What do you think?

[coombs]

Hi

So if a birth took place in a village in say August 1866, then the registrar walked round each village and knocked on the doors of each house then took notes on any new births with his registrars book or did he walk round the villages another way than knocking on everyones doors?

Ben

[Galium]

As a matter of pure curiosity, how would the registrar know if the mother was married ?   If she was from out of town but gave birth there... or someone beside either the father of mother did the registration, anything could be said?

charlotte

The registrar would ask the informant for the mother's name and maiden name.  If the informant then said something like 'Mary Jones, formerly Smith', the registrar would take it that she was married.  Proof of a marriage would not be asked for.

If only one surname was given for the mother, it would be clear that she wasn't married.

[maidmarion]

Hi

So if a birth took place in a village in say August 1866, then the registrar walked round each village and knocked on the doors of each house then took notes on any new births with his registrars book or did he walk round the villages another way than knocking on everyones doors?

Ben

The registrar may have received information from the local clergy and/or midwife.

I queried about birth registration sometime ago via a FH magazine.  I was very interested to know how my gt grandmother was able to get from a rural village into the local town which was a few miles away, especially after giving birth the very same day.

[coombs]

Hi

I heard that the midwife often interrogated the mother during labour of an illegitimate child to name the father otherwise she would not help them deliver the baby. I suppose if he was known and she did name him then there probably wasnt a problem.

Ben

[copperbeech5]

Hi Martyn,

Just a thought, if (or when) George marries, what does he write as "father" on his marriage certificate.

Ok, there may be no entry, but that has worked on one record for a  member of my family tree!

Good luck Copperbeech5

[maidmarion]

Isn't it a fairly common occurance for people to bend the truth when entering marriage details, to avoid embarassment due to their illegitamacy

[coombs]

Hi

Illegitimacy did carry a stigma. Many people covered it up by pretending to be married on a birth certificate. Unmarried mothers made up totally fictitious fathers and using their mums maiden name as their maiden name.

That is why parents often moved away after the birth of an illegitimate child if they eventually planned to marry but couldnt. They quite often did it to avoid embarrassement and to protect the baby from knowing the truth. Many parents kept their children in the dark about their illegitimacy if one or more had been born before the marriage.

Ben

[Diablo]

Thank you everyone for their input.  I'm not ignoring you but I am waiting for some additional information and will get back with what I find out.

Martyn

[Caz1960]

I also had a similar situation with my grandmother on dads side.  Her birth certifcate named her  Mother as Georgina Purdie, with no father.  Did some more digging, after I found grandmums marriage certificate stating her mother was deceased.  Discovered Georgina had another illigitemate daughter 2 years later, then a few months after that married a man called Yeardly, although the second daughter remained as Purdie.  It appeared that my grandmum was brought up by her grandparents and believed either that Georgina had died, or that she was a sister.  As I couldn't ask my father since he died, and also his brothers were dead, I asked my mum, and she was struck dumb, as it appeared that nobody in my dads family knew. 

Maybe the man who brought up your great grandfather was a gentleman who knew the situation and was prepared to do the best for him and his mother?