Genealogy Chat

I had help from Wolverhampton Register office who told me the Mothers Name of an entry I found, because I wasn't sure. Would all Register offices do this, so you make sure you have the right person? If I needed to find somebody, say, born in Stoke, would I have to contact the office in Stoke where they were born? Is the place of Birth, the only Registry Office who hold the Birth Certificates for the people born in that area? Thankyou in advance!!!!

You can ask a register office to check a parent's name, yes. If you wanted a cert for someone born in Stoke you would need to contact the register office in Stoke on Trent. You can get any certificate from the GRO (General Register Office) at www.gro.gov.uk but if you want to get them from local offices, it has to be the one in the area where the event was registered. Sam x

Hi Stella, Births are registered in the district where the child was born. These local registrars all had to send duplicate returns of the events which took place in their district to the GRO. Certs can be ordered online directly from the GRO (for the whole of England and Wales) or from the office where the event was registered. Unlike the GRO, each local office can only deal with its own events. Jay

The local offices will search for an entry with a parents name if you wish. Also known as a 'checking point' a parents' name can avoid a wrong certificate in many cases. They will not charge any more for doing so, the GRO will also provide the service but when they have a 'checking point' they will charge an extra £3 for the check. Stoke register office is located in the Town Hall, Hanley, Stoke. Glen