Sometime ago I was searching on the FreeBMD website for the birth record of a child whose parents were unmarried. When the result appeared, I clicked on the page number of the volume. This takes you to another webpage on which is recorded all the children who were born in that same Quarter and in the same Registration District.
This child had an extremely unusual combination of forenames and they appeared at the bottom of a list of about ten children. The child was clearly listed under the surname of its mother.
I was just about to leave this webpage when I noticed that the same unusual combination of forenames appeared near the top of the list – but with a different surname. As the double entry also appeared on the original images, I concluded that this was due to an error on the part of the Registrar.
However, I found an almost identical case last week, also in relation to a child born to unmarried parents in 1871.
I mentioned this in the Chatroom a few night’s ago and two of those present had had the same experience, but nobody appeared able to offer an explanation.
Can anyone provide an answer to this puzzle – for example, was it the surname of the unknown father, or could it be something to do with an adoption, agreed before the birth and the surnames ‘transferred’ during or after the ceremony?
Any help would be deeply appreciated!