Genealogy Chat

If an entry is corrected it is called a 'numbered error' the incorrect information is ruled through and amended, a number placed next to it i.e. the first correction in that Register is1 etc it is then annotated in the margin with the number and initials of the Registrar. In the back of the Register is a page listing every amendment in that book.

I gather that consideration is being given to providing a RCE search facility on Scotlandspeople. Denis

Hi there, I too found this Entry on two of my antecedents Certificates. What it means is that the Certificate you will find in the Birth/Marriage/Death Registers here at Scotland's People has been amended and the amendment(s) is/are recorded in the Register of Corrected Entries. This is done when new information comes to light after an Entry in the Birth/Marriage/Death Register has been recorded. Rather than make out new ones (which is not legal), amendments are made in a special Register. The details in the annotation will tell you (or the Registrar) which Register Volume, Page etc. that the amendments have been recorded. I have two Certificate which have this notation on the left hand side. As I was in the Registrar's getting a copy of a Birth Certificate which is not yet available on Scotland's People, I took the opportunity to ask the (Assistant) Registrar who was helping me, what this notation meant. And she explained what this was (see above). You can find this information right there in the Registrar's and It is very simple to get either: a) the information which you can scribble down in a notebook (for free, though you will have to pay £5. for the search) or b) you can pay to have a copy of the extract which will have the amendments printed on the back. In Scotland, the fee is £17.50 - £5.00 to have a search done to find the relevant relative's record of Birth/Marriage/Death and £12.50 for the new Certificate. And that's how you get it here in Scotland. I don't know if it is the same in England. But I'm sure that the local Registrar should be able to tell you and will be happy to assist. Best wishes, Kate

Benjamin Are you saying that the certificates you have were corrected, or that the errors are not amended? If there's no correction on the cert, then it wasn't corrected.

Hi, I may be of some help, I was a Registrar for a while a few years ago and memory is fading but I do know there is no register of corrected entries as far as I am aware. The register, held at the Register Office, and when complete transferred to GRO, contains all original entries. If a mistake is made when entering a registration and/or if noticed later, and a correction is made, that then stands as the original record. Any copies made of that entry will reflect the mistake and correction exactly. I'm afraid my fading memory can't recall exactly how we corrected but there was a set method followed by all registrars. This was the method around 5 - 10 years ago. I dont know much about earlier correction techniques as I didnt do much with archived entries but it would have followed a set pattern. I hope this may help a bit.

Hi Helen The surname on the marriage cert I mentioned is spelt wrong, and the death cert there is a slight error on it, and it just seems strange that these are the only two certs that have been written on as I check all others and there is no added letters. Ben

I think the corrections are in a register at the relevant local office. I don't think they are open to the public. Corrections are always numbered and in brackets, like (14)

Hi If the info on a BMD cert is wrong, and someone corrected the info, then shouldnt there be a Register Of Corrected Entries somewhere, as I think that is the case with two certs I have ordered, as someone has written down in ink on the death cert ER in the bottom right corner, and on a marriage cert PK. There are already two or 3 printed letters there, but wondered if the added ones written are to do with corrected entries or something? Any ideas please? Thanks Ben