• Do you love Genealogy? Why not write for us? we're looking for volunteers to write articles for Family history. Please contact us for further information.

Fathers name on Birth Certificate

gwenythgreen

Valued Member
Posts
878
Likes
6
Location
wrexham
#1
Hi

Can anyone tell me if a child is born in the 1950's but the parents were not married could the father be named on the certificate if he consented or did they have to wait until they married at a later date for this to happen,

Gwen
 
Posts
672
Likes
0
Location
hartlepool
#3
usually it was left blank. I know as thats what happened to me i was born in the 50s mother not married.ONce a birth is registered it cannot be changed .obviously if the child is adopted then that is diffrent, as it is changed at the date of adoption again it happend to me.unless any of the guys on here know diffrent suex
 

gwenythgreen

Valued Member
Posts
878
Likes
6
Location
wrexham
#4
usually it was left blank. I know as thats what happened to me i was born in the 50s mother not married.ONce a birth is registered it cannot be changed .obviously if the child is adopted then that is diffrent, as it is changed at the date of adoption again it happend to me.unless any of the guys on here know diffrent suex
Hi

The reason I ask is I have two birth cirtificates one just after I was born in '57 which says father unknown, the second in 59 which gives the name of the person I grew up to call father. I believe that there was a dispute as to who my father was. My mother was going out with the son of the man she later married and I have a feeling he is in fact my father, (He disputes this) mum is to ill to ask although I would love to know the truth naturaly. not to mention the fact that my tree would be wrong.

Gwen
 

Gerard

Well-known member
#5
You may wish to take a look at the following which is a section from the from this document.


http://www.ips.gov.uk/cps/files/ips..._Full_Birth_Certificate_Policy_TO_PUBLISH.pdf


Re-registration of births

In some circumstances a child’s name can be changed by re-registering the birth. No other evidence of change of name is needed in such cases.
The General Register Office (GRO) has confirmed that there are no time limits for re-registration of births and upon re-registration the name can be changed. Re-registration can usually take place under one of the following criteria:

• To include natural father’s details
• Where the natural parents subsequently marry each other

England, Wales and Northern Ireland

Where the parents have not married each other and the mother initially registers the birth without any father’s particulars, both parents can then apply to re-register the birth to include his details at a later date. This would take place under section 10a of the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953. A change of surname for the child in the new registration is possible if both parents agree. If the child is aged 16 or over, the child’s agreement is also necessary. GRO would also make further enquiries to ascertain whether any court order is in existence to prohibit a change of surname.

If the parents are not married to each other, the birth may initially be registered either by the mother alone or on the joint information of both parents. Upon their marriage the parents should apply to re-register the birth to show the child as a child of their marriage. This would take place under section 14 of the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953. Re-registration of a birth upon the parents' marriage has been possible in England and Wales since 1927. GRO would also make further enquiries to ascertain whether any court order preventing any change to the child’s surname, otherwise the conditions are as set out in the above paragraph. Examiners should be aware that it is the subsequent marriage of the parents that legitimates the birth and not the re-registration itself.

The legal advisors team for GRO have stated that the child’s surname may only be changed to:
1) The father’s surname
2) The mother’s surname
3) A combination of the two
4) The mother’s maiden surname or,
A relevant surname where the parents follow a different cultural custom

On occasions a re-registration will be offered when the incorrect father has been initially registered as father. If it is then proven to the Registrar General’s satisfaction that that man is not the natural father, a correction is then made to the birth entry to effectively remove his details. Following this, the way is then clear for the mother and the natural father to apply to re-register the birth to include his details as father.
In all cases when a re-registration has been effected the words “On the authority of the Registrar General” are displayed after the date of registration on the full birth certificate.
 
Last edited:

gwenythgreen

Valued Member
Posts
878
Likes
6
Location
wrexham
#6
Hi

Thank you for your help, what puzzles me is why my supposed father was not named on the original certificate and why it took him two years to put his name on the certificate?

Gwen
 

leefer

Loyal Member
Posts
7,107
Likes
2
Location
swindon wilts
#7
Hi

The reason I ask is I have two birth cirtificates one just after I was born in '57 which says father unknown, the second in 59 which gives the name of the person I grew up to call father. I believe that there was a dispute as to who my father was. My mother was going out with the son of the man she later married and I have a feeling he is in fact my father, (He disputes this) mum is to ill to ask although I would love to know the truth naturaly. not to mention the fact that my tree would be wrong.

Gwen
Hi Gwen...the last two years i have been having similar problems.
Its the reason why my Family Tree is on hold.
I know its a very personal thing and you know best...but you MUST ask your mother for the truth,i have fallen out with relatives because of my straightforward attitude towards my early life...basicly i was fed up with it me being scared to ask questions i feel i had the right to know.
Your mother will know and i am sorry to say it Gwen but you deserve to know the truth so you have to ask her in my opinion.
Any tree etc can never be a happy one or a correct one if you are not sure.
Keep your head up Gwen...and all the best...Lee.
 
Posts
672
Likes
0
Location
hartlepool
#8
im with lee on this one. my mother had an affair with a married man then later married someone else who i believed was my father.they told me i when i was 15. it caused problems all my life including having no contact with my mother for 7 years, she finally told me in 1997 who my father was, she just gave me a name., it was one of the worst experiences of my life when i finally tracked him down in 2004.but regardless of that i needed to know and my ghosts were laid to rest and i had closure.it does not bother me now but i believe we need to know here we come from its part of who we are. suexx
 

woodlander

Valued Member
Posts
929
Likes
0
Location
Chorley
#9
I agree about finding what you can from those able to tell whilst possible. My father was illegitimate and I too was scared of asking (I was born 1950, different world re such questions!)
When I finally did ask I found some answers but not enough and much later, the family history bug bit and father himself by then had Alzheimmer's.
If this is mother's illness, it is indeed too late to ask her but good luck with it, I hope you will ask if it's possible :)
 

gwenythgreen

Valued Member
Posts
878
Likes
6
Location
wrexham
#10
Hi All

Thank you all for your kind words of advice but I am still uncertain about asking as if she had a heart attack or similar when I ask I would always feel guilty. I am planning on showing her a copy of the first birth certificate that I recently obtained and seeing if she offers an explanation. Maybe this could prompt her to tell me, as you say I have a right to know the true facts.

Gwen
 

woodlander

Valued Member
Posts
929
Likes
0
Location
Chorley
#12
Wishing you well Gwen - if she's of sound mind and able to tell you I really do urge you to gather courage and ask. I'm sure you'll regret it for ever more if you don't ask while you can.

Best of luck :)
 

Similar threads

Top