Birth certs and the 6 weeks time frame given.

[dobfarm]

If you check some of the birth dates (Year) given  on the 1939 register some are registered quit a while later ( Well some of my ancestors were) my actual maternal granddad (not Gt granddad) was born 1866 in Nov and register in Feb by his mother (Not the registrar ? as it was supposed before 1874)

Granddad had mum ( he was aged 42) in 1908- Mum had me in 1950 ( she was aged 42)

[coombs]

And as mentioned, the amount of pregnant brides was astonishing when they got wed.

[coombs]

Quite normal for births (and occasionally deaths) to be registered in the quarter after they occur .... the high number is irrelevant ( a new register isn't started for each quarter).

I read on an old newspaper archive on FindMyPast that in Paddington, several births of children of immigrant families were not being registered in 1962. The registrars said that doctors and midwives notify them of births in the district. I found that unusual, as I though in 1962, registrars just took the informants word for it, and were not given new birth details from midwives and doctors in the district.

As you are a former registrar, were you given details by midwives and doctors of births occurring in the district? For example someone born in say 1980, I doubt the mother or father (or anyone present at the birth etc) would have to show a hospital note, etc, when registering the birth.

When my dad died in 2020 I gave him his birth details when I registered his death, but this was over the phone due to the pandemic, and the registrar said he had his coroners report records. I think they may require more proof now of births and deaths.

[AntonyMMM]

As you are a former registrar, were you given details by midwives and doctors of births occurring in the district? For example someone born in say 1980, I doubt the mother or father (or anyone present at the birth etc) would have to show a hospital note, etc, when registering the birth.

What the exact notification system was in the 1960s or 1980s I don't know, but I believe there was one   - currently midwives and maternity units update a computer system with the date/time/sex and mother's name of each child born - the registrars also have access to that system so they can confirm a claimed birth took place, and also follow up any births that don't get registered.

When my dad died in 2020 I gave him his birth details when I registered his death, but this was over the phone due to the pandemic, and the registrar said he had his coroners report records. I think they may require more proof now of births and deaths.

The pandemic temporarily changed some of the working practices for registration, but generally the word of the informant is what matters - there is no requirement to produce birth/marriage certificates when registering a death for example. You might be encouraged to bring such documents to the appointment, but they are not legally necessary.

[arthurk]

Our children were born in hospital in the early 1980s, and it seemed to be the usual practice for a registrar to visit the maternity unit once or twice a week to register the births.

I don't think we'd known about this in advance, or what information would be required, so with our first one, when the registrar came, my wife (not then into FH  ) had to ring me at work to confirm where I was born. With the second she was discharged before the next registrar's visit so I went to the register office a day or two later; I've a feeling I might have had some paperwork to hand over, but I can't remember for sure.

[AntonyMMM]

Registrars making regular visits to maternity units was a common thing for quite some time I believe... not done any more, as far as I know.

[coombs]

As you are a former registrar, were you given details by midwives and doctors of births occurring in the district? For example someone born in say 1980, I doubt the mother or father (or anyone present at the birth etc) would have to show a hospital note, etc, when registering the birth.

What the exact notification system was in the 1960s or 1980s I don't know, but I believe there was one   - currently midwives and maternity units update a computer system with the date/time/sex and mother's name of each child born - the registrars also have access to that system so they can confirm a claimed birth took place, and also follow up any births that don't get registered.

When my dad died in 2020 I gave him his birth details when I registered his death, but this was over the phone due to the pandemic, and the registrar said he had his coroners report records. I think they may require more proof now of births and deaths.

The pandemic temporarily changed some of the working practices for registration, but generally the word of the informant is what matters - there is no requirement to produce birth/marriage certificates when registering a death for example. You might be encouraged to bring such documents to the appointment, but they are not legally necessary.

Thanks. Nice to have a former registrar on here to ask such things. So it does seem there was some notification system at the time. I was on FindMyPast and looking up about the system of birth registrations and found this 1962 article from the Marylebone Mercury or Press where the registrars were told of new births in the Paddington district. 

[Glen in Tinsel Kni]

 At the time my daughter was born in the 1990's she was born at the maternity unit of the county hospital which was a different district to the one we lived in. In terms of birth registrations the district we lived in seemed to vanish after the local maternity unit closed and expectant mothers gave birth some distance away.
Years from now I wonder how many will be confused by that if they use the birth index as their source and don't apply for the actual certificates? Of course the district is now just the county name and as it's a big county then without the document it's like pinning the tail on the donkey, something I was never good at unless the blindfold hadn't been put on properly   

[iolaus]

As a community midwife I remember getting a phone call off a registrar asking if a baby had been born to a particular mother at home on a certain date

She'd gone to register the baby before we'd sent the notification