Birth record England 1904 Surname changed after birth legitimated by marriage?

[Berdie]

My query is about a birth record for a birth in Greenwich, England, in 1904.

Could the original Birth record have been changed such as if the birth was illegitimate and then there was a later marriage legitimating the birth? Could the surname on the record have been changed some time after the initial birth registration?
If there were changes would the changes be shown on the birth certificate?

For example, if a child was born, and the mother was unmarried, would the child then be registered with the mother's surname? If later the mother married, could the record have been altered to give the child the surname of the mother's husband?

Also, if the mother was not married to the father, could the child be given the surname of the father, even though the mother was not married to him at the time of birth?

The example is Violet Bowdidge had a daughter Vera in 1904. Vera's birth is registered in the GRO Index as Vera Hill. However Violet did not marry Mr Hill until 1909.

[Ruskie]

Welcome to rootschat Berdie.

Someone will correct me if I am wrong, but my understanding is that if the father was present at the registration, and admitted to being the father, then the child could be registered in his surname even if the couple were not married.

It is also possible that the couple fibbed (though this was an offence) or the registrar assumed they were married when they were not.

I note that Vera’s birth was not registered under the mother’s surname. If there were any changes to surnames, I think you would expect to see her registered as Bowdidge as well as Hill.

Do you have a copy of the birth certificate?

[Berdie]

No, I do not have a copy of the Birth certificate.  I want to know if alterations could have been made once there was a marriage. it might be that Hill was not the biological father and Violet met him some time later. Perhaps the only way to find out is to go ahead and order the certificate.

[Lady Di]

Hi Berdie

Welcome to Rootschat

I understand that any amendments made to an original birth cert would be noted on the cert and such amendment noted in the index. I haven't found any amendment so far.

Do you know where the Bowdidge/Hill marriage took place in 1909?

Do you know if Violet had any other children either before or after Vera?

Have you found any of these people on the 1901 or 1911 census?

Apologies - so many questions and not enough answers!
Di

[Berdie]

Violet and Vera traveled by ship to New Zealand in 1909. The passenger list on Family Search shows the arrival of Mrs V Hill and Miss V Hill, 25 Jan 1909. Violet then married Hill in New Zealand in 1909. They had a son in New Zealand in 1910. Violet is on the 1901 England census. The 1901 census is a bit early to show a relationship of Violet and Henry Hill, as Violet was born in 1884. Henry John Hill b.1880 was English although I have not found an arrival for him in New Zealand.

[mckha489]

What was Henry John Hill’s occupation?
And where did they end up?

[Berdie]

They ended up in New Zealand. He died in New Zealand in June 1915. I don't know his occupation.

[mckha489]

Don’t you have the marriage certificate?

So far I have found

A paper hanger, a farm hand, and a saddler arriving between 1904 and 1909 (assuming he was there for the registration of Vera and already here when the Vs arrived).

The farmhand  one is H. J. Hill arriving Lyttleton 1907

Added, but I see he died Wellington, so probably not the farmhand one.  (Correction there was a typo in that line)

[mckha489]

His uncle Mr Rigalsford was a Butcher. (Of Molesworth Street)