Genealogy Chat

Hi Jan, I've sent you an email! Love Eleanorxx

I had a time of birth on a certificate from 1842 (St Pancras) and wondered for a while if it was a multiple birth, but I could find no record of it. I then sent for the father's death certificate, he died later in 1842 and noticed that the time of death was noted on the certificate. I realised they had been completed by the same registrar and it must just have been his way of doing things.

I HAVE TWIN GIRLS AND BOTH TIMES OF BIRTH ARE RECORDED ON THEIR BIRTH CERTIFICATES.

Just to add - i've got two death entries on Free BMD for two girls who appear to be twins - i've a baptism entry for one but not the other - but no birth reg's for either of them! I'm pretty sure they are mine as G.Grannie was supposed to have had three sets of twins! Now waiting on certs to see what they say.. Sue

If you think that because there is a time on a birth certificate that it was a multiple birth (Scotland records all birth times on certiificates no matter if single or multiple births) and you cannot find a child born into the same surname with mother's same maiden name on the fiche in the UK and Wales then you need to check with Southport - GRO. I helped a searcher in this instance and recommended he check to see if there was a stillbirth register (different from the normal birth registers) at Southport and he found his mother's twin was registered as stillborn - eg did not take a breath at birth.

just got my g g g grandad birth certificate with his twin they is no time on any but they says no 1 son the other say no 2 son they must not had a clock in they home in 1839 and in 1842 the same family had 3 and they are put down as 1 child 2nd child 3rd child marilyn

Hi All I have a copy of a birth certificate dated 18.05.1907 it too has a time on it, 12 midnight, there was talk of a twin but I cant find anything on family search and bmd dont go up to this date, I'll just have to wait until I have a few more dates to check and then revisit 1837. Janice

Just to add my twopenorth!!! My father was a twin and his time of birth is given as well. Why not have a look at the register and see if there is another birth registered in that quarter in the same area? Could turn out to be the other twin. Jan from gravesend, Kent.

It all depends on the year. 1837-1875 nothing, 1875 -1927 deaths registered, 1927 on, stillbirths register. Thats how I understand it for true stillbirths. Bob

Hi Kay, If the birth was registered, then there would be a death cert issued. In the case of still births, no birth cert and no death cert, or so I understand. Check out Barbara Dixons site at http://home.clara.net/dixons/ Brilliant site for all registration and certificate queries. Debbie

Well I am a twin born in the 1950's and a) I have no time of birth on my certificate and b) my twin was still born but only her death is registered not her birth. Hilary

My mother-in-law had twins that both died not long after birth. I have the original certs and they both show the time of birth on them. Does anyone know if a death cert would have issued - its not the sort of thing that I want to ask her as she is very old. Kay

Thanks Jackey, I do use that site an awful lot, but didn't find Samuel Charles there. I found all his elder siblings doing a Batch No. search, which is how I found his parents names, but Samuel Charles wasn't included for some reason. It was on that site that I found a marriage record which I thought might be their parents, and now I know the mother's maiden name I've been proved correct. If only I could now find the record of her birth. If anyone can find Mary Ann Copper (or Capper), born c1805, married in Lewisham Kent in 1825, I'd be very grateful. Jan

Jan, Try http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/frameset_search.asp as I have found things on here not on BMD and it covers a wider date range. It also gives the facilty for searching if you have parents names. Anyway, have a look as it may prove useful for other searches. Happy searching! Jacky

I'll agree with above comments - time of birth is recorded on all Scottish birth certificates, and at the beginning of registration certificates included more information than they do now. The design of the certificates changed a couple of times throughout the country - Scottish birth certificates in 1855 should show the number of surviving siblings of the child who was being registered. K.

Thank you Lesley. The surname is FORSTER (though unfortunately sometimes written as FOSTER, its definitely on BMD as FORSTER), this one is Samuel Charles, born March Quarter 1845, Dartford 5 99. However, I've checked on FreeBMD and there is no other Forster birth recorded, nor is there a death in that quarter, so presumably the birth wouldn't be on the 1837 either (unless it got missed by the transcriber). Jan

You could try phoning the relevant local office. Since you've got the subdistrict and date and entry number, they can go straight to the right page in the right book without having to search indexes When this came up once before, the local office said that the registrar had recorded the time for all births

The time usually indicates twins but some registrars put times on for single births. But at that date a stillbirth would not have been registered (until 1875 when the deaths were supposed to have been registered) so I would save your money. Bob

I've got one certificate with a time of birth but although this birth was registered correctly, no sign of a twin, so I think maybe the stillbirth theory could be valid.

Hi I have had birth certs with the time on most have been multiple births howerver I have been told that this sometimes happened when certs first started as the people recording the births were a little over keen. Janet