No Birth Cert or Baptism

[elldee]

Hi,

Can anyone tell me whether it is common for a family not to have registered the births of their children nor to have had them baptised?  I believe my gg grandmother was born in 1851 in Chelsea but I can find no birth certificate for her nor a record of baptism for her or her two siblings (probably born 1845 & 1850).  According to the 1851 census their parents were living as man and wife but were not actually married until 1852.

Thanks, Elldee.

[ReadyDale]

I have the same trouble...and also in Chelsea.

With regard to registration, I think it wasn't compulsory (in the sense we know now) until around 1875.
As for baptism, it could be they weren't CofE. The ones I was looking for were Catholic and I'm still trying to track them down fully.

[stanmapstone]

All births had to be registered by law. However there were some births not registered. The first Statistician of the GRO  Dr. William Farr (1807–1883) estimated a 5% non-registration rate for births 1837-76, declining from  6.9% in 1841-50 to 1.8% in 1861-70.  The 1874 Act imposed a penalty for failing to register a birth.

Stan

[dawnsh]

Hi Elldee

Although civil registration started in 1837, birth registration wasn't compulsory until 1875.

As to baptisms, it's mainly Anglican ones that are online, the majority of Catholic ones tend to still be held by the church.

They may also have been baptised in a church whose registers haven't been deposited for safekeeping at the LMA so won't be online at Ancestry or Westminster Archives at FindMyPast

There's a list here

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=430983.0

If you have narrowed down the family and census to a particular parish, it's worth checking the images as errors and omissions are known to exist. Don't rely on transcriptions.

Dawn

[stanmapstone]

Under the 1836 Act Registration was compulsory in the case of the Registrar. The onus was on him to collect births and deaths and he could be fined for failure to register them. In carrying out his duties the parents were compelled, under the Act to supply the information when asked. The Act states the parent or occupier 'shall' give information to the Registrar on a birth 'upon being requested to do so.' In official documents 'shall' means compulsion.
See http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=635265.msg4827179#msg4827179
Stan

[avm228]

I believe my gg grandmother was born in 1851 in Chelsea but I can find no birth certificate for her nor a record of baptism for her or her two siblings (probably born 1845 & 1850).  According to the 1851 census their parents were living as man and wife but were not actually married until 1852.

In those circumstances any birth registrations and/or baptisms prior to the marriage may have been in the mother's maiden name - have you searched on that basis too?

[softly softly]

Have you checked to see if children's birth's were registered under the mother's maiden name as they did not marry until 1852?? I have many found where this has happened.

John

[carol8353]

Is this the family you refer to?

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=78962.msg333480#msg333480

[Gone]

My granddad was born in Sunderland, Co Durham 1901. his birth wasn't registered either and I can't find a baptism. I even asked the local Register office to check which they did, 5 years either side. nothing.
Griff