Birth Certificate from 1881

[Magrat]

Hi,

We have just received a birth certificate of a baby born in March 1881. Underneath the date of birth and next to the address is the number 14 in brackets, this was above 12 in brackets that had been crossed out. At the far right of the certificate the registrar had put Fourteen and his initials. Has anyone got any idea what it might mean?

In case it is of help the babies date of birth is given as 6th March 1881 and was registered on 28th April 1881. The babies mother was the ex-wife of the person who registered the baby (who was with his second wife) and we believe that the boy was taken to his step parents as his own father had died a few months previously and his mother died following his birth.

Thanks for your trouble and I hope someone can shed light on it.

Cheers
Magrat

[Dundee]

It would usually be an alteration number - has anything been altered/changed/corrected on the certificate?

Debra 

[louisa maud]

I can't help you but what pops out to me I think is the birth was registered after the 42 day allowed for registration, I think a fine could be imposed, I am sure someone will correct me if I am wrong but I am interested

Louisa Maud

[Magrat]

Hi,
The only change on the certificate was the change to the number 12 in brackets to number 14 in brackets. I still have no idea what the 12 stood for (and now the (14)!) The rest of the cert was unchanged. I had also noted that the 42 days had been exceeded, do you think that the number refers to the extra days?  I don't know how long it was before the baby was handed over to his step father only that it was by the 3rd April as he appears in the 1881 census without a name with his step father and family.

Magrat

[louisa maud]

53 days between, so 11 days late, so I don't really know, did they get fined for 12 days or 14 if dates included but I have never seen that before

Once again I stand to be corrected but it was 5 shillings to register a birth and 2/6 for the registrar, I am surprised it was that much but I can't find what the penalty was for late registration

Louisa Maud

[stanmapstone]

Under the 1874 Act you had up to three months, and a maximum of twelve months to register the birth. This is what the 1874 Registration Act says about late registration

1874 SECOND SCHEDULE.
Fees to Registrars and "Superintendent Registrars.
Upon the registration of a birth when the child is more than three months old, if it is 'not more than twelve months old, to superintendent registrar two shillings and sixpence, and to the registrar (unless the delay is occasioned by his failure to issue a requisition, or otherwise by his default) two shillings and sixpence, and if it is more than twelve months old, and is registered with the authority of the Registrar General, to superintendent registrar five shillings, and to registrar (unless the delay is occasioned by his failure to issue a requisition or otherwise by his default) five shillings, to be paid by the informant or declarant.

Section 2 of the Act says:
2. Where a birth has, from the default of the parents or other persons required to give information concerning it, not been duly registered, the registrar may, at any time after the end of forty-two days from such birth, by notice in writing, require any of the persons required by this Act to give information concerning such birth to attend personally at the registrar's office, or at any other place appointed by the registrar within his sub-district, within such time (not less than seven days after the receipt of such notice,, and not more than three months from the date of the birth) as may be specified in such notice, and to give information, to the best of such person's knowledge and belief,

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1874/88/pdfs/ukpga_18740088_en.pdf


Stan

[stanmapstone]

It would usually be an alteration number - has anything been altered/changed/corrected on the certificate?

Debra 

The Registration  acts state that corrections of errors discovered, at the time of entry, before completion of the certificate are numbered and initialled in the right hand margin of the certificate, they have to be numbered, obviously to prevent someone coming along later and altering an entry. Errors discovered within a month of the entry being made; the Registrar corrects the erroneous entry by entry in the margin, without making any alteration of the original entry, and signs the marginal entry, adding date when the correction was made.

In this case it was the 14th correction made.

Stan

[Magrat]

Hi,

I just read all that and I imagine the baby's step father paid the fee. The case was complicated by the fact that the baby's mother had separated from her husband (baby's step father) about 12 years earlier and had married again as had her ex-spouse. (they had 5 children together at that point). She went on to have several children with her new husband before he died shortly before the baby in question was born. Her ex husband and new 'wife' also had a large and growing family by then. I have no idea how he came to be handed the baby to care for only the fact that one of the original sons had kept close ties with his mother and perhaps he was instrumental in this.  We shall never know!

Thank you all for your input into this, it has been a complicated family to follow but you just get sucked into it and would love to have all the gossip never mind just the official documents!

Cheers
Magrat

[stanmapstone]

He would not have had to pay a fee as there was only a fee after three months in the 1874 Act.

The law was different in the 1836 Act.
Section XXII of the 1836 Act, states that for registration after forty-two days  the Superintendent Registrar shall be entitled to have a Fee of Two Shillings and Sixpence, and the Registrar, shall be entitled, unless the Delay shall have been occasioned by his Default, to have a Fee of Five Shillings from the person requiring the same to be registered.

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~framland/acts/1836Act.htm


Stan