birth and death registrations

[wimsey]

I guess this is probably a dumb question.

Does a birth or death always have to be registered with the registrar closest to where the birth or death took place? I'm sure we all have examples of where a person was born or died away from the home locality, the certificate will say exactly where the event took place, but does it by law have to be the local registrar?

[Pam Downes]

Births, marriages, and deaths are supposed to be always registered in the district in which they took place.
And not just the district, but also the sub-district. See specifically paragraphs 4 and 5 in the section 'Birth certificate heading' of Barbara Dixon's (now archived) website.
https://web.archive.org/web/20161207...tes/births.htm

I often find it helpful to refer to the 'district information' page which is easily linked from FreeBMD by clicking on the name of the registration district. It tells you when a civil parish was in a particular district/county, and when it might have changed its name, etc. Takes a bit of getting used to, but once you've read the pages for two or three districts you begin to understand it better.

Pam

[wimsey]

many thanks for that.

I was just thinking about deaths, potentially a long way from home, it would then involve a family member making a special journey out to a place they possibly didn't know, to find the local registrar. But I guess they would be making that journey anyway to bring the body home (so to speak).

[Pam Downes]

Even today, although it's more usual, it doesn't have to be a relative who registers the death. One of hubby's relatives died in 1990 and he'd been estranged from his family for some years so it was a non-relative who registered the death.
Scroll down to 'Informant's details' in the death certificate section of the afore-mentioned Barbara Dixon's site.
https://web.archive.org/web/20161207...tes/deaths.htm

ADDED: Just checked the death certificate, and the 'qualification' of the informant was 'Causing the body to be cremated'. Usually the qualification is son or daughter, or similar relative. When it says 'causing the boy to be buried/cremated' I think it usually means that there are no known relatives. (Based on knowledge from hubby's relative and also from another circumstance I know about.)

Pam

[wimsey]

many thanks for that.

One of my great-grandfathers (born out of wedlock) had his birth registered on the Isle of Wight, although to the best of my knowledge his mother never lived on the Isle of Wight. Her sister (who did live on the island) both registered the birth and subsequently brought up the boy. So I guess I can be confident that he was actually born there.

[Megan Roberts]

My mother, who lived on Anglesey, died in a London hospital, and her death is registered in Tower Hamlets.

If a death results in an inquest it is always the coroner who is local to place of death, who conducts it, and who certifies the certificate.

[Lesley Robertson]

Don't forget that daughters were often sent elsewhere to have out of wedlock babies, not always to relatives. There were nursing homes and other institutions.
People who died away from family were often considered to have no known family (saved a lot of time) - they could be registered by someone from the hospital, home, or even whoever found the body (a neighbour, a policeman, etc).
One of my multi-greats fell out with his family over Church denominations, died in the Dundee Poorhouse "with no living relatives", even though he had daughters in the same county.

[wimsey]

Don't forget that daughters were often sent elsewhere to have out of wedlock babies, not always to relatives. There were nursing homes and other institutions.

point taken. Oddly, in the case of my great-grandfather, he was the last of his mother's children. She'd already had eight legitimately with her husband.

[AntonyMMM]

many thanks for that.

I was just thinking about deaths, potentially a long way from home, it would then involve a family member making a special journey out to a place they possibly didn't know, to find the local registrar. But I guess they would be making that journey anyway to bring the body home (so to speak).

Both births and (occasionally) deaths can also be registered "by declaration" which means giving the information to a registrar at any registration office (in England/Wales). The details are then sent on to the correct district where the actual registration takes place, but without the informant having to travel there at all.

The words "by declaration", or "per declaration" will appear under the informants name.

.. and the 'qualification' of the informant was 'Causing the body to be cremated'.

This qualification is often used when there is no close family available - it could be a friend or neighbour or sometimes a solicitor dealing with an estate. It should never be the funeral director.

Sadly, it is often the qualification shown for a registration by a co-habiting partner - if not present at the death it is often the only category they fit into.

[wimsey]

Both births and (occasionally) deaths can also be registered "by declaration" which means giving the information to a registrar at any registration office (in England/Wales) .... the details are then sent on to the correct district where the actual registration takes place, but without the informant having to travel there at all.

The words "by declaration", or "per declaration" will appear under the informants name.



This qualification is often used when there is no close family available - it could be a friend or neighbour or sometimes a solicitor dealing with an estate. It should never be the funeral director.

Sadly, it is often the qualification shown for a registration by a co-habiting partner - if not present at the death it is often the only category they fit into.

very interesting. thank you for that.