Premature birth

[Chasing Caseys]

I have found a death cert with cause of death premature birth at 7 months. He lived for 2 days before died. I cant find a birth cert as i suppose all the neccessary details are on the death cert. Can someone verify that there wouldnt have been a birth certificate ?.this is in Scotland by the way

[Peter Goodey]

I don't know about Scotland but the practice in England and Wales is that the birth should have been registered. But what should have happened and what actually happened aren't necessarily the same thing. The rules were sometimes followed in a pretty loose manner particularly in the early years of civil registration.

Bear in mind also that you really couldn't avoid registering a death although as we all well know, many births went unregistered.

[Chasing Caseys]

Bear in mind also that you really couldn't avoid registering a death although as we all well know, many births went unregistered.

Especially before 1855 in Scotland as ministers were breaking away from the Church of Scotland and setting up other churches and many records were not sent to GROS, if they were kept. (which explains why half of mine are missing or non existant.) This piece info being obtained from another site. But i will go back to scotlandspeople to double check. . Just thought i would see if anyone knew before i spent MORE money on there !

Thank you Peter

[Mary Young]

Especially before 1855 in Scotland as ministers were breaking away from the Church of Scotland and setting up other churches and many records were not sent to GROS,

Hi, Tracey, you have lost me here
Was your original inquiry about an infant birth and death, pre-1855 (in which case, I'm surprised you have a death certificate)?
Post-1855, any live birth should have been registered. With the death only two days later, the informant would usually register both at the same time.

[Chasing Caseys]

Hello Mary
No as Peter said ...............Bear in mind also that you really couldn't avoid registering a death although as we all well know, many births went unregistered................. and my response was ESPECIALLY before 1855 not meaning my question was pre that just in general as a lot of my births are missing pre 1855 hence the thing about the church.(But i have since been told that a death i have been looking for after 1851 but before 1861 may not have been registerd for tax reasons ? and none of us searching for years have been able to find it - yet !) But i have just spent my last credit finding the birth on S/P

[Mary Young]

i have been told that a death i have been looking for after 1851 but before 1861 may not have been registerd for tax reasons ?

Hi, Tracey
I am still floundering on this ... when did this baby die? why would you expect to find any death before 1855? Only the church sacraments (baptism and marriage) were usually registered, with the addition of birthdate in some parishes.

cause of death premature birth at 7 months.

This is really unusual! Usually you see "premature", occasionally e.g. "two months premature". I have never seen the gestation period used. Is this on an original death certificate, an extract from the Statutory Register, or sight of the Register page at scotlandspeople?

But i have just spent my last credit finding the birth on S/P

Guess you didn't find it?

[Geoffers]

I haven't had to use Scottish records, so my apologies if this is going completely up the wrong path. But as another alternative thought, could the birth just be registered as either 'male' or 'female' which is why you can't find it?

About 20 years ago, I hunted for ages for the known birth of a child (mentioned in a letter) without success; hit on the idea of searching for a 'male' plus surname and found two such births in the correct quarter, one of which was the entry I wanted.

Geoffers

[Chasing Caseys]

Mary

I am confusing you so .......i didnt say i EXPECTED to find a death pre 1855 just i couldnt find one between 1851 - 1861 which could mean anytime after 1855 to 1861. I was told this death may not have been registered for tax reasons. As i said in my first response this was in general.....not about the original question i posted - which i didnt put a year to - and if it was pre 1855 i wouldnt have asked.
I did find the birth i was looking for as i said i spent my last credit on S/P and the child in question was the only one born that year in that place of that name. The actual quote on the death certificate off S/P is............premature birth in 7th month.

Geoffers

Luckily for us searching in Scotland we have scotlandspeople which is much easier than searching in England as you can view the actual written entries and dont have to go through all that quarter thing then having to send off for the certificate to confirm or go to the records office. Scottish certificates provide more info than English ie parents names on death cert and all on line albeit for a fee but worth every penny. I only wish there was an English equivelant of it !

[Mythology]

Scottish certificates are indeed very good - unfortunately, though, one of my dim Essex girls who meandered up there evidently couldn't understand the accent, so gave the wrong information. She married a fish merchant, and they got around a bit, being in Dingwall when their first son was born. Fanny has trotted down to the register office to register the birth and, on being asked her *maiden* name has, instead, given her *middle* name!

[Chasing Caseys]

Hi Mythology

Well here,s another dim Essex girl of Scottish descent who still cant understand some of her family (thank god for email though some do mail in Glaswegian !) so i can sympathise with yours