All transcriptions identical?

[freccle]

Prob a daft question but are the transcriptions on the free BMD site the same transcriptions that are on the genealogy sites such as findmypast? The reason I ask is that one of mine must have been transcribed incorrectly as he's gone missing. I am trying to find the birth cert for a John Norman, born 1886 according to his baptism records and all the census’s. Mother is Annie Norman born 1856. Highly unlikely to have a father’s name (neither of his sisters, Mary Elizabeth born 27 May 1882 or Margaret Ann born 1880 had a father listed and Annie is single. (She did marry later but after John’s birth)

The census has John born in Brisco in Cumberland and his baptism states Upperby but I now have every pdf birth cert of John / John William/ John Mark Norman (even though a second name is never listed) born in Cumberland between 1885 and 1888 – and none of them are right. I don't think I can face trawling through each page of the birth index.

[warncoort]

I think Annie may have just forgotten to register the birth as she had three children under six to care for.If you have covered all births in Carlisle RD i don't see much point persuing it.

[Megan Roberts]

The simple answer has to be no. FMB transcribe other sites may scan indexes. It's also possible that John's birth was not registered, or registered in another district because he was born there, or the registrar managed to mangle his surname so that it does not appear in your searches.

I would recommend that the GRO's own site which now let's you search the indexes for FREE, and their version, unlike anyone else's shows the mother's maiden name or lack of, and the you can order a certificate directly from them, or a PDF which is cheaper. You do have to register to use their site.
https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/c...ates/login.asp

[freccle]

Would he not have needed a birth cert though? Presumably he did something in the war and probably got married etc. Could he have managed without owning a birth cert?

[Megan Roberts]

Its only in relatively modern times that we have needed certificates. My grandparents born in 1899 had to get them when they started work to prove that they were the right age. See my grandfather's certificate below - it was issued in 1911, and you can see at the top that it was issued for the purposes of the Factory and Workshop Act 1901.

[Peter Goodey]

According to GRO, birth registration didn't hit 100% until 1940.

Anyway, didn't you say his date of birth was on his baptism record?