UK BMD Registration Certificate Info
Genealogy Data on UK Birth, Marriage and Death Certificates
Aug 23, 2009
Civil registration of life events was introduced in England and Wales in 1837, under the umbrella of an Act of Parliament for Registering Birth, Deaths and Marriages in England. It came into force on July 1st 1837 and applied to England and Wales only. Similar Acts saw the introduction of registration for Scotland in 1855 and Ireland in 1864. The information on these certificates is a valuable resource for genealogists.
This article concentrates on the personal data available for family historians with respect to birth, marriage and death certificates for England and Wales only, using example certificates from those two countries as pictures. However, the same genealogical information will be found on vital record certificates for Scotland and Ireland as a minimum.
Birth Certificate Data for Genealogists
The first piece of data on a birth certificate gives details of the registration district, the sub-district, the year of registration and the county in which the birth was registered. Date of birth and address where the baby was born is next. The address may simply be the name of a village rather than a full postal address.
However, it should be noted that although the majority of birth dates given are correct, some may not be. Parents had 42 days to register a birth. If that deadline was missed, a birthday may have been slightly adjusted to compensate. The child’s sex, along with the name and surname of the father (though that may be omitted if the child is illegitimate) and mother, as well as her maiden name is shown next.
If this was the child’s mother’s second marriage, her name may be shown as “Jane Doe, formerly Smith, previously Jones”. Finally, the certificate gives details of the occupation of the father, the name and residence of the informant (usually one of the parents), the date registered and the name of the registrar.
Ancestral Information on Marriage Certificates
Marriage certificates are created at the time of the wedding. The year and place of the event is at the top and there is an indication further down as to whether the marriage took place after banns or by licence. The date of the marriage is given along with the names of the bride and groom, their ages and marital status.
The rank or profession of the happy couple is given, along with their residence at the time of marriage and the name and occupation of their respective fathers. Sometimes, if a father had died, the word “deceased” will be shown by his name. Signatures of the newly married couple are there as well as that of the vicar and the two witnesses that are required to be in attendance.
Death Certificate Information for Family Historians
A death certificate is not quite as much use to a genealogist as it generally shows little in the way of ancestral information but is useful for family historians as it gives the cause of death. The registration district and the sub-district and county where the event took place are shown first. Then come the date and the place where the death occurred.
The name, surname and sex of the deceased are shown next, along with age, occupation and cause of death. The signature, description and residence of the informant are indicated and this may give a little nugget of useful genealogical information if a relationship, e.g. niece, has been noted. Finally the date the death was registered and the name of the registrar is given.
Be Aware of Errors on Vital Record Certificates
In the early years of registration, quite often the age at death is just a best estimate, particularly if the deceased had no close relatives. Marriage certificate details might include a little fabrication of the truth. A bride or groom may lie about their age in order to not have to prove there is parental permission for the union, or the name of a father may be made up if the bride was illegitimate.
A name given to a child on registration may not be the same as the child was known by all its life. It was quite common for parents to name a child after its father but call it by its middle name to distinguish between the two. That middle name was then often used as the first name of the child on subsequent census records and official documents.
So, whilst birth, marriage and death certificates are official records, it should be born in mind that, just like a computer, the accuracy of the information recorded is only as good as that provided by the informant. However, these certificates still remain a valuable source of information for genealogists and family historians.
Sources:
Times Digital Archive
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