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Letter a on birth registration

ProfilePosted byOptionsPost Date

lavender

lavender Report 28 Sep 2014 23:13

I recently came across the letter 'a' handwritten in the birth register. It appears alongside the page no.

I am wondering if it means the child has been adopted?

The mothers maiden name had been omitted when the page was typewritten but had also been handwritten. It suggested that the child was illegitimate since the childs surname and mothers were the same.

Should be pleased if anybody has the time to help, thank you!

lavender

lavender Report 28 Sep 2014 23:28

Have I stuck this in the wrong place?!

lavender

lavender Report 28 Sep 2014 23:29

Have I stuck this in the wrong place?! :-S

patchem

patchem Report 28 Sep 2014 23:50

No, you have not put it in the wrong place.

Assume that, so far, no-one who has read your post knows the correct answer.

Could you just clarify the country and year, so people do not make false suggestions?

Thank-you

lavender

lavender Report 28 Sep 2014 23:55

Sorry, I panicked when I saw all the little symbols to the left!

Yes, the country is England and the year 1961.

Many thanks for kindly replying.

Click ADD REPLY button - not this link!

Click ADD REPLY button - not this link! Report 29 Sep 2014 00:19

An "a" suffix to the page number usually indicates an amendment.

This is on FreeBMD:

Whilst a child must be registered within 6 weeks, it remains possible up to the child's first birthday, to change the names in baptism and have the record amended resulting in a second entry for the same person. In this case, because one of the entries is a late registration it is likely that it will have a suffix page number.


Rose

lavender

lavender Report 29 Sep 2014 00:25

Oh right, thank you.

So, the mother must not have entered her maiden name perhaps, and hence it was handwritten in at a later date and the 'a' added alongside the page no.

Many thanks for kindly replying :-)

lavender

lavender Report 29 Sep 2014 00:30

I only just scrolled to see the FreeBMD paragraph, Rose! Reading in bed!

Many thanks! :-)

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Click ADD REPLY button - not this link! Report 29 Sep 2014 00:47

Lavender,

Can you PM me the name and details so I can take a look?

Thanks,

Rose

DazedConfused

DazedConfused Report 29 Sep 2014 16:24

It probably means nothing, just a notation made by the registar.

KathleenBell

KathleenBell Report 29 Sep 2014 16:28

Most births where the child was adopted have "/s" after the page number.

Kath. x

lavender

lavender Report 29 Sep 2014 19:40

Thank you all very much for taking the time to reply, that is very helpful. :-)