Problem with GRO online site

[m23to53]

Fellow researchers and I have found that from 1924 the mother's maiden name has disappeared from the GRO online birth's index. I queried it with GRO and their reply was a standard letter on how to report errors! Has anyone heard anything about this ?

regards
John

[Dundee]

Mother's maiden name does not show for births less than 100 years ago if you just search with a surname, however if you know the name and put it in the maiden name field when you search it will show in the search results.

Debra 

[m23to53]

Wrong, as I just found mother's name for various years in 19th century. I know the printed index does not show mothers' name before 1912.
If you know the mother's name, it appears if you search a year and person plus the mother's name, but if you do not know the name and are looking for it,  you are out of luck.

John

[Glen in Tinsel Kni]

Your reply above appeared as I was typing mine so I've deleted my initial response.

What you have highlighted is the result displayed is dependant on the search criteria used. My mother was born in 1924, searching her name without a maiden name displays the birth record without a maiden name displayed. Searching with the maiden name displays a result with the maiden name displayed. It's been that way ever since the site was launched.

[CaroleW]

From the September qtr 1911 mothers maiden name is shown on the GRO index plus freebmd/Ancestry etc so any births post 1912 don't necessarily need GRO online

[Dundee]

Wrong, as I just found mother's name for various years in 19th century.

Can you give an example for births from 1924 onward?

if you do not know the name and are looking for it,  you are out of luck.

Just use FreeBMD and then double check on the GRO as they use different rules for indexing.  If a birth registration was different in some way they can sometimes be tricky to find on the GRO.

https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/search.pl

Debra 

[rosie99]

If I remember correctly when we could first access ‘gro’ online index they did show mothers maiden surname against births for those under 100 years old but this information was later removed. 

As mentioned you can see this information on freebmd.

[CaroleW]

if none of the above replies solves your query - it may be better to post details of who you are looking for & what you already know about them

My sister was b 1929 - freebmd shows mmn.  GRO online doesn't.  I was b 1946 so am on freebmd but not GRO online as they stop at 1934

[Jebber]

The GRO have a 50 year gap between 1934 and 1984, you have to use Free BMD or one or the other sites for the gap years. More recent onee can be found but, as has already been said,  will only show the mother's maiden name if you already know it and can enter it in the search box.