Birth Certificate Issue *COMPLETED*

[maggie55]

I have just been contacted by a relative who`s uncle has recently died .
They found the uncles  birth certificate with the fathers name crossed out with a thick black line ,i told her to get a copy and she say`s a copy has been issued and is exactly the same, the name crossed out .I do know the parent`s were not married at the time of birth but the fathers name is correct .
Have you any idea how this could come about ? this is a Legal document i would not have thought crossing out would have been acceptable ,surely the registrar would have made a new one out if he had made a mistake ,Hope you can help .
Thank you Maggie55

[andycand]

Hi

When you compare the centre strip of both certificates are they identical? ie written by the same person? if so then they are scans of the original register and the crossing out is in the original register. There may well be a number at the beginning or end that is not in any box, that would be a correction number in that particular register.

The fathers name has probably been crossed out in the register because the Registrar realised that the parents were not married and the father was not present at the registration.

Andy

[maggie55]

Thank you very much Andy a useful bit of information i never knew

[stanmapstone]

,surely the registrar would have made a new one out if he had made a mistake ,Hope you can help .
Thank you Maggie55

He would not have made a new one out. This is what the 1874 Act states;
(3.) An error of fact or substance in any such register may be corrected by entry in the margin (without any alteration of the original entry) by the officer having the custody of the register,
As Andy says it could be that his name was entered in error.
The instructions for Registration Act of 1875 state:
"The putative father of an illegitimate child cannot be required as father to give information respecting the birth. The name, surname and occupation of the putative father of an illegitimate child must not be entered except at the joint request of the father and mother; in which case both the father and mother must sign the entry as informants"

There is a similar post at http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,441118.msg3043177.html#msg3043177

Stan