Can I apply to the GRO for a birth cert if I only have details of their child?

[Catservant]

I have a marriage certificate for the daughter of the people I’m looking for but there are several different possibilities of who their parents might be.

Can the GRO locate the correct birth certificates if I don’t know exactly who I’m looking for?

Thanks

[Girl Guide]

Let me get this straight - you have a marriage certificate of the daughter of the parents, yes?

If you wish to trace this daughter's parents you need to obtain her birth certificate.  That will give you her parents names.

Is the daughter still alive, if so you won't be able to give her name.  If she is deceased then we can help you.

Added - or are you talking about the daughter's grandparents?

[avm228]

The GRO won’t do research into who the parents of the daughter are. As has been said, you need to trace her parentage yourself and then apply for more certificates when you have enough information to identify the subject people.

[Catservant]

Thanks for your reply girlguide. I have a paper birth certificate and photo of marriage certificate for my grandmother Jane Elizabeth Riley.
She was born 26th Jan 1887 as Eliza Winn in St George North (east end of London). Her father was James Riley and mother was was Eliza Winn.
James and Eliza married on 28th July 1884 in the Parish of St Mark, Whitechapel, Middlesex, both aged 22. His father is listed as Thomas Riley and hers as Frank Wynn, a wire worker.
I would like to order the birth certificates for James and Eliza but it’s proving impossible because 1. Names are so common 2. I don’t know if they moved from elsewhere to London 3. Names are so often spelt differently on the various documents online. 4. frank went by Wynn and Winn, I think.
So could the GRO look these people up for me? I do t want to order the wrong certs. Thanks

[Catservant]

Thanks avm228. Will keep researching then. Can I actually visit anywhere to look at records. I only ask because I have devoted hours and hours to just these 2 peoplesand cant solve it. There are are possible Winns near Newcastle upon Tyne, the Midlands and East London and I do t know who mine are.

[avm228]

The GRO don’t do research. You order a certificate and they send it - that’s it.

I am sure we could help you narrow down the possibilities. Names may be common but using census dates and places there’s usually a limit to the number of candidates. How far have you got with tracing them in the censuses?

[Girl Guide]

As avm has said, the GRO won't do the research for you, you have to do that yourself and then obtain what you consider to be the correct certificates.

I'll have a look at the census records to see what places of birth are given for James and Eliza.

[mckha489]

She was born 26th Jan 1887 as Eliza Winn in St George North (east end of London). Her father was James Riley and mother was was Eliza Winn.

I don’t understand this, when GRO has

RILEY, JANE  ELIZABETH     WINN 
GRO Reference: 1887  M Quarter in SAINT GEORGE IN THE EAST  Volume 01C  Page 394

[Catservant]

The birth certificate definitely says January and birth registered in March, so the GRO record for the birth quarter must be wrong.