Genealogy Chat

Just add to that.

There is only one registration, not two, hence the same GRO reference. What happens is that both names appear in the index which allows look-ups to be made using either but both referring you to a single entry in the register.

No different to an index in a book, where more than one entry in the index refers to a common entry on a page within the body of the book.

Its very common,,what happens is that the father must be present at the time of registration and sigh to agree to have his name included,so the birth goes in both surnames due them the parents not being married..how it worked in times gone by was that a named father could be included on the understanding a marriage was to take place later.

If the man isnt present or signs a declaration for his name to be included then the registration will only be in mothers surname..

Hope that has helped.

A friend of mine has been doing some research and she has come across an anomaly where her older sister seems to have been registered with 2 different surnames, both for the same quarter and both with the same volume and page number.
The first surname is the dad's surname and is the one she grew up with, the other is the mother's surname as the two of them never married. Is this a normal occurance or is it just a mistake?