The GRO birth indexes include all of England and Wales. Each entry is entered in alphabetical order, annually and then in the relevant quarter – March, June, September, December. All births registered between 1 January and 31 March are included in the March quarter; between 1 April and 30 June in the June quarter; between 1 July and 30 September in the September quarter; and between 1 October and 31 December in the December quarter. After 1984 the registers are arranged annually and not on a quarterly basis. An appropriate index reference number is also provided, which is the key piece of information needed to order the certificate. From the September quarter of 1911 the maiden name of the mother was also included in the index entry.
The actual certificates provide the following information:
• Where and when born: The precise date and location of the birth; if the exact time is given it signifies that it was a multiple birth (possibly twins or triplets). In this case you may wish to search for the other sibling(s), who should have the same surname and registration reference.
• Name (if any): This should be the full name given, including any middle names (the index will only give the initials of any middle names given). Some parents would change the name (this was allowed up to one year following registration). In such a scenario both the original and the altered name should appear. Sometimes a birth would be registered even though no first name had been chosen. This explains the ‘if any’ in brackets on the certificate. In the indexes there are also entries at the end of surnames for ‘male’ or ‘female’, used when the first name had yet to be decided.
• Name and surname of the father: The full name of the father.
• Name and maiden surname of the mother: The full name of the mother, including her ‘former’ (maiden) name; this last piece of information is particularly useful when trying to trace the maternal line further back. You may also find evidence of a prior divorce in this section too.
• Rank and profession of father: This provides the occupation of the father. This is a good genealogical clue, determining the social status of your ancestor. You may also be able to use this piece of information to search for employment records for your ancestor. Bear in mind, however, it would not be that uncommon for people to ‘inflate’ the status of their occupation.
• Signature, description and residence of informant: This is the individual who registered the birth. In most cases it would be the father, but not always. Sometimes there is a mark instead of a signature, indicating the informant was illiterate.
• When registered: The date the birth was officially registered; don’t forget, this could be up to six weeks after the actual birth, so if you think your ancestor was born in late March, June, September or December and can’t find an entry in the relevant quarter, it might be worth checking the indexes for the following quarter too.
• Signature of registrar: The name and signature of the registrar.
CASE EXAMPLE
Birth certificates
Bill Oddie’s story was one of the most poignant told on Who Do You Think You Are? as he wished to investigate the background to his mother’s ill health and rumours that he had a sister. The story of his missing sister was quickly established by tracking down his parents’ marriage certificate of 1938, establishing Bill’s mother’s maiden name (Clegg) and looking in the national GRO indexes for the birth of any children with the surname Oddie, mother’s maiden name Clegg, in the Rochdale area, where the family lived at the time.
A fairly quick search revealed that a Margaret J. Oddie, mother’s maiden name Clegg, was born in the March quarter of 1940. On ordering the certificate (above, left), her parents were listed as Harry Oddie and Lilian Oddie, née Clegg – the same as Bill’s. This therefore was his missing sister, and a further search of the death indexes showed that she had died as an infant the same quarter, explaining why Bill never knew about her existence.
Marriage Certificates
A marriage certificate is the official record of when and where a marriage took place, in addition to the record that would have been compiled in the relevant religious institution (a parish register, for example; these have been kept since the sixteenth century, and continue to be compiled today – see Chapter 7 for more details). They are a particularly rich source for the genealogical researcher as they give lots of clues for various ancestors. As mentioned above, from 1837 onwards, marriages of individuals of the Church of England, along with Jews and Quakers (where buildings were licensed to hold marriages), were recorded by the priest or responsible clerk and sent to the General Registrar’s Office in London. For other non-conformists, the local registrar recorded the marriage. This requirement was relaxed in 1898 and an ‘authorized person’ from other religious denominations could also record this information and send it forward to the appropriate bodies.
It is important to remember the age of consent before conducting a marriage search. In 1929 it was raised to 16 years for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Prior to this it had been 14 for boys and 12 for girls. In the Republic of Ireland the age of consent was only raised to 16 in 1975, having been kept at the ages of 14 for boys and 12 for girls until then. It’s worth bearing these ages in mind when searching for marriage certificates, making sure you search back far enough. The age of consent, however, differs from the legal age at which people could marry without parental consent, and in England and Wales this was 21 until 1969, after which it was reduced to 18 – though in Scotland it is as low as 16.
The GRO indexes include an entry for both the bride and the groom. If you know the names of both parties who were married it is advisable to search for the least common surname. The registers are arranged annually and then on a quarterly basis. They are then indexed alphabetically by the surname and then forename of the bride and groom. From the March quarter of 1912 the surname of the spouse is also given. Lastly there will be a numerical reference for the marriage.
The actual certificate will provide the following information:
• Above the columns there will be a section stating exactly where the marriage took place (which church or other place) and in which parish and county. This is very useful as it can indicate whether your ancestors were non-conformists or not.
• When married: The exact date the marriage took place.
• Name and surname: The full names of both parties getting married.
• Age: The given age of the bride and groom; it is important to note that these may not be entirely accurate. It was not uncommon for people to state that they were simply of a ‘full’ age or even a ‘minor’ age. Prior to 1969, full age would be someone aged over 21 years and a minor anyone younger than 21. Thus it could be problematic working out the exact ages when trying to find the birth records of these people. Also, it was not uncommon for people to lie about their age, depending on the circumstance. People under 21 may claim to be several years older to avoid the need for parental consent. Alternatively, older women marrying men significantly younger than them may give a younger age to minimize any potential scandal.
• Condition: This column states whether the marrying party was a bachelor, spinster or widow/widower. You may be surprised to find out that your relatively young ancestor was already widowed and marrying for a second time. However, mortality rates would have been significantly higher in the early period of civil registration and sometimes people lost their spouses quite soon after marriage, particularly in childbirth. Remarriage was therefore a viable practice, especially with young widowed men with small children who needed a maternal figure to look after them.
• Rank or profession: The occupation of the two parties is stated here. In the same way as with the occupation section in birth certificates, be aware of exaggerations