Find British AncestorsBirths, Marriages and Deaths
Click below to find information about:- Official registration
of BMD and getting copies of certificates
- Typical information on a British Birth Certificate
- Typical information on a
British Marriage Certificate
- Typical information on
a British Death Certificate
Registers of Birth, Marriage and Death
It has been a legal requirement to register births,deaths and marriages from 1837 in England and Wales, 1854 in Scotland and births and deaths from 1864, marriages from 1845 in Northern Ireland. When each event is registered a certificate is issued. You can get copies of these, although there are restrictions on who can obtain copies of birth certificates for living people.Copies of certificates may be ordered from the Government Records Office for England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland depending on where the birth was registered. The GRO's also hold an index of certificates to help find a particular record. Once you have found the record in the index, you can order copies of the certificates online. Most people only get the most important certificates, at least to start with, because of the cost.
Until recently you could visit the GRO in London and look at the original indexes in old books. This is being closed and replaced by microfiche copies. The good news is that, if you are visiting or living in the area where your ancestors lived, many reacords are freely available to look at in public libraries or public record offices near to where your ancestors lived.
Hint: Searching for Birth, Marriage and Death Certificates Online
| if you want to search birth, marriage or death indexes online, the GRO has licensed
many commercial organisations such as
GenesReunited The General Register Office for Scotland has its own pay per view webite called Scotlandspeople, although you may find it cheaper trying Ancestry or Genes Reunited if you are doing a lot of searches. |
Birth Certificates
Birth certificates give you valuable clues about your family history.Although the information contained on a birth certificate will change depending on the year and country in which it was issued, typically a UK birth certificate has:
When and where they were born
If you are lucky it may give the exact address which will be helpful when checking Census returns.Name at birth
This is their "official name". However when searching for people in other records, remember that they may not use this but a shortened version e.g. Bert for Albert.Name and surname of their father
Don't be surprised if this is blank! The father or mother may not have wanted this information recorded or may not know who the father was.Name, surname and maiden name of their mother
The mother's surname was the family name that she was currently using. This may be her married name (if she was married) or if she was divorced it could be her previous married name. If she had not been married this would be her maiden name - the family name she was born with.Occupation of their father
Often this was vague e.g. labourer, but you may be lucky enough to get an indication of where the father worked and what he did for an occupation.Who registered the birth
This was often a family member or neighbour and may also give further clues to how they lived. You may find that your ancestor, like one of mine, was born in a Workhouse (an institution where the poor found food and shelter in return for harsh work). Mothers often gave birth in a workhouse as the level of medical care was good in a era when good medical care was often unaffordable by poor people.When registered
The date when the birth was legally registered.Name entered after registration
Sometimes the birth was registered before the name had been decided. It this case the registrar would be informed of the name later and update the records.Marriage Certificates
Although the information contained on a marriage certificate will change depending on the year and country in which it was issued it will typically show you:When Married
The date the marriage is taking placeThe names of the couple getting married
The name of the bride and groomTheir Condition
Whether they were single (bachelor/spinster) or divorced.Residence at the time of Marriage
This can be useful in cross checking against census returns when trying to find other members ofthe familyFathers name and surname
The names of the father of the bride and the father of the groom, where the father's name is known.Fathers Profession or Rank
This can be a recognisable occupation or a trade not now used (you may need to look up the exactly what it is) or a vague description like general labourer.Signature of Witness to the marriage
This would usually be the father of the bride with another relative, perhaps a married sister for example. This can sometimes help in tracing other relatives. It was not uncommon in the 19th centuary for the signature to be an X where the witness could not write their own name.Death Certificates
Although the information contained on a death certificate will change depending on the year and country in which it was issued it will typically show you:.When and Where the person died
Sometimes even the actual address is given.Name, Surname, Sex and Age at death
This may differ from the name at birth, particularly for older ancestors born before birth certificates were legally required. The age similarly may be only approximate if registered by someone who did not know the deceased well.Cause of Death
This can sometimes be difficult to decipher and the names given to diseases often differed from those in common use today. There is also sometimes rather vague reasons given. For example, one of my ancestors had the cause of death as "old age"!Description and Residence of Informant
This can often prove a link to another family member where the relationship is stated on the certificate. You will often also be given an address which will allow you to track back though previous census returns for people living at the address given to see if there are any undiscovered family links.Click here to continue to Census information