Late Registration of a birth?

[Alic]

I have found on the scans of Birth Registers a birth in June 1950 for a person who I am pretty sure was born in December 1949.

Before I send for a (possible) wrong certificate, my question is: if a birth is registered late is there always a note referring to another entry in the "correct" quarter?

Many thanks for any advice/help with this.

Alic

[BumbleB]

Welcome to RootsChat 

The standard time for the registration of a birth was 42 days (6 weeks) after which time a penalty was paid.  However, it was not unknown for "dates of birth" to be altered by the parents in order to avoid the payment - my husband has at least one instance of this in his tree    However, that was back in the 19th century, BUT ..................

And to answer your question - the certificates are issued from information supplied by the informant, so ........ 

[stanmapstone]

The index is of when a birth was registered, not when the birth took place.
Stan

[Alic]

Thanks BumbleB and Stan for your replies.  As I understand it, the person concerned celebrated their birthday on 31st December.  So I suppose the question really is: if the Mother registered the birth during the June quarter of the following year, AND gave the date of birth as 31st December previous year, would there be a note in the (June) registers referring back to the December Quarter of the previous year?  And maybe a hand-written insertion in the December Quarter referring to the June Quarter of the following year?  Perhaps this is/was not always done?  I'll probably have to bite the bullet and send for the certificate!

Alic

[stanmapstone]

That would not happen. Think of all the births that took place within 6 weeks of the end of a quarter, and were registered in the next quarter. Also you had up to twelve months to register a birth.

Stan

[Alic]

Thanks Stan.  I had always thought you only had 6 weeks to register a birth.

Alic

[Nettie]

There are late registrations and then there are LATE registrations. My 72 year-old uncle by marriage had his birth registered only five years ago in Dublin.  His siblings had been registered in the late 30s and early 40's however there was no record of his birth ever being registered. (He was the middle of 5). He had to take his older brother and register the birth himself.  There was no fine.

[stanmapstone]

Thanks Stan.  I had always thought you only had 6 weeks to register a birth.

Alic

Under the 1874 Act you had up to three months, and a maximum of twelve months to register the birth;
2. Where a birth has, from the default of the parents or other persons required to give information concerning it, not been duly registered, the registrar may, at any time after the end of forty-two days from such birth, by notice in writing, require any of the persons required by this Act to give information concerning such birth, to attend personally at the registrar's office, or at any other place appointed by the registrar within his sub-district, within such time (not less than seven days after the receipt of such notice, and not more than three months from the date of birth) as may be specified in such notice, and to give information, to the best of such person's knowledge and belief, of the particulars required to be registered concerning such birth, and to sign the register in the presence of the registrar; and it shall be the duty of such person, unless the birth is registered before the expiration of the time specified in such requisition, to comply with such requisition.

5. After the expiration of three months next after the birth any child, a registrar shall not register such birth, except as in this section provided; that is to say, in case the birth of any child has not been registered in accordance with the Births and Deaths Registration Acts, 1836 to 1874, the registrar may, after three and not later than twelve months next after the birth, by notice in writing, require any of the persons required by this Act to information concerning the birth to attend personally at district register office,

7. After the expiration of twelve months next after the birth of any child, that birth shall not be registered except with the written authority of the Registrar General for registering the same, and except in accordance with the prescribed rules, and the fact of such authority having been given shall be entered in the register. http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1874/pdf/ukpga_18740088_en.pdf
Under the Act there was a penalty for none registration, but not for late registration.

See also Sections XXII and XXIII of the 1836 Act for registering Births, Deaths, and Marriages in England. 
XXII As to Registry after the Expiration of 42 Days from Birth of Child.
XXIII Births not to be registered after Six Months.
 http://www.rootschat.com/links/01f3/
Stan

[carol8353]

A Birth that shows as having been registered in the June 1/4 could have been registered on any day during April, May or June of course.