fathers name not on birth certificate

[kmarie]

I have a birth certificate of my great grandfather harry dated 1881, his mothers name is on the document but he was given her surname and his father is not recorded anywhere.

If the father was deceased would they not put the name on the birth certificate at all?.to be honest im hoping that he didnt just do a runner during the pregnancy but its looking like a its a possibility.any info on this appreciated

 

[davelambert271]

Hi

If the father had died, usually they wrote deceased under his name

If the mothers name is given and no father, it usually means the child is illegit. The father may be unknown, not willing to accept it is his child etc.
It was not uncommon for gentry to get their servants pregnant, but didn't want their name on the cert.
Sometimes the child was born out of wedlock, only for the father to eventually marry the mother. so if the marriage takes place shortly after a birth, it could mean the groom is the father

dave

 

[kmarie]

hey dave, I do believe now with what youve said and with the info i have with me that your right and he was probably illegit and if thats correct than i do believe she had another illegit child 5 years later again as he has her surname too.....the things you find out!

 

[oznannie]

Hi
The father had to give permission for his name to be listed on a birth cert.
If no father listed, as Dave has said, the child would be illigt or father unknown.
Children may have been baptised?

ozn

 

[Guy]

The situation with father’s name & occupation on birth certificates varies according to the time period.
Briefly in the case of illegitimate births.
1837-circa 1850 – The father’s name & occupation could appear if known.
1850- 1875 The putative father is not allowed to sign as father of the child.
1875-1953 The father’s name must not be entered unless the father and mother both sign (mark) the register as informants.
Cheers
Guy

 

[kmarie]

Hey guy thanks for the info.when I realised there was no mark on the cert by the father i decided to go through the census info from 1861 through to 1911.his mother was there living with her parents, siblings and her child but no sign of the father and harry was also given her surname so I think I'm just going to go with the illegit route for now