Does this mean that the original is at the local registrar's office and the one from the GRO would be a copy of the one sent from the registry office to the GRO?
Sorry for showing my ignorance
The GRO has no access to the original records, whereas the local register office holds the duplicate copy of the marriage register book, and the original Birth and Death Registers. In April, July, October and January, each registrar was to make a
true copy of all entries in his registers, since the previous copy was made, and was to pass that
copy to his superintendent registrar. The Superintendent Registrar was then required to send the certified
COPIES of the entries to the Registrar General, these copies are known as 'the quarterly returns'. It is these 'quarterly returns' that are used to make the GRO Indexes.
Some Register Offices provide photocopies from the duplicate marriage registers held by the Superintendent Registrar, and have the original handwriting. The copies you get from the GRO are from the copies of the original register, and this is where there is a potential for errors to happen.
Stan
