Stillbirth

A still birth , by definition is stillbirth a foetus or infant delivered without signs of life after 20 weeks or more of gestation. An infant that draws a spontanious breath , even only one, is not classed as stillborn.

Sadly, the subject is very emotive, and in past years, was not considered suitable for family conversations. Nowadays, thank goodness, we appear to be more sensitive to the grief of the parents.

There is a lady who runs a Stillbirth index (and a multiple birth index). We are searching for info on stillborn twins around 1920 and my sister wrote to her to see if she had any info. I am posting below some excerpts from her reply which several people may find interesting.

The lady is:- Mrs Teresa Williams 87 Pasture Road North Wembley Middx HA0 3JW

" My still-births index is an offshoot of my Multiple Births index, since so many multiple confinements included one or more stillborn children. "

" Unfortunately, before the Act of 1926 made provision for the registration of stillborn children from 1st July 1927, the only regulation which existed was the 1874 requirement for a declaration certificate of stillbirth to be obtained so that no child who had actually been born alive, but had died a short time afterwards, was buried as a stillborn delivery.

Prior to this such neo-natal deaths previously went unregistered because then the parent was liable for the cost of a Birth certificate AND a Death certificate.This cost must have been beyond many parents in the 19th century.

Some cemeteries maintain a list of stillborn children buried in their ground, but is is unusual for the actual plot to be marked,let alone a headstone errected.

It is probable that children were born at home possibly with a midwife present, rather than a doctor. If the children were prematurely stillborn, it is a very sensitive and 'grey' area as to what happened to the babies after their birth. Some midwives kept a record of every confinement they attended and sometimes a note would be made of a stillborn child, but not what happened to the baby. "

If they were full-term, it is just possible that there could have been a funeral, but almost certainly the parents would not have attended. Sometimes a stillborn child was placed in the coffin of an unrelated adult who was about to be buried, and although the sexton kept a list of such stillbirth burials by child's name, only he knew in which coffin the baby had been laid. "

There is no index of names of stillbirths (since 1st July 1927) available for researchers, and no copy of the Certificate issued upon Registration of the Still-birth is allowed to be made apart from exceptional circumstances, e.g., medical/genetic. A copy is available then at the discretion of the Registrar General. "

" It was because I kept seeing these pathetic notices in the Births columns of many national and local newspapers, especially in the second half of the 19th century, that I decided to start the Still-births index. These notices are often the only intimation that the woman had given birth, as before the 1874 Act of Registration of Births and Deaths, there were no regulations of any kind regarding stillborn children. "

" The Still-births Index is really reliant upon newspaper notices for its content, the exceptions being a notation in a Parish Burial Register, or the very occasional Sexton's list of cemetery burials for children. If you would like Mrs Williams to make a search for you, please write to her with as much information as you have, including addresses where possible, and enclose an SAE for the reply.

Obtaining Stillbirth Certificates

This is on the ONS site

Due to the sensitive nature of stillbirth registrations, the procedure for ordering a certificate of the entry differs from other types of certificates. We will only send out the application form after we have been contacted by phone or in writing by the mother or father (if he is named on the certificate). In cases where the parents are deceased, a brother or sister can apply if they can provide their parents’ dates of death.

The cost of the certificate is £7.

Phone: +44 (0)845 603 7788

Opening hours: Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm

Or write to us at:

General Register Office

PO Box 2

Southport

Merseyside