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I am trying to find information about my father's birth parents. His short birth certificate (which he received in 1958) states he was born in Wales with birth name Laurie Ritson Holdsworth.

He was 'adopted' by (RSM) Joseph and Mary Holdsworth (who were living in Fulford barracks), when he was only a few weeks old, when he was in York with his birth mother. His christening record in York, in July 1921, states his father was a violinist surnamed Ritson. My father was christened Joseph Ritson Holdsworth.

His formal adoption took place in 1930 in York.

My father passed away in 1983 without finding out about his birth parents. I have spent the last ten years trying to find out, but without much success. Is there anyone out there who would be able to solve this mystery?

Many thanks

What you need is his original birth certificate. You've left out a little too much here for us to help.

I believe that "short" birth certifictes issued after adoptions show post-adoption info, not original info -- i.e. his birth name was not Laurie Ritson Holdsworth, that was his adoptive name.

What was his actual date of birth?

Have you not just applied for his original birth certificate, or did he never do that?


edit - here we are:

Name: Joseph Laurie R Holdsworth
> Birth Date: 15 Jun 1921
Death Registration Month/Year: 1983
Registration district: Northumberland Central
Inferred County: Tyne and Wear
Volume: 1
Page: 1999

Thank you for such a quick reply, Flick.

The copy of the adoption certificate states that the name of the adopted child was Laurie Ritson. Could this still mean he had a different birth name? (Joseph and Mary never used the name Laurie. Dad only found out the name Laurie in 1958.)

No Ritson births in Wales that period so he must have been registered under his mother's surname.

Rose

?????

Births Jun 1921
WILSON Laurie R Scott Conway 11b 826

Rose

The only Laurie born in June 1921 with a possibly unmarried Mother was born in Portsmouth.

That's the one I'm wondering about too, Rose.

If "Laurie Ritson" were his *given* names, it could be that Ritson was his father's surname -- it was long common practice for the child of unmarried parents to have the father's surname as a middle name (my great-aunt did).

edit -- if the mother was married to someone else at the time, the birth would have had to be registered under the husband's surname, even if he was not the father.


But with the short certificate, can't Penelope just order the original?

Hello Janey

He didn't apply for the original. He found out about the adoption when he was 37, when I was born in West Germany, so needed ID before I could be registered. It was such a shock to him didn't want to know.

You have found his correct details of birth and death. I don't know if/when/how his birth parents registered him. There were so many secrets. His adopted father's family knew nothing. They thought Dad was Joseph Snrs natural son. Being in the Army, and away from close family, I suppose it was easy for them to do that.

What other info would help?

Only evidence for a Laurie R Wilson on Ancestry is that one. No marriage which is suspicious.

Rose

Does the short certificate just say Wales, no further destination?
Thanks

Yes, is just says Wales. We were always told he was born in Wales and his natural mother was Welsh. We were also told that his birth parents were married, but I realize that this may not have been true.

There are three numbers on the cert - JA 137414, in the top left, 58620 on the top right, and 13579/28, which corresponds with the copy adoption cert. (Adoption number ACR 003659/00.

It was the date of birth I was first asking after, Penelope.

There are no other Scott-Wilson births in Conway. 1916-1921, I don't see a Scott-Wilson marriage anywhere in that vicinity. As Rose says - no death for the name, either. (However, 1921 makes him of an age that he might have died in WWII, if that was a separate person.)

I'm not understanding, though -- Penelope's dad would have been able to get his original birth certificate during his lifetime -- or at least, if he were living now he could -- I'm not sure whether there was a recent legislative change to make that possible. Have you investigated, Penelope, and is it not available to you?

edit -- I'd ask the horse's mouth:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Governmentcitizensandrights/Registeringlifeevents/Birthandadoptionrecords/Adoptionrecords/DG_175567

How did he acquire the short cert?

Rose

The 1921 Laurie Wilson birth could be still alive if a different person.

Yes, his birth date was 15 June 1921.

He received his short copy when I was registered at the Consulate in Dusseldorf, but I don't know who sent it to him. It was issued on 17 July 1958. (He was still in the Army at that time.)

How would I apply for the original? When I sent a letter to the ONS in 2000, I was redirected to the Adopted Children Register. They sent me a copy of the adoption cert. Dad could have received a full copy of the original birth cert if he had been alive, but, as his child, I could not (at that time).

Ah, the fine points of UK adoption law aren't my own forte. ;)

patchem's right and the 1921 LRW could be someone who is still alive now. Not on the current electoral roll, and that would be an advanced age. But the info should be deleted if it proves not to be the right person.

If you can't get your dad's own records directly, you may have to use guesswork and trial and error. In that case, I think I'd start with that 1921 birth certificate, and if the date of birth / middle name matched, you'd have a very likely candidate, at the very least.

Looking for the surname Ritson in Conway finds a 1944 marriage of a Ms Ritson, also known as Parry, and a Mr. Parry. I won't post the details; they're easy to find at http://freebmd.rootsweb.com/cgi/search.pl

The fact that she was using his surname suggests a longstanding relationship, with one party not free to marry before. (There are gazillions of Parry deaths in Conway reg dist 1942-44, for instance.) I don't really see a birth to match her name.

Anyhow, I guess that's what I'd try, to start, as it's the only record we're seeing that matches up with any info you have.

Thank you all for your time and help so far.

I shall order that birth cert and see what I can find out from that.

Again - many thanks.

Hello Everyone

The birth for Laurie R Wilson in Conway is my dad. Too many pieces of information match, plus it says "adopted" on the side of the cert.

Thank you very much for the help. I would never have found it - probably too blinkered.

Now having probs finding his parents details. Will be sitting in front of screen all day I think, and may have to come back to you.

Pleased you are making progress.
Good Luck.

Hello Penelope,

Great news about the certificate. I take it the dob matches?

Do you wan to list the details regarding parents and occupations?

Rose