Birth Cert. Informant

[woosorchard]

Hi,

Has anyone come across an informant on a Birth Certificate who has no relation to the family what so ever!

On my Great Grandmother Josephine Wilson's certificate S.tn Emmerson is the informant. I have not been able to trace the father and believe he has been made up. There is also a fairly long gap between birth and registration, born 8th Feb 1871 and registered 21st Mar 1871.

My questions is if there was no father why was the mother not listed as the informant instead of this other person?

Thanks
Wend

[avm228]

This link should help with the list of persons qualified to be an informant on the birth certificate:

http://www.dixons.clara.co.uk/Certificates/births.htm

Where a mother was not the informant it was often because she had either died during or shortly after the delivery or otherwise was not sufficiently recovered to deal with the registration. Also if she was in the workhouse the informant would often be the master of the workhouse.

Other than the name is there a description of the informant on your certificate - e.g. "present at the birth"?

[avm228]

There is also a fairly long gap between birth and registration, born 8th Feb 1871 and registered 21st Mar 1871.

This is (just) within the 42 day period for registration of a birth.

[avm228]

Your other thread contains relevant information:

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,587702.msg4388014.html#msg4388014

If Josephine's mother was in custody (do you know when/why she was arrested?) and the baby was in the care of others then that would explain why the mother was not the informant.

At what address was the baby born? - and what was the informant's address?

[tillypeg]

Thanks avm228 for the link to the birth certificate informant information, it has prompted me to look again at a couple of certs in my collection with fresh eyes!