates with the actual handwriting on them but only from the Register Office where the event was registered but even this is rare. There was a thread on the subject a year or so ago and a tiny handful of members were able to confirm they had.

It is most unlikely that you will be able to find a birth record with the actual handwriting on it, wherever you look. I have never heard of this at all.

Unless someone can advise to the contrary?

Hi,
Thanks for your replies,

I've bought the birth certificate already, but there is not a place for a separate signature, the whole of the details are written by the registrar. Also on all of the other marriage certs I have.

I will try the parish records .
Regards Pat

Of course, I didnt think of that, Gwyn. Come to think of it, I dont think they are the actual signatures on the certs that I have. Parish registers are a better bet.

Huia.

You can only see the index, and to see the actual cert you have to buy it, unfortunately, that is why it can be such an expensive hobby.

Huia.

If it was a church wedding and you knew the exact location, you should be able to view the marriage entry, either in the actual registers or more likely on microfiche at the archive / Record Office or main library which covers that area.
You can print copies from the fiche at very reasonable cost.
Births are registered at a Registry Office, which is a seperate place. Copies are not held at the Record Office. You may be allowed to view the original entry at the office where it was registered, but I don't know of anyone who has done this, so don't know if that is generally allowed.

In general, you cannot view certificates (other than above method) without buying them.

Gwyn

Hi All

Can anyone tell me, is it possible if one goes to the records office, to view actual certificates.
I would like to try to compare the handwriting on a marriage cert (Grooms signature) 1893 , to an informant on a birth certificate 1895.

Regards Pat