Help finding a birth certificate for my 2 x great grandmother

[RobbieCE]

Death of Margaret Dowling aged 33 March qtr 1886 Monmouth.  Buried 13.2.1886 St Mary's Monmouth

Birth of Mary Ann Dowling Dec qtr 1873 Monmouth - no mmn - illegitimate

Amazing! thanks so much Carole, I think you may have finally solved it! no wonder I couldn't find her birth certificate under Dowling. I wonder what happened for there to be such a mix up?  Out of curiosity, in a family tree do I use Bessie Dowling (what she is on most documents) or Bessie Williams, which actually appears to be her real maiden name?

[RobbieCE]

Bapts;
Workhouse, Monmouth, Monmouthshire
MARY Dowling 12 Nov 1873, birth 03 Oct 1873
JAMES Dowling 12 Jul 1883
Mother MARGARET Dowling
(FreeREG)

Possible for James in 1891
John George 30   Head
Kate George 26   Wife
Florence George 4   Daughter
George Higgins 11   Boarder
James Dowling   7   Boarder born Monmouthshire

GRO;
GEORGE, FLORENCE  MARY mmn   WILLIAMS 
GRO Reference: 1886  D Quarter in MONMOUTH  Volume 11A  Page 28

Oh great! Thanks Trish. I am going to have to spend some time researching this!

[CaroleW]

For her birth to be registered as Williams - Thomas Williams must have attended the registration & acknowledged paternity by signing the register.

In legal terms she was illegitimate as her parents weren’t married. 

[CaroleW]

Birth for Margaret Dowling March qtr 1854 Monmouth - mmn Bentley

1861 shows parents as Simon b 1812 Stoke on Trent Staffs  & Mary 1821 Lichfield plus a lot of children

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M7RK-H2L

[CaroleW]

Can’t see a marriage.  1851 they are in Monmouth - eldest child is Mary b Staffs 1840/41

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:SGT2-ZXW