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I have a photo of the birth certificate which was issued in 1997 Caroline. As he was born in 1931 I didn't think I could view the original entry.  Would it give more details?

I am also researching a family member born in 1931 at 251 St. Vincent Street.  The mother came from Govan and was unmarried so the suggestion from Roman that this was a home for unmarried mothers seems likely.  I too would appreciate the source of Roman’s information.
My understanding is that legal adoptions were introduced in 1930, before that it was a more casual arrangement.
I was surprised to see from the birth certificate of my relative that the birth mother had registered the child with the name he was always known as once adopted, followed by her surname.  This was at odds with my belief that the birth mother registered the child with a name she had chosen followed by her surname and a later birth certificate was issued to the adoptive parents with the name they had chosen and their surname.  In my relative’s case the adoptive father had a brother who died.  The child was given his very distinctive three part name followed by the birth mother’s surname.
Can anyone throw more light on the institution at 251 St Vincent Street or the usual registration of babies to be legally adopted?

Thank you all.  I do have his birth record, no father is listed. His marriage record only mentions his mother.
That is a good idea about poor law and child maintenance records unfortunately I don’t know where to find them so I think a trip to the Mitchell Library Scotlandspeople section might be of help.

I have had my DNA done on Ancestry and 23andme (I’m female) but although it has helped confirm my research on some lines I don’t have a clue how to work out who Joseph’s father was.  Perhaps somebody could suggest a book I could read?

Joseph is the only child on my direct line lacking a biological father, he was farmed out as a boarder in his early years, presumably to allow his mother to work to support him but it appears that once she married he was taken back by his mother and brought up by her and his stepfather who got Joseph an apprenticeship in his trade.  Joseph must have respected his stepfather as he named a son after him.

Does anyone know if there is a way to notify Ancestry of clear errors in their “hints”. I message people to point out errors but mostly they go unread, presumably as the tree owner no longer subscribes.  The number of these poorly researched trees greatly outweigh the properly researched trees with evidence and sources attached.  As time goes by Ancestry gets less and less reliable. Surely something they need to take note of.

Final or penultimate post regarding the elusive Elizabeth Wither.

Having discovered her on the Urquhart census together with her husband and first two children I now had her age and mother’s maiden name.  A session on Scotlandspeople gave me her mother’s marriage to Alexander Wither and the baptism dates of their children.  The child born in the year Elizabeth was born was entered without a name which explains how the confusion arose.
I am convinced I now have the correct line so the story is almost over.  All I need now is her death record then I will be completely satisfied.

If anyone has any ideas how I might find this I would be extremely grateful.

To everyone who kindly tried to help in my search for Elizabeth Wither I would like to give an update.
She married James McHarg in 1828, had 3 children with him then vanished from the records.  Her place was taken by a Minnie Adair who had 2 children with James and presumably they married as they were husband and wife according to their death certificates.  I still don’t have a birth or death record for Elizabeth nor a marriage record for Minnie and James.
What I have discovered is a Portpatrick census done in 1832 by the Reverent Andrew Urquhart then assistant minister to the Rev. John McKenzie.  In it on page 57 he lists James McHargue [sic], Elizabeth Wither, their first two children and Elizabeth’s mother Janet McBride.  If the age given for Elizabeth is correct it confirms that there are two Elizabeth Withers in Wigtonshire at this time.  On Scotlandspeople I could find only one so mistakenly assumed she was the person James married.
So it looks like the simplest explanation is the correct one.  Elizabeth probably died, Minnie moved in to care for the three children, eventually married James and had two children with him.
I will continue to search for definitive proof but in the meantime thanks everyone for your generous help.