Author Topic: Re-registered birth  (Read 3754 times)

Offline skb

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Re-registered birth
« on: Tuesday 30 November 04 12:46 GMT (UK) »
I applied for a birth certificate for a child born in 1909 using the reference from freebmd. What I received was a certificate with a different reference. It is obviously the correct person, born 1909, but re-registered in 1927, probably to legitimise him.

I believe that when this happens, the original registration entry is "closed".

Does anyone know:
1. Is it possible to see the original entry?

2. Is it likely to tell me anything I don't already know? (Could details such as father's name be changed)

3. If it was re-registered because of illegitimacy, did the father have to provide any evidence of paternity?
Byers (Salford & London)
Stringfellow (Salford & Chorley)
Holmes (Manchester & Birmingham)
Goulding/Golden (Birmingham & Lincolnshire)
Bassett (Manchester & Salford, Staffordshire)
Child (Lincolnshire)
Belshaw (Salford)
Hallsworth (Eccles & Salford)
Vernon (Bury & Chapel en le Frith)

Census information is Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Offline GreySquirrel

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Re: Re-registered birth
« Reply #1 on: Tuesday 30 November 04 13:00 GMT (UK) »
This is quite common, skb.

The original entry will not be produced in certificate form (and this is currently the only way to see a register entry using the national system at the GRO) because it is no longer current, having been overtaken and supplanted by the later re-registered. So no, you could not be issued a copy of the original cert.

Depending upon how alert the local district registrar is and how joined up their records are, however, you might be able to "innocently" apply for a copy of the 1909 cert from the local registrar and be issued with it. The usual reason for re-registration is legitimation of an earlier illegitimate birth (usually but not always following marriage), so you may find that the field for father's name is blank in the original, if you ever get to see it.

For the mother to add the father's name to the birth cert at re-registration, he would have to be present or consent, but not to provide evidence of paternity (indeed, how could he do so at that date, pre-DNA testing?).

Offline skb

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Re: Re-registered birth
« Reply #2 on: Tuesday 30 November 04 17:45 GMT (UK) »
Thanks for the info Greysquirrel.

So I assume a chap could just turn up and say "I'm the father"?

Then again, perhaps at that time no self respecting man would knowingly claim someone else's child.
Byers (Salford & London)
Stringfellow (Salford & Chorley)
Holmes (Manchester & Birmingham)
Goulding/Golden (Birmingham & Lincolnshire)
Bassett (Manchester & Salford, Staffordshire)
Child (Lincolnshire)
Belshaw (Salford)
Hallsworth (Eccles & Salford)
Vernon (Bury & Chapel en le Frith)

Census information is Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk