From 1 July 1837, it was compulsory to register all births, marriages, and deaths in England and Wales. At first, Registrars were responsible for discovering and recording events (so parents had to supply information only when asked). After the Births & Deaths Act 1874 came into effect, those present at a birth or death were required to report the event to the Registrar.
Births in England and Wales must be registered within 42 days, and deaths must be registered within 5 days unless an inquest is called or a post mortem is held. Marriages are registered at the time of the ceremony by the officiating minister (if the event occurs in the Church of England or the Church in Wales) or an Authorised Person (usually clergy of another denomination) or a Registrar at a Register Office. At the time an event is registered, two copies of the document are made. One is retained in the local district and the second is forwarded (in quarterly batches) to a central location. The records of births, marriages and deaths for England and Wales are held by the General Register Office which is part of the UK Identity and Passport Service. The official registers are not directly accessible by the general public. Instead, indexes are made available which can be used to find the relevant register entry and then request a certified copy of the details. |
Searching Vital Records
For more detailed background, you can look at the Family Search Research Wiki entry England Civil Registration
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