Genealogy Chat

I use the local ROs, as they will sometimes phone to check a point, or even advise that there is another cert for that family in that quarter. I know some local ROs wont' help family historians, but I have always, without exception, had pleasant and genuine help. My family come from various parts of the country. Anne

It is worth looking to see what your local office has on-line. I am lucky mine is Bath and birth and marriages are transcribed on-line. The marriages include the church which is a useful checking point as family members often use the same parish church and all births include the mother's maiden name so you are much less likely to get the wrong certificate.

Some local offices don't do certificates for family history purposes because they are too busy. Some local offices don't seem to know who holds certain records and will pass you from pillar to post over and over again, always denying they hold a particular register but being certain they know who does!! In these cases, to save one's sanity, it's best to use the GRO. Otherwise, local offices are often very helpful and will check things the GRO cannot do without charging you.......It's a bit like the differece between shopping in a large superstore, where eerything is standardised, and shopping from the local market, where you may get fantastic goods, or they may not have what you are looking for! Merry

Any copy has the potential for transcription errors to be introduced. The GRO copy was done shortly after the actual event was registered, therefore the clerk who did it may have been more familiar with the handwriting of the time. Nevertheless, mistakes did occur! At least with a copy from the local office, you can ask them to re-check the original register if something doesn't look right. They might even photocopy the original entry if it's possible. The cost is the same (£7) regardless of whether you use the GRO or local. Also, the GRO turnaround time is pretty good at the moment. Really it's up to you - I tend to use the GRO as I'm overseas and find it easier to order online - a facility that not many local RO's offer. Richard

Thanks for that, Richard Is there then any advantage in spending more and waiting longer for a certificate from the GRO - is it liable to be any more accurate? Joan in West Sussex

Joan The local offices hold the originals, not the GRO. The details from each registration were hand-copied at the time by the local offices and the copies sent to the GRO each quarter. Therefore, even though the GRO certs look like originals, these are really the local office clerks' copies of the original. That is why all the ''signatures'' on GRO certs are done in the same hand. Some local offices will photocopy the original entry if you ask, but some can't do this as the books are very large and fragile. Therefore, they usually send a typed transcription instead. Therefore, whether you use the local RO or the GRO, you will still probably get a copy - just that the GRO copy was done shortly after the event, whereas the local RO copy is a modern-day copy (unless you can talk them into scanning the original register). For marriages (at least for church marriages), the true ''original'' is the parish register. This was first copied and sent to the local register office by the parish clerk, then copied again by the local RO for the GRO copy! Richard

If I order certificates from the GRO, they seem to be photocopies of the originals (and take ages to arrive!) If I order them from the local registry office, they are 'certified copies' and arrive almost by return. My question is, how does the local registry get all the details? Presumably all the originals are held at the GRO - are all details, such as names of witnesses at marriages copied by the local office before the original is sent to the GRO? Joan