I was checking for the birth registration of a close relative of mine on Ancestry on Saturday. Found it?

Question

without any trouble. Continued down the list, noticed there was two more registrations with the same name and middle name initial in the same registration area. Checked the details, mother's maiden on both were the same as the mother's maiden on my relative's record. The only difference was the date of registration. My relative was registered in the Jan Feb March quarter of 1948 which is correct. The second registration took place in the July Aug Sept quarter of 1954 and the third registration took place once again the July Aug Sept quarter in the year of 1958. I checked the image for all three records, my relative's details was recorded by hand at the bottom of the page. The details for the other two registrations were typed and where they should be on the indexes and the dates on the indexes pages were correct. Although it was in the space of ten years I find it too much of a coincidence that three women living in the same registration district had the same maiden name married three men with the same surname and gave their child the same name with the same initial for their second name. Could the GRO made a mistake or is their some other explanation for this. Any help would be greatly appreciated

Answer 1

I have found this situation too when a person's birth appears to have been registered more than once, the second one some years later and added at the bottom of the page and handwritten, though I haven't come across one that was registered three times before! They do all relate to the same person.



This happens when some alteration or correction to the birth details is necessary.

As a Birth Certificate is an official document, it cannot be altered once issued. Therefore if it needs to be amended it is necessary to issue a new Certificate which is then inserted in the index at the date when it was issued. The birth indexes do not indicate when someone was born so much as when the birth was registered, which should by law be within six weeks of the birth but, if it is not done at the proper time, the birth will be indexed at the date when it was registered.



In a case I found, a daughter was born to a couple who were not married (the father was married to someone else) and the birth was registered accordingly. Some years later, the father's wife died and he was able to marry the mother. The daughter was now legitimized and a new Birth Certificate issued to reflect that. The second entry in the index appeared in the quarter when the new details were registered. There was also a handwritten note on the page containing the first entry that referred to the quarter and year of the later registration.



Of course, there could be many other reasons why an amended Birth Certificate would need to be issued at a later date.

Answer 2

You could phone or e-mail the GRO to ask the question but I would find it very strange if they had made two mistakes.



Obviously the way to verify it is to send for the birth certificates but that would cost you £7 each (don't order through Ancestry, too expensive! - order through the GRO)



Are you absolutely sure that your relative didn't have two younger siblings?

Answer 3

Is it a free site? If yes, they dont take care of their sites and verify stuff possibly, also by causing confusion maybe their hoping you will join and then be given more privilidges and stuff.

What exactly were you checking, somone has actually scanned in images of birth records? What website, GRO or Ancerstry.com

Answer 4

I do not have experience with Ancestry in the UK, but in America the site includes any one who what to place a "Family Tree", with or with out documentation of accuracy. I have found numerous pieces of information similar to what you have cited. I now use Ancestry information with caution and only after I have been able to personally verify the information through other sources.