Birth, Marriage and Death Certificates

On 1 July 1837 the British government established civil registration, a system of recording all births, marriages and deaths in registers kept by the Registrar General of England and Wales.

Despite the fact that these registers have been the primary source of genealogical information in this country for almost 170 years, they are not public records and are not available to be viewed by the general public.

In order to obtain information from the registers it is first necessary to search the General Register Office indexes and then apply for a birth, marriage or death certificate.

Certificates provide the following information:

Birth

Registration District
Sub-district
County
When Born
Where Born
Name
Sex
Name and Surname of Father -
(In the case of illegitimacy this information is usually not given)
Name, Surname and Maiden Surname of Mother
Occupation of Father
Description and Residence of Informant
When Registered

Marriage

Registration District
Place of Marriage
When Married

and the following information for both bride and groom:

Name and Surname
Age -
(Sometimes given merely as "full", meaning at least age 21)
Condition
Rank or Profession
Residence at Time of Marriage
Father's Name and Surname -
(The names of the mothers are not given)
Rank or Profession of Father

Death

Registration District
Sub-district
County
When and Where Died
Name and Surname
Sex
Age
Occupation
Cause of Death
Description and Residence of Informant
When Registered

Please note that English death certificates do not provide any information on parents or other family members.

Let Us Help

If you have the complete GRO reference

Order a Certificate

If you do not have the complete GRO reference

Request a free e-mail consultation. Our British-based researchers can search the General Register Office indexes and obtain a certificate for you if the correct entry is found.