father crossed out on birth reg?.....

karenmcc · Post by **karenmcc** » Mon Oct 17, 2005 4:54 am

Hi All,

I have a birth cert for my ggrandmothers half brother. There is a fathers name written in, and then this has been crossed out and Illigitate has been written in under the childs name. Why would this have happened. Also when my gggrandmother (the mother of this illitimate child) married my gggrandfather, she is listed as a widow. Would they have done this if she was just living with the father and he died before the child was born, and she had no marriage cert and therefor no proof?

Karen

Post by **AndrewP** » Mon Oct 17, 2005 7:08 am

(a guess only) It may be that "llegitimate" was written there anyway and the father was there at the registrar's office but refused to sign the document, therefore giving no acceptance that he was the father.

Is there no RCE stamp on the certificate?

All the best,

Andrew Paterson

karenmcc · Post by **karenmcc** » Mon Oct 17, 2005 7:30 am

Hi Andrew,

The birth above his is the same, Illigitimate with a father crossed out. On the right hand side on the top one it says two with the assistant registers initials and then the one I am looking at has 3 with the initials. Thats not an RCE is it?

Karen

Post by **AndrewP** » Mon Oct 17, 2005 8:27 am

Hi Karen,

Was the father's name signed in the informant's section on the certificate? Or was he only listed in the "parents' names" section?

If the father was not married to the mother and he was not there to sign his acceptance of being the father, then it may be that when the certificates were examined before going into New Register House that the examiner found that the unmarried father had not signed, therefore was not allowed to be named and scored his name out.

An RCE is always marked by the words (written or stamped) "Register of Corrected Entries", or some abbreviation of that. This marking is normally in the left margin.

All the best,

Andrew Paterson

karenmcc · Post by **karenmcc** » Mon Oct 17, 2005 11:04 am

Hi Andrew,

He had not signed the register. I probably should look for a death for him. I've had this mixed up story about someones fiance dying in the war passed on to me. I'm not great with history, was there some sort of conflict in 1876 that this fellow could have died in, as I think it was my gggrandmother the story was supposed to be about. (then again, that side of my family seemed to make up a lot of stories).

I didn't think the markings on the right were an RCE, as I have one on an other cert. but wasn't sure.

Thanks
Karen

DavidWW · Post by **DavidWW** » Mon Oct 17, 2005 11:49 am

As long as any error was spotted before the registrar had signed the entry, the correction could be made on the register entry, - there will be a list of such corrections at the end of the register for the year. It should be numbered in the margin somewhere, but that's only a "should"

Sounds like the registrar asked for the father's name and entered it before it was clear that the birth was illegitimate, and he was not present, as the only situation in which both names could appear on an illegitimate birth was if both parents attended the act of registration and both signed the register entry, or, as Andrew suggests the father was present but took cold feet at the last minute

In the early days of registration there was some confusion as to when exactly the RCE procedure came into play, but 1876 is getting a bit late unless it was a very small rural parish. (But then again it could have been a big city parish, but involving a new and inexperienced assistant registrar! - in this "game" you have to understand the process and use your imagination to think of what could have happened.)

The letter of the law was that any alteration or addition to the entry after the registrar had signed the entry could only be via the RCE procedure.

The multiple initials could involve the registrar and superintending registrar, or assistant registrar + registrar + superintending registrar, the latter just adding his initials when inspecting the register to confirm that he was satisfied that everything was correct.

Is there any trace after the 2nd or 3rd set of initials of something like "S Regr" or "Sup'g Reg" .....

David

karenmcc · Post by **karenmcc** » Mon Oct 17, 2005 12:04 pm

Hi David,

I wasn't sure what you were asking, so have uploaded the cert. It is for Dugald Burnside b 1876.

http://talkingscot.com/gallery/displayi ... p?pos=-255

Karen.