England and Wales Certificates

Birth Certificates

Birth Certificate Heading

The heading of the birth certificate will list the registration district (and any sub-district which applies) along with the county name. Many large registration districts have smaller sub-districts, a largely rural area may have several smaller sub-districts based around strategic towns. If you have an ancestor born in a small rural village don't be too suprised to find the birth registered in a district some distance away.

Image Copyright ONS; Birth Certificate Heading

Columns across the certificate

There are several columns across the certificate, each one has a different heading and information recorded within it. Information contained on a certificate is only as accurate as that given by the informant at the time, if you have a large collection of certificates then you may find the odd "discrepancy" somewhere. The image shows the column headings, a detailed explanation for each column is given below the image

Image copyright ONS; Column Headings

No.
In the first (extreme left) column the entry number and General Register Office (GRO) reference is given, if the certificate is issued by a local register office then the local entry number (not illustrated) will be recorded.

Column 1; Where and when born.
Used to record the place and date of birth. The earliest certificates had very little in the way of an address/place of birth recorded, often just a village or town name was entered, by the mid/late 1800's more precise address details were usually recorded.

Column 2; Name. This column is used to record any forename(s) of the child, not every child has been named by the parents and there are instances where the name may be recorded as "male" or "female".

Column 3; Sex
The gender of the child will be recorded in this column. Pre 1969 certificates will state boy or girl, post 1969 certificates will state male or female. It isn't unknown for this information to be incorrect.

Column 4; Name and surname of father.
An entry here depends on whether the parents of the child are a married couple or not.

Where the parents were married to one another, fathers details must be entered in the register and only one parent need sign the register at column 7,(this may be some some other informant).

If the parents were not married to one another then Column 4 (fathers' name) and Column 6 (his occupation) will be blank.

If the parents were not married to each other but both attended the register office together then details are entered in Column 4 and Column 6 and both parents should sign the register.
.

Column 5; Name, Surname and Maiden Name of Mother.

There are a few different combinations that you may see here, much depends on the marital status and marriages prior to the birth and the accuracy of the information given;

An unmarried woman should have her sole name recorded. eg "Jane Brown"<br.

A married woman should have her married and maiden name recorded. eg "Jane Smith formerly Brown"

If married more than once then the entry will record the previous married and maiden names. eg "Jane Jones late Smith formerly Brown"

Marriage Certificates

under construction

Death Certificates

under construction

Ordering a BMD Certificate

under construction