Genealogy Chat

The cause of death has to be copied from the med cert exactly, including any spelling errors, but the name is given by the informant and is accepted as such by the registrar, as the informant is effectively under oath. Obviously, if the name on the cert is totally different in all respects, the registrar would have to be certain they are indeed the same person! Jack

A friend's father was recently registered at death with the wrong forenames. As his surname was Smith, you can see what a mess THAT was. The mistake arose because he died in a Care Home, who called him Bert, and this is the name the duty doctor put on the medical death cert. My friend did not notice this until he went to register the death and the Registrar said that he could only enter the name as it was given on the Death Cert, but my friend could swear an affidavit that his father was actually ***** Smith. He did this and a correction mark was entered against the first record, leading to the second, correct entry. But it was a lot of faffing about, and £25 for the affidavit. OC

It may be that you took the middle names at baptism as, by then, there may have been a gap between that event and the registration which would give time for a re-think on names or to add extra family names to appease grandmas etc. There is a facility to add these to the birth record but only within the first year. Jack

thats funny Jean I also have a middle name so does my Sister and Brother yet they arent on the Birth certs always wondered why.

Medical certs don't usually give the full name of the deceased. The name that appears in the register is taken from the informant and only if they have documentation such as a birth certificate with them can the info be checked. And of course, there's always the risk that such paperwork has previous errors on it....... Jack

I have a middle name Chris but when I recently had a look at my large birth cert, my middle name isn't on. It is on my medical card, marriage cert and all other documents, I don't know why it isn't on my birth cert. Jean

the doctor that certified the cause of death was an old family doctor, so perhaps although he knew him as Alf he just took my dad's word that his name was really John Alfred, it was just a surprize when I saw the birth and marriage certificates that his name was only Alfred, as in our family Hugh Raymond was uncle Ray, and Frederick Hugh was Hugh, so wasn't uncommon, I just wondered how many mistakes are made and if the date of birth is just a guess ?

When you register a death toy have to take the Medical Death Certification with you, from which they copy the cause of death onto the register. I wonder what name was on that? I would have thought they would at least query if you gave a slightly different name for the dec'd. In turn, the medical cert would probably have the same name as was being used by the NHS on his Dr's record. (Or that's what you would expect). Merry

As far as I know, until fairly recently (and then, I suspect mainly to thwart terrorists) NO CHECKS were made on certificates. I have errors of names, ages, places, etc on birth, marriage and death certificates, on censuses, on electoral rolls and even on tombstones. Just because something is written down or carved in stone doesn't mean that it is correct. nell

Yes, the names on the marriage certificate are right (Alfred) but there were two John Alfred Onions b Walsall, they all seemed to give the children the same names, however one John Alfred called his son John Alfred and the other called his Alfred !!!

I know of a family death registered in the wrong name early 1999. It was like yours, mainly correct. We advised the Registrar, where it had been recorded but as it was only the middle names that were incorrect we were told it would be OK. I did notify the person doing a One Name Study of the surname though. It is easy for mistakes to be copied wrong from correct information given. Gwyn

Take it his dads name and occupation on his marriage cert fit with the birth cert?

You might still have the wrong one!

Thanks for that Jess was beginning to think I had the wrong birth certificate, although the marriage is deffinatly the right one

the death is registered in what ever name the person registring the death thought correct at the time

I have just received my grandfathers death certificate, his name was Alfred Onions and I have his birth and marriage certificates, his death was registered by my dad (his son in law) as John Alfred Onions that was Alfreds fathers name, does anyone check the correct name has been given as in times of stress it's easy to give the wrong age or name.