Baptism or Birth cert. most accurate?

[Horsley2016]

Hello!

I have the birth certificate for Mary Ellen Kennedy. All details (Mother, Father, address etc) are correct. I also have the baptism records for this person. Family are often baptised in this church and again address, person details are correct.

However. The birth certificate says she was born 20th Dec 1878. Baptism records say 12th November 1878 - and baptised on the 24th November 1878 (before the alleged birth cert date!)

This person dies and is buried 'at 21 months' on 16th Sept 1880. (Confusingly but not related, their next child they name Mary Ellen and she is born in 1881!!)

Her Mother is illiterate and signs with an X - would the birth certificate really be wrong though?

Thank you!
Mx

[aghadowey]

You haven't said where the birth took place but perhaps there was a fee for late registration so informant adjusted the date of birth.
Equally possible the baptism record was incorrect. I know some clergymen would have baptised infants at home while visiting congregation, some made a note in a diary then added to church register at a later date. My great-grandmother (born 1850s) and many of her siblings were recorded twice in register (dates usually a few weeks apart).

[Sinann]

I have several of these, not at all unusual, also reusing names was very common.
I wonder if they were from a rural area they went into town to 'buy Christmas' and registered the baby at the same time, what date was the baby's birth registered.

[Horsley2016]

Thank you all.

Her Mother (Ellen Kennedy nee Shevlin) was born in Liverpool from a rural Irish family who came over to Liverpool by 1851. They have Mary Ellen and she's baptised at St Albans (where subsequent siblings tend to be.) Address on baptism records is the same as on birth certificate - Walmsley St. Her death notes which say she was 21 months would tie in with the birth certficate. However, if that were the case then she was baptised according to St Albans, before she was born!    The note re: a possible fee is interesting and I shall explore this further!

My logical head says the birth certificate must be wrong but....

Mx

[Rosinish]

My logical head says the birth certificate must be wrong but....

As previously mentioned, if the birth was registered after the given time (21 days I think) then to save having to pay a late registration fee they've obviously moved the date forward.

I'm sure many of us have similar records & this has been discussed on RC previously.

Annie

[Guy Etchells]

Yoy don't mention what records you are looking at for the baptism, was it the Parish Register or the Bishop's transcript, assuming that parish still sent Bishop's transcripts as late as that. Try accessing the other record and seeing if it tallies.
The other thing to do is to search through both the BMDs and the Parish Registers to see if there is another family of a similar name.
I would record both records and not make any assumptions even if I found other evidence to back it up.
Cheers
Guy

[JohninSussex]

Guy, I haven't checked and Horsley hasn't said, but if the family came "from rural Ireland", there's a likelihood the parish and the baptism was a Catholic one? So I don't think "bishop's transcripts" is a thing?

Does the birth certificate give the date when the registration took place?  That might give a clue about the circumstances.

[spendlove]

Hi,

Is this the Baptism record Liverpool 1878?

Mary Kenedy bpt 24th Sept 1878, born 12th Nov 1878.  Note no name Helen parents are Jacob & Helen nee Mcgrady of 29 Walmsley Street, Liverpool.

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/discoveryui-content/view/720635:2180?tid=&pid=&queryId=6e1ad873e49972bd1d35bf3ee7402008&_phsrc=HiV4&_phstart=successSource

Regarding the Birth Registration, what District and Quarter was this registered.  How does it spell Kennedy and what Christian names are given? Does it confirm mothers maiden name of Mcgrady?

Added
The only birth registration I can see which may match is for the March q 1879

KENNEDY, MARY  ELLEN       mothers maiden name =GRADY 
GRO Reference: 1879  M Quarter in LIVERPOOL  Volume 08B  Page 25

If this is the certificate you have then the registration was late!

[Girl Guide]

Deleted, info already provided!  Didn't see it