Genealogy Chat

I ordered a PDF copy of a death cert but can someone explain how it's not like a full version of a death cert please? I thought it would at least give me an address. It says "probably convulsions" so guessing this is the cause of death as you can't see the columns as in a full cert?

Is this the same with all PDF downloads, ie you wont see exactly what's on a full cert?

I wish now I had ordered the full cert as maybe it would have given me more info. I actually cant make out the fathers name either as badly written but can't change that!

Florence in the hebrides

The latest Lost Cousins newsletter has a good explanation ( with pictures).
I think Peter was given the chance to view the system before it went live.

Added: the one in the Lost Cousins explanation has the address in the first column. In the newsletter there is also a bit about what you can and should not complain about.

Worth reading the newsletter.

Florence, I've just looked at 2 different PDF downloads for death certificates for 1838 and 1840, forwarded by my friend.

Neither show an actual address, just the name of the village, but that was common on a certificate at that time.
Column headings are not shown, but otherwise all the written information is there, the same as on a paper certificate.
There is not a heading at the top of the page either saying the name of the district and registration area.

One of the certificates looks as if it is cut short, but all the information is included, apart from the number at the far left hand of the page.
The other download shows the full printed lines of the 'boxes' containing all the information.

If all the boxes are there on your download,whether or not the actual lines are visible, you probably have all the information available.

If they are not all there, I would ask for a better scan.

Gwyn, yes what you have is the same as me. As I paid £7 for a download, thought I would still get the full cert but obviously cheaper then GRO sending and printing out a cert.

There are no headings and yes it looks as if its cut short.

Thanks for that.

The 2 death certs. I mentioned were from the recent system, - £2.50 each.

You don't get the column headings because your entry is just a slot somewhere on the page.

This is an extract from the Lost Cousins newsletter I suggested reading:
"Online View is a fully automatic process, whereas producing certificates and PDFs requires human intervention – that’s why Online View is so much cheaper. The downside is that if the image isn’t perfect, there’s nobody who can put it right.

The most common problem is that the entry is trimmed at the top or the bottom, or slightly angled – you may get to see a small part of the preceding entry, or the one that follows, but there’s a little bit missing from the entry you paid for. Often this isn’t a problem – you can figure out what it is supposed to say. But if you can’t, as in the example below, contact the GRO and they will probably issue a refund."

Yes but I didn't order a digital copy for £ 2.50, I ordered a PDF for £7.oo and had to wait 7 days before i could download it.

I did read what you posted above but thought that related to a digital online view for £2.50 not a PDF

Sorry, I did assume you meant the new digital cheap one. I thought the PDF one was the same as the full paper one. Seems not.

Yes names, exactly what I thought. So thought I didn't really need to spend £11.00 on a paper copy when I could download for £7 and print it out myself if I wanted to.

Never mind, now I know, I shall know for the future.

Thanks for your help and Gwyn

Based on the one PDF I have acquired, the information on a PDF seems to be in two parts. The first part is the registration district, year and column headings. The second part is the box of information in ten columns (including the number).

The second part should be the same as on a certificate. You will not get any more information by ordering a certificate, just extra lines saying it is a certified copy of the death certificate.

If the second part does not contain the full box of information then you should query it with the GRO. As Gwyn says the place of death may just be the village name.
if anything is unreadable then it is unlikely anything can be done although sometimes they issue typed versions of certificates where the original data is hard to read.

I have a copy of the birth cert but have discovered that on the PDF of the death, the surname has been changed to that of the grandmother??? Also gives the father's name but on the original birth cert it is blank where the father's name should be.
The mother wasn't married and pregnant with another child(colourful woman!)when she did marry.

I am quite baffled although given the family in general, nothing would surprise me!

It would have helped if the person signing as the baby's mother was legible. All I know is that the surname is not that of the mother. The baby was only 7 months old when it died.

As for an address, it just says Chartham Rd,Kent. I cant even find that on a map?

Oh well just another family mystery, I cannot solve and noone left in the family to ask as such a long time ago.

Kense, thanks for the info.

Florence in the hebrides

There is a Chartham Road in South Norwood which would put it close to the old Surrey/ Kent border. Would this one make any sense? It is just on the west side of Beckenham cemetery.

What was the registration district?

District-Bridge, Kent

Sub district-Chartham

Counties-Kent & Canterbury

Chartham Downs Road, Chartham. Joins Bridge Road at Street End

Ok ty, i will have a look at that on a map.