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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Topic started by: KPM on Tuesday 03 April 07 15:08 BST (UK)
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Hi
Was there a time limit for registering a birth? I am looking at someone born in 1871 who wasn't registered until 1872 (I think there may have been some confusion over the father!!) Although the delay was only a few months, I'm sure I remember reading somewhere that the birth had to be registered within a certain number of months - or have I just dreamed this up!!!!
KPM
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Hi KPM
I am pretty sure the limit was 6 weeks so infact a child born late November may appear in the GRO index for March quarter the following year
Hope this helps
Chris
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Hi Chris
Thanks for the info - She was born late November 1871 and registered 1st January 1872 which would have been just inside the 6 weeks.
Glad I didn't imagine it!!!!
Anne-Marie (KPM)
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See http://home.clara.net/dixons/Certificates/indexbd.htm
In the early days the parents had 3 weeks to register in and could not register at all after 3 months. After a while this was changed to 6 weeks to register in, a late registration could be made up to a year after the birth if the superintendent took the information and signed the register too, and registration could not take place after 1 year without reference to GRO.
Colin
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Hi Colin
Thanks for the link - I haven't come across this site before and it looks really interesting so I'm off to have a good read.
Thank you for your help
Anne-Marie
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See http://home.clara.net/dixons/Certificates/indexbd.htm
In the early days the parents had 3 weeks to register in and could not register at all after 3 months..
Colin
That is not correct! The wording of the 1836 Act is
XX. And be it enacted, That the Father or Mother of every child born in England after the said First Day of March, or in case of the Death, Illness, Absence, or Inability of the Father or Mother, the Occupier of the House or Tenement in which such Child shall have been born, shall, within Forty-two Days next after the Day of every such Birth, give Information, upon being requested so to do, to the said Registrar, according to the best of his or her Knowledge and Belief, of the several Particulars hereby required to be known and registered touching the Birth of such Child.
Stan
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Hi Stan
Thanks for that. This particular birth was registered after 6 weeks but I will remember for future reference the 6 weeks rather than 3.
Thanks again
Anne-Marie
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As to Registry after the Expiration of 42 Days from Birth of Child.
XXII. And be it enacted, That after the Expiration of Forty-two Days following the Day of the Birth of any Child it shall not be lawful for any Registrar to register such Birth, save as herein-after is next mentioned; provided that, in case the Birth of any Child shall not have been registered according to the Provisions herein-before contained, it shall be lawful for any Person present at the Birth of such Child, or for the Father or Guardian thereof, at any Time within Six Calendar Months next after the Birth, to make a solemn Declaration of the Particulars required to be known touching the Birth of such Child, according to the best of his or her Knowledge and Belief, and it thereupon be lawful for the said Registrar then and there, in the Presence of the Superintendent Registrar, to register the Birth of the said Child according to the Information of the Person making the said Declaration; and in every such Case the Superintendent Registrar before whom the said Declaration is made shall sign the Entry of Birth as well as the registrar, and for every such Registry as last aforesaid the Superintendent Registrar shall be entitled to have a Fee of Two Shillings and Sixpence from the Person requiring the same to be registered; and the Registrar, over and above the Fee herein-after enacted in respect of every birth registered by him, shall be entitled, unless the Delay shall have been occasioned by his Default, to have a Fee of Five Shillings from the person requiring the same to be registered; and no Register of Births shall be given in Evidence to prove the Birth of any Child wherein it shall appear that Forty-two Days have intervened between the Day of the Birth and the Day of the Registration of the Birth of such Child, unless the Entry shall be signed by the Superintendent Registrar; and every person who shall knowingly register or cause to be registered the Birth of any Child, otherwise than herein-before is last mentioned, after the Expiration of Forty-two Days following the Day of Birth of such Child, shall forfeit and pay for every such Offence a Sum not exceeding Fifty Pounds.
Births not to be registered after Six Months.
XXIII. And be it enacted, That after the Expiration of Six Calendar Months following the Birth of any Child it shall not be lawful for any Registrar to register the Birth of such Child, and no Register of Births, except in the Case of Children born at Sea, shall be given in Evidence to prove the Birth of any Child wherein it shall appear that Six Calendar Months have intervened between the Day of the Birth and the Day of the Registration of the Birth of such Child; and every Person who shall knowingly register or cause to be registered the Birth of any Child after the Expiration of Six Calendar Months following the Day of the Birth of such Child shall forfeit and pay for every such Offence a Sum not exceeding Fifty Pounds. http://www.histpop.org/ohpr/servlet/Browse?path=Browse/Legislation%20(by%20date)&active=yes&treestate=contract&titlepos=0
Stan
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Of course, if you didn't register the birth within six weeks, you massaged the date of birth to make it fit.
I have a baptism on 16th March which states the DoB as 25th January ... however, when the birth was registered on 31st March, the DoB was given as 20th February.
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Hi Stan
Thank you for the info
Geoff - I think this may be the same with my relative - she was born on the 21st November and registered on the 1st January - 41 days later.
This does actually make sense - this particular relative led a very colourful life and I think she also massaged the dates to make it look as if the man named on the birth cert really was the father (I don't think he was!) I wonder if the poor man ever knew he'd been duped!!
Anne-Marie
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See http://home.clara.net/dixons/Certificates/indexbd.htm
In the early days the parents had 3 weeks to register in and could not register at all after 3 months. After a while this was changed to 6 weeks to register in, a late registration could be made up to a year after the birth if the superintendent took the information and signed the register too, and registration could not take place after 1 year without reference to GRO.
Colin
I am concerned at the erroneous information given on this site as does not give the facts as set out in the 1836 Act. It was always 42 days and six months NOT three weeks, three months and a year.
Stan
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Thanks for that Stan - I will make sure I check out any facts from this site before relying on them.
Anne-Marie
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I am concerned at the erroneous information given on this site as does not give the facts as set out in the 1836 Act. It was always 42 days and six months NOT three weeks, three months and a year.
Stan
Hello Stan
You can email the site owner, Barbara Dixon; see this page:
http://home.clara.net/dixons/Certificates/bmdemail.htm
Colin
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See http://home.clara.net/dixons/Certificates/indexbd.htm
In the early days the parents had 3 weeks to register in and could not register at all after 3 months..
Colin
That is not correct! The wording of the 1836 Act is
XX. And be it enacted, That the Father or Mother of every child born in England after the said First Day of March, or in case of the Death, Illness, Absence, or Inability of the Father or Mother, the Occupier of the House or Tenement in which such Child shall have been born, shall, within Forty-two Days next after the Day of every such Birth, give Information, upon being requested so to do, to the said Registrar, according to the best of his or her Knowledge and Belief, of the several Particulars hereby required to be known and registered touching the Birth of such Child.
Stan
The crucial part of the statement above are the words "on being requested to do so" In the early days it was the responsibility of the registrar to seek out the new births. It only later became the responsibility of the parents.
David
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Registration was compulsory in the case of the Registrar. The onus was on him to collect births and deaths and he could be fined for failure to register them. In carrying out his duties the parents were compelled, under the Act to supply the information when asked. The registrars also had an incentive to register as they were paid for the entries viz. for the first Twenty Entries of Births and Deaths in every Year which he shall have registered, whether the same be of Births or of Deaths indiscriminately, Two Shillings and Sixpence each, and One Shilling for every subsequent Entry of Births or Deaths in each Year.
In fact two registrars were jailed for fraudulent entries. In one case births and the other births and deaths.
Stan