The General Record Office

What else is on the Ground Floor?
(The General Record Office)

	Adoptions registered in England and Wales only from 1st July 1927 Births and deaths at sea(Marine) registered from July 1837 until 1965 Regimental (1761-1924), army chaplains returns and Service Department registers of births, deaths and marriages (1796-1965) RAF returns of births, marriages and deaths from 1920 (with Army Returns to 1950 for deaths, to 1955 for births, to 1949 for marriages, and then in Service Department indexes up to 1965) Royal Naval returns of births, marriages and deaths from 1959 Consular returns of births, marriages and deathsfor British citizens abroad from July 1849 until 1965 Civil aviation births and deaths and missing(presumed dead) from 1947 until 1965 High Commission returns of births and deathsfrom the date of the independence of the Commonwealth country up to 1965 Military and civil registers , Chaplains' Register Ionian Islands, births, marriages and deaths, 1818-64 Online access to birth and death indexes 1984-1992 and marriages 1984-1993 War deaths: Natal and South Africa Forces, Boer War (1899 -1902) First World War (1914-1921) -Army officers, other ranks (including RAF); Naval, all ranks (including RAF); Indian services war deaths (1914-21) Second World War (3 September 1939 - 30 June 1948) -Army officers, other ranks; Naval officers, ratings; Royal Air Force, all ranks; Indian Services war deaths (1939-1948). (These records include deaths after the wars which have resulted from injuries received in conflicts). In most cases the records are in separate volumes up to 1965, thereafter there are single annual series volumes for all birth, marriages and deaths of British subjects overseas.
	Marry whom? where?
	1837 Marriages in local register offices, Churches of England and Wales, Jews, Quakers. Other religious denominations could apply to be registered but a local registrar had to be present at the ceremony. All had to conform to the satutory regulations. 1899 'Authorised person', in place of registrar. 1907 Men could marry deceased wife's sister (but clergy could refuse). 1921 Men could marry deceased brother's widow. 1929 Minimum age for marriage, with parental consent, 16 (before 14 for boys and 12 for girls). 1969 Age of consent lowered from 21 to 18. 1994 Civil marriage in the presence of a registrar at approved places. Exotic locations have no documentation in England or Wales.
	Registering a Marriage
	At a church of England wedding the relevant information is written out three times (from copy prepared by the couple). 1. On a certificate handed to the happy couple 2. In the church register 3. In another register which is retained until full and then submitted to the superintendent registrar. Every three months a further copy of all marriages is sent to the superintendent registrar and these are forwarded to the Registrar General in London, where the consolidated index is prepared. It is estimated that about 1 million marriages are 'missing' between 1837 and 1899.
	'A Comedy of errors' or the marriage records of England and Wales 1837 - 1899 by Michael Whitfield Foster. 1998. ISBN 0-473-05581-3 And 'Act2'. 2002. ISBN 0-473-07480-X WSCC library service.
	Arrangement of the Indexes (England and Wales)
	Births, marriages and deaths have been centrally registered since 1st July 1837. The indexes are arranged strictly by surname then forename in quarterly volumes (March, June, September, December), until the 31st December 1983. From 1st January 1984 the indexes include birth, marriage and death in one annual volume. Against each person's name there will be the registration district, volume and page number, eg FITT, Frances Alice Hastings 2b 47.
	Birth indexes Red. Handwritten before 1860 After September quarter 1911 give child's mother's maiden name. Parents have 6 weeks to register a birth. After 'Z' forenames only Marriage indexes. Green. Almost all handwritten to December quarter 1865. Two index entries per marriage - bride and groom. Cross reference in each index since March 1912 Brides listed under the name they were using at the time of the marriage. Usually registered at the time they take place Death indexes Black. Usually handwritten up to December quarter 1865. Alleged ages included after March 1866. Usually registered in 5 days, unless coroner's inquest.
	What's on a certificate?
	Birth certificate Full. Child's registered name(s) - or sex if no names had been chosen, precise date and place of birth. Father's name, surname and occupation. Mother's name and maiden surname and any former surnames. Informant's name and address and relationship to the child, date of registration and registrar. Short (from 1947). Child's name, surname, sex, date of birth and registration district and sub district. Illegitimacy - before 1874 the mother could name whom she liked for the father and the Registrar was bound to accept it. After 1875 the father could be named if he accompanied the mother to register After 1926 illegitimate children could be legitimised on subsequent marriage (provided no impediment at time of birth). Marriage certificate Date and place (church, chapel, register office), licence or banns or registrar's certificate. Names of bride and groom, marital status, occupation, age ('over 21' or 'of full age'). Present address and names and occupations of their fathers. Witnesses. Officiating minister or registrar. Death certificate Date, place and cause of death. Pperson's name, sex, age and occupation. Informant's name, description and address. Date of registration and name of registrar. The death certificate of a widow or married woman will also mention the name of her husband and occupation. Before 1874 the cause of death might be pure conjecture, after that date a medical certificate had to be produced.
	FreeBMD Death/DOB field
	Age at Death Searches If the Age at Death is given as just a number then it is taken to be years. It can be followed by a letter m to indicate months. Because the Age at Death may not be known exactly, you can specify a range for the Age at Death, like the following: 56-58 3m-9m The only restriction is that the first specified age must be less than the second. In addition to ranges being allowed in the search, some entries in the index also have a range. If the range specified in the search overlaps the range specified in the index, the entry will be shown in the search results. Date of Birth Searches To do a Date of Birth search specify in the Age at Death field the Date of Birth as @day/month/year or @day/month/year-day/month/year to indicate a range. Think of the @ as meaning born at this date. Note that the year must be specified as 4 digits (e.g. 1875) and either the day or the day/month can be omitted.

Links checked 16th January 2004
©Peter Cox 2003