Genealogy Chat

I was watching Heir hunters today and while they were working on the case they looked at a Death Certificate on line. It was a certificate issued in 2008 and was in London.

Does anyone know how they were able to do this?

Christine

I saw this too, and though it rather odd at the time.

In other programs I have watched they have always had to visit the local Register Office to obtain the actual certificate. Sometimes they complain about having to wait or come back the next day.....!

These TV programmes give all sorts of erroneous impressions about researching records............

They should be transmitted with a 'health warning'>...............LOL!

I can't remember the exact circumstances in that programme, but they certainly gave the impression that it was viewed online.
I think they were researching before normal office hours, so register office wouldn't have yet opened.

Gwyn

Hello,
I originally posted a very similar query. While watching a previous series of Heir Hunters, on one of the shelves there is a black A4 size book clearly marked 'Census 1921'. I too was puzzle as to how they had a copy of the 1921 census.

The certificate they showed last week looked like a recent typed copy, as you would expect to get from the local Register Office.

I think you have to take all TV documentaries with a certain sized pinch of salt. It is often the bit that has been edited out which is would have told you what really happened, but that would make it boring TV in the eyes of the program editors.

I think also that these companies pay to have the census early. It is afterall a far more important reason than we have for tracing people.
I just wish they would knock on my door.