General Chat

I recently received a marriage certificate from GRO and it's completly wrong, so have to send it back but thought I would record detailes just incase it was of use to anyone.
Walter Cosford & Nellie Forester 1915 South Norminton, on the cert it say Derby but on the index it say Nottingham as I don't know the area I can't say which.
Please pm me if anyone would like all the details.
Gill

Hi PigletsPal
I had given them alot of checking points and said if they didn't match I didn't want it eg I said fathers trade was Potters Figure Maker the one they sent me was an Architect abtit differant you will agree, so I rang and complained and they agreed so have refunded my card and sent me a stamped addressed envolope to send it back.. I knew this time it wasn't my fault. lol
Gill

If you ring and ask for a search it takes about 3 weeks but they will check three years for you and if they don't find the one you want with your checking points,they will refund the full amount but you have to ring or email, you can't use the form on the GRO site.
Gill

It's only if you have the ref they want accept checking points, I just explain on the phone that I have a possible marriage but the people are in the wrong place or somthing like that a round say 1915 they check it out and a year ether side, I have done it lots of times over the last few months, never had a problem before, till this last time.
Gill

They will do checking points if you dont quote a GRO ref, Otherwise if you give a GRO ref thats the cert you get.

Thats about the size of it Shirley. I thought it was common knowledge didn't you?

No
I knew about the ref being the one you got,



but no,I didnt know that!! about using the no ref. route.

Hi Gill
Well they didnt make it clear when they put up their prices, For a long time I thought checking points were no longer done. It was only when I said that on a thread that i was told i was wrong and they would do it if no GRO ref quoted . costs a bit more though doesnt it ?? ie an extra £3 for the checking ??

Really though if they take the extra money they should supply the right cert or refund all of the money

I have not ordered without a reference but I think that I will in future.

How much does it cost to order a birth, death or marriage certificate online?

Standard service

Full certificate with GRO index reference supplied £9.25
Full certificate without GRO index reference supplied £9.25

Hi All
Know it doesn't cost any more £9.25,and you get £9.25 back
Gill

seems best then if you sure of details s to order without the GRO ref and do checking points to ensure you get the right cert. Seems a backwards step to me by the GRO

The only thing is if you do it that way you have to wait 3 weeks, I only do it when I am not at all sure I have the right person generally I go to the local office where the event took place, I had a birth to find a couple of months ago on all census the child was Emily Forrester,couldn't find her birth so rang the GRO told them what I new, and they found it she was Sarah Emily took just under 3 weeks but well worth it,then I managed to find her marriage.

For many years I have always used the Register Offices the cert was lodged with and never had a problem, they have on several occasions rung me to check where there has been an error entered eg. correct father's occupation but wrong christian name of father.

The only time I used GRO was a few months ago for two certs and both were wrong and I did not quote a ref only year and gave checking points.
So I have reverted to my trusted and tried method!

Hi Chris.
Yes I agree with you,however there are times when you just don't know specially with a marriage I think, the family I am looking at in depth at the moment were Salvation Army people, some of them were Vicars,so they moved about a lot. I found one born in Newcastle Staffs parents still there however she marries in London, I would never have been sure of that without a search from GRO.
Gill

Nudge for evening researchers

Gill, this is from Julia of Derbyshire

I cannot post on threads at the moment as my subs have run out, but can read PM's. Gail, you may not have the wrong certificate after all. I know the area of South Normanton quite well. It has, and has had for many years, what I would call a 'floating border'. That is to say that, sometimes it is classified as Derbyshire and sometimes of Nottinghamshire. It is the same nearly everywhere these two counties merge. Indeed, in the little township next where I live, it is definitely Derbyshire, but for postal reasons it has a Nottinghamshire postcode and always has had from before I was born. (No Victoria was not on the throne at the time, although I can remember the Bun Pennies.) I hope this will be of a little help to you, in your research.

Hi Chris & Julia
Many thanks for that I only mentioned the two counties as a help to anyone who thought the cert maybe of use to them, the cert is not my family definitely .
However I am pleased to have cleared that mystery up. I just wish the info was of some use to someone, I will just keep nudging it every so often, In the hope someone sees it. Maybe put a postem on free bmd
Gill

The GRO were forced to withdraw the checking facility as it transpired they were in contravention of the law by charging for the service, and they felt unable to provide it for free.

However, there is a workaround, which has been touched on above, as follows:-

Do not quote the GRO reference and enter the date of the event as 01/01/yyyy, The GRO will do a search over a period of three years, either side of the year that you have quoted, based on the other criteria you have entered. You receive a full refund if the cert is not found.