Genealogy Chat

Just got a certificate back from Tameside - 48 hour turnaround - and wondered why they don't just copy the original instead of re-writing it. I knew this was going to be the case as it's not the first I've ever received, but still disappointed as I would love to have seen the handwriting of this particular person. Oh well.

I have just recieved a typewritten one. VERY disappointed.

The ones ordered direct from the GRO are photocopies of the originals but the local offices always supply rewritten ones. No idea why this is, someone will probably tell us.

I've just got a typed one from the GRO, and one with 'new' handwriting. Must give yet another opportunity for transcription errors. Peter

I recently obtained a 1837 marriage certificate from ONS and it looks like a photocopy, and is written in difficult to dicypher copperplate. Even if you do get photocopies, they always seem that all the writing is written by one person.

So that's proved me wrong already! I've always got copies of originals so far anyway from GRO.

I wanted a copy of the original from Camden, I think it was, and so I emailed them and asked if it was possible and they told me to send my order in writing and to ask for a photocopy of the original, so that's what I did and it came! I don't know if all register offices would do this, but it would be worth asking them before you order the cert. Kate.

Like Helen all the certificates I've ordered have been photocopies from the GRO includinf a full copy of my own birth certificate. I can now prove that my mum's memory is flawed as she has said for years that she registered me but it's my dads signiture on the original record and not mum's. All the marrige certificats I've orderd have had signitures (different for each of the 5 signitrueries). I know that that branch were liturate as there have been quite a few teachers in the families. NOTE: even some illiterate people could sign their name and literate people sometimes used marks or crosses

I ordered a copy of a marriage certificate from GRO and thought if was a true copy of the original but when a friend got me a copy of this marriage certificate from LMA it was completely different, this was the original that the couple had signed on the day they married. Irene

I nearly always deal with Local Offices and ask for 'a photocopy if possible, please'. A very nice lady phoned one time to say that they couldn't photocopy the original, as the book's binding was in a very fragile state. This particular office does not yet have a scanner. Of the many I have received which ARE photocopies, they are often 'all in the same writing' simply because my rellies couldn't write. Photocopies from the GRO are 'all in the same handwriting' because they are copies of the copies that were originally made by the local office - pre typewriter days, so the only way to copy the register to send to the GRO was to - well, copy it! Marjorie

I also have a photocopy of my dad's signature on my copy full certificate. (Only had the short version before)

Thanks for the replies. I've always got them from the local register offices, and they are always modern re-written versions of the originals. I order them from the local offices as it's much faster. But I'd really like a photocopy of the original of this one. Should I stump up another £7 and get it from the GRO? Is anyone prepared to *guarantee* that's what I'll get? <LOL>

The only way to get a copy of the orginal is from the church where the marriage took place, or the orginal birth register book. EVERYTHING that comes from GRO, Southport is a copy (hence the same writing). When you get married, you sign the register which is kept by the church( and maybe eventually the local RO) When teh book is full a copy of the whole book goes to GRO. It is from this copy you get a copy. I wanted a copy of my Gt Nan's birth cert but despite going to the local office to where the event was registered I had to have a copied one as being a small office they don't have the facilities to copy the books. So many many chances for mistransciptions!!!!! Hope I have this right but am sure someone will correct if wrong LOL

I have two original certificates and whereas the modern copies are on A4 paper 11 5/8 x 8 1/4 inches - the old certs were about 13 7/8 x 6 1/2 inches thus all the columns were wider.

They vary - some are scanned, some typed, some written, from register offices. One scanned had my Dad's signature as informant, that was lovely to see. Another was typed - my Mum was informant, and I was disappointed not to see her signature! Joy

I have a few typed (photocopies of the certs my grandparents had which wasn't many mind) and a couple 'newly' handwritten. I think it's because if they had copied it like usual practice it would have been a very poor copy. Besides, it's never the original handwriting on the cert anyway. The only wany to see the original handwriting of your ancestors is to look at the parish records. Chloe

Right, well no more £7s from me Tameside if other people are getting 'proper' certificates! It's got to be better getting a photocopy with the real person's handwriting than a flashy cream and red bit of watermarked paper with Josephine Bloggs' scrawl on it. Right? Or is the information contained within more important than my illiterate ancestors X mark? Hmm...

Well, perhaps I should add that I'm not normally bothered about seeing the actual handwriting; it was just that I had some certificates from Belfast and they obviously were copies of the original as a certain person's signature on two different certificates matched each other, and I wanted to compare somebody else's signature on one of these with a signature on an English certificate, to see if they could be written by the same person as I believed it was the same person under a false name but the first (Christian) name was the same. I already had a GRO copy of this cert but got another one from the local office, as I said after checking if it could be a copy of the original. Sorry to say the two signatures did not match, but the dates were decades apart so maybe she changed her handwriting in the meantime or deliberately altered her signature? Kate.

I've ordered from locals & GRO, and I have had typed copies/original photocopies/hand-written copies from both. I too was disappointed to get a typed copy from the GRO Sam

I think they sometimes write them out if they can't get a decent readable scanned copy from the original. Diane