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© Pentrich Historical Society 2000-2007

Updated Thursday, 03 July, 2008

Web site maintained by Helen Wilson

<<Home  <<Site Map  <<Pentrich Records  >>Applying for a Pentrich BMD Certificate

HOW TO APPLY FOR A PENTRICH

BIRTH, MARRIAGE OR DEATH CERTIFICATE

Unfortunately, Pentrich Historical Society is unable to offer a direct certificate application service on your behalf. Therefore we have given the following helpful advise on how to apply for your ancestors civil registration certificates.

The History of Civil Registration

Civil registration certificates were issued from 1st July 1837 onwards, though failure to register a birth was not made illegal until 1875; so some births may be unregistered before this date. When an event was recorded, three certificates were issued:- one was given to the person, a second was kept by the local register office and a third was sent to the General Register Office (GRO). Therefore if a local register office fails to turn up the certificate that you are seeking, it is always worthwhile tracking the duplicate certificate down at the Family Records Centre (& vice versa). You will either have to do this in person or pay for a researcher to do it on your behalf; alternatively if you know the GRO Index reference then you can apply & pay for certificates online (see below for more info). The GRO indexes cover births, marriages & deaths registered in England & Wales from July 1st 1837 & up until 1984. Scotland & Ireland have their own indexes & registration systems. For English births, marriages & burials before 1837, you should rely on parish registers and other local sources.

Information you should know about General Register Indexes (GRO)

When making an application you must send as much detail as possible; including the village name, plus the names of parents or spouse, any dates you know or possible addresses, often the nearest census info is a great help ... anything which may help locate the certificate & the correct person ... but do not give them your whole family history as they have many requests & too much unnecessary information will take up their precious time. Just send the main pieces of information required to do their job properly.

The GRO indexes are especially important and you should always try your best to first obtain the General Register Office (GRO) index references before applying for a certificate. The first place you should check is either the complete Ancestry UK BMD Indexes (but you need to set up a free account) or the FreeBMD web site. However the FreeBMD site is still only a partial resource, as their indexes are not yet complete ... presently transcribers are working to complete the Free online (searchable) index for England & Wales. Also, when using the FreeBMD site, they ask that you should disable anti-virus & firewall software, otherwise the search facility may not work properly.

Some time ago the 1837online.com site was the only way to access the entire indexes, but Ancestry UK has now released the complete indexes online & they can be freely accessed online, once you’ve set-up a free account with ancestry.co.uk.

GRO certificates are always index by quarters - by that we mean four quarters per year & will always be given as either: March Quarter or Qtr 1, June Quarter or Qtr 2, September Quarter or Qtr 3 or lastly as December Quarter, or Qtr 4. This means that a birth registered March quarter - was actually registered in January, February or March ... therefore if someone’s birth was registered in April, May or June of 1872, their birth would be listed as June Qtr 1872 (or Qtr 2 1872). Nowadays births have to be registered within five days, but prior to this birth registration had to be within 42 days of birth, therefore if a person was born mid to late June; the birth may not have been registered until July & may actually be found listed within the September Qtr. So it is always worth checking the following quarter for an entry - in case an event was registered late.

So on Ancestry (for instance) you enter the persons Firstname(s) & their Surnames into the search facility and the approximate dates, though do remember that it is advisable to enter one quarter after the date you suspect. The site will generate a results page with a list of possible page matches, there will usually be one page per quarter, so if you are checking a two year period you will be given a list of eight pages to check, any of which could contain the name you need. The generated results list will state the first name & last name on each of the possible index pages (for each quarter)  ... hopefully the name you are seeking will be somewhere between the two names & will be located on one of the pages within the period you are searching through ... each matched page (on your generated list) will have a ‘view page’ button. Click the button & wait for the index page to load up. Ancestry provide full images of the actual GRO indexes ... so you will need to read through the page, if the person you want is not there click back-button & check the next generated page match. Once the persons details are found - do make sure you write down - the year, the quarter, the event type, the persons name & their index reference details (Volume & Page No.), as these details will be required if you want to obtain a certificate from the GRO - if you buy a certificate without providing the GRO details it will cost much more money..

However if using the FreeBMD index for a marriage search ... there is an added bonus, as you can click on to the page reference number and it will direct you to a generated page containing a list of all other names found on the same index page. Obviously when someone marries their spouse will also be named on the same page & will be given the same GRO references ... therefore by clicking the page number, you may be able to confirm or find, the persons spouse. However multiple marriages will be listed on the same page, but it will provide you will a shortlist of possible spouses .. or if the spouse is known, it will confirm you have the right index record.

Family History Centers (Latter Day Saints) also have copies of the GRO’s BMD indexes. They hold indexes on microfilm and microfiche (from 1837 up to Dec. 1983). You can go to your nearest Family History Centre and can order the films at any Family History Center around the world. The films will remain in the center for around four weeks, so you can use them without rushing too much. To find the location of the nearest Family History Center, check out their web site. Currently the nearest LDS centre to Pentrich, is found at Mansfield in Nottinghamshire.

LDS Family Records Centres

• GRO Indexes within Derbyshire can be found at the following places:
• Derbyshire Family History Society, Bridge Chapel House, St. Mary's Bridge, Sowter Road, Derby, DE1 3AT. They have the GRO indexes from 1837 to 1955.
• Local Studies Library, Derbyshire Libraries & Heritage, County Hall, Matlock, Derbyshire, DE4 3AG. They have GRO indexes from 1837 to 1955 also, plus some overseas records too. Phone: 01629 585579

Once you have obtained the GRO Index, you can then apply for the certificate.

Applying for a Pentrich related certificate

District Registrars will not charge you for the time taken, to find your certificate ... however they will only search a relatively short time either side of the date you give them. All Pentrich events were originally registered within the Belper District, however those records have now been reallocated & split between Amber Valley, Chesterfield, Derby & Matlock. Pentrich certificates should all be held at the Amber Valley Register office. When making an application it is paramount that you supply them with as much information as possible. You need to give them the following information (detailed below) plus any additional information you have - such as the parents names or maybe an address, or the full birth date (if known).

Please supply the registrar with the following information, if you are 100 sure it’s accurate

• --------------------------
• Name - SURNAME, Forename
• Certificate Type - State whether birth, marriage or death
• Registration District - Belper / Amber Valley
• Possible Location - Pentrich
• GRO Index Date - Year & Quarter
• GRO Ref - Volume No. & Page Ref
• Supply additional Info only if certain - such as parents names including mother’s maiden name, family address, census details you may have, father’s occupation.
• --------------------------

Make your application in writing or by telephone, to:

• --------------------------
• AMBER VALLEY DISTRICT REGISTRAR
• Superintendent Registrar, Market Place, Ripley, Derbyshire, DE5 3BT. ENGLAND.
• Telephone - 01773 841380 (from within UK) or 44 1773 841380 (from overseas)
• Fax - 01773 841382 (from within UK) or 44 1773 841382 (from overseas)
• Sorry they have no e-mail address
• --------------------------

Also, the GRO Indexes are available in many libraries and repositories throughout England & Wales and the Office of National Statistics can provide full details of where the GRO indexes are available in your area. Write to:

• --------------------------
• National Statistics (ONS),
• Smedley’s Hydro,
• Trafalgar Road,
• Birkdale,
• Southport,
• Merseyside.
• PR8 2HH
• --------------------------

You can also make certificate applications to the above address, but see their web site first for full details: General Register Office, Registration & Certificate Ordering Service

Certificates can also be obtained in person, or via a privately employed researcher, from Family Records Centre, Myddleton Place, Myddleton Street, LONDON. 1UW. ENGLAND ... or you can arrange to have certificates posted to your address.

Useful Links

• Addresses of current Register offices in England & Wales
• Ancestry.com - Free BMD indexes 1837-1983 ... online & searchable (site generally fee based)
• BMD Certificates.co.uk - Certificate ordering service for UK BMD certificate (fee based service)
• Family Records Centre - London
• FreeBMD Indexes - Free online access
• General Register Office - Direct Registration & certificate ordering service (fee based)
• LDS Family Records Centres
• Registration Districts in Derbyshire
• Registration Districts in England & Wales (1837-1930) - Alphabetical List
• 1837 Online.com - BMD indexes online (fee based service)