Genealogy Chat

I have ordered the death certificate of my sister who died at birth in 1964, I hope the certificate will arrive today or tomorrow. What I want to know is, how come she doesn't have a birth registration? either that or I have missed it somewhere? I always thought you couldn't register a death without a birth registration? Please does anyone know? Gillie xx

I would have thought it should be there....but could by chance have been missed off the GRO master copy but be on a locally held one. Would you like help searching? PM details to me if you prefer. Gwyn

Have you looked in the quarter AFTER the death was registered? A death has to be registered quite quickly after the death, but you have 6 weeks to register the birth. Perhaps the parents were too wrapped up in funeral arragements and the birth wasn't registered until afterwards. Kath. x

Hi Gwyn and Kath , I know the funeral was within a couple of days of her dying, no one except my dad attended, thanks for your help. Gwyn I will pm you if you don't mind. Gillie XX

If you have found the death registration in the normal BMD indexes then there should be a birth as well (unless for some reason someone 'forgot' to register the birth because of the upset at the death). If the baby was stillborn it would be on a completely separate index (kept at the GRO and not available to the public) and the death would not be in the general register. If a baby takes even just a few breaths at birth, it should be registered as a birth and death. Stillbirths should only be registered if the baby does not take a breath. Kath. x

Hi Kath, then from what has been spoken about the babies death she would probably have been a still birth born at home. Does that then mean when I get the death certificate that her cause of death won't be on it? Gillie XX

I may be wrong but i didnt think death certs were isued for Stillbirths. The record of the stillbirth would be put on the Stllbirth register which is ony open to parents of if they are no longer here then to the next of kin. No other registration would be made

Hi Kath, then from what has been spoken about the babies death she would probably have been a still birth born at home. Does that then mean when I get the death certificate that her cause of death won't be on it? Gillie XX

Gillie, Have you ordered the death certificate in the normal way after finding the reference for it in the death index? If you have then it was not a stillbirth (you can't order a stillbirth certificate in that way), and the death certificate should have a cause of death. Kath. x

Kath, Yes I did order her death certificate in the normal way with the correct ref numbers. I have found her death registration..In that case she must have been classed as a live birth? well I know she was alive at birth but died soon after because she wouldn't or couldn't breath properly. Gillie XX

Have you tried looking in the next quarter for the birth .it may have been registered during the six weeks statutory period. if you cant find it then it may be that your parents didn't think they had to register the birth, only the death. You dont have to produce a birth cert to register a death. what you must have tho is a death cert for a funeral to take place

Shirley I haven't looked on the next quarter as I don't belong to Ancestry to be able to do it. I know from what was originally said at home here, that she was taken immediately by our GP for a post mortem and then onto the undertaker,she was cremated within a day or 2 of birth. Gillie XX

Gillie, If you want to pm me with the details of name and year of birth/death and the area, then I'll have a look on Ancestry and see if I can find a birth reference for you. Kath. x

I've pm'd you the birth details. Kath. x

Thank you Kath Many thanks to you all for helping me. I hope I never have to look up another baby birth or death. Gillie XX