Only 11 days after Queen Victoria came to the throne, a major change in the way births, marriages and deaths (‘BMDs’) in England and Wales were recorded came into force. Civil registration created a legal, state-based system in order to be more reliable and comprehensive than the parish register system for recording baptisms, marriages and burials. Genealogists have benefited ever since.

Ordering certificates is a slightly complicated process, involving checking indexes first – most of these are online, as explained below. Once you have a certified copy of the actual certificate, however – and these are not yet available online – you can open up major new avenues in your research.

Birth certificates reveal a name, date and place of birth, along with the names of the person’s parents, including mother’s maiden name. This can help you go back a generation – although if the person was illegitimate, the father’s name may not be given. Father’s occupation is also listed, but the mother’s was only given from 1984. Marriages, of course, represent two families coming together, and you can glean details of both in the certificate, from each spouse’s address to the names and occupations of their fathers. Death certificates, meanwhile, are not just useful for details of the person’s address, and where and when they died: you also learn their age, which can help to find their birth certificate or a parish record. From 1969, the place of birth was also noted. Marriage and death certificates can also yield extra information about family members who were witnesses or informants.

Discover your ancestors through civil registration records

In focus: BMD certificates

Marriage records can give you information about both sides of the family, but all three types will reveal new information about your forebears

1. This certificate shows a spring wedding in a wealthy family – but poorer couples often wed at Christmas when the family was already going to be together
2. Middle names are not always given, but there they are; if the bride was a widow, her previous married name will be shown
3. Many marriage certificates show the precise ages of the people, but some as here merely state that the couple were of ‘full’ age (21 or over); under 21 it would say ‘minor’
4. An occupation is given for the spouses (often just the groom, though) and their fathers – sometimes you’ll spot that the groom might have been an apprentice to the bride’s father
5. A blank for father’s name usually suggests illegitimacy. In this certificate a name is given, but the bride’s birth certificate doesn’t, suggesting a cover up!

1. The maiden surname of the mother is a crucial detail for helping you go back another generation on both sides; if they had been previously married the earlier married surname should also be given
2. This is likely to indicate whether the parent registering the birth could read and write or not – here there’s just an ‘X’

1. The cause of death won’t help grow the family tree but might provide clues to your ancestor’s lifestyle
2. The informant may have been a close relative – an address might help cross-refer with census records, for example