Genealogy Chat

By neither mother or father would it still be registered??? or would there still be records?? lou xx

Toothfairy Have you tried looking in the Stillbirths section at the GRO site. You might find some helpful tips there. www.gro.gov.uk Click on Stillbirths Joy

yeah, i've had a look but it doesnt really get me anywhere... mum thought her girls had been burried as she had a reciept from the hospital saying so... except they wernt, they were 'retained' at Alderhey...Neither mum or dad registered the birth and no-one (ie hospital or cemetries) are being very helpful in finding them.. I wanted to get their (twins) birth certificates/ death certificates so we can put on the names mum chose for them as they didnt name them at the time officially... but found out that neither of my parents registered them, assuming they didnt have to as they were still born... Does any of that make sense?? lol, I just want to know if they were registered or not??!! Thanks for trying though.. lou xx

Lou You have to apply in writing or by phone anyway so perhaps the best way to proceed would be to write to the GRO for an application form to see if they were registered. Joy

Toothfairy I don't understand your question. Stillbirths were registered from 1927. If babies were stillborn they would be on the stillbirth register. If they weren't registered there, there would be no records elsewhere, apart presumably from the mother's obstetric records. nell

From the GRO site 'Although the majority of stillbirths are registered by parents, sometimes neither the mother or the father are able to attend. In this case, registration can be done by whichever of the following people is best able to do so: the occupier of the house or hospital where the stillbirth took place someone who was present at the stillbirth someone who is responsible for the stillborn child the person who found the stillborn child (where the date and place of the stillbirth are unknown). ' It also says a stillbirth can be registered at the hospital where the birth took place. I think it might be possible that your parents did register the stillbirths and have forgotten they did. I say this because my husband's parents had a baby that died 2 minutes after birth. They always spoke as though the baby was born dead, but I have the baby's birth and death certs, registered by my father-in-law. He never spoke about any of this and I always thought that shock and grief had made him forget. nell

we had a brother - still born, but because mum was before her 28th week of pregnancy she could not register him

They were still born due to medical error, they wern't delivered on time.... My parents asked to see them but were told they would be taken away and burried.. Neither of my parents registered anything, anywhere, so unless the hospital have records or registered them then there will be no certificate?! Sheila, that is so awful..... xxxx Joy will do that.... Thanx to all who have tried to help! lou xxx

its just one of these sad things we find and wonder how people coped. This was in Scotland and I got a lovely letter back - not a standard reply saying that the were sorry but they couldnt find my BROTHER in their records. That meant a lot as they were treating him as a real person - we roughly know the date and are waiating for the medical records being opened for us. I hope you get some satisfaction. We are going to put a little plaque next to mum and dad for this brother we never knew.

Sheila, i have tears in my eyes... I think a plaque would be perfect... I am trying to find some sort of doccument so we can give them their names, mum chose their names before they were born, the biggest 5 1/2 pounds was to be called Debbie and the smaller 4 1/2 lb was to be Tina. She has only a small scrap of paper to prove they ever existed. I thought we could give them their names, find where they are and do some sort of memorial for them.. It has taken mum over 30 years before she has been able to talk openly about them.. she still cries when we talk about them though. Poor women, and many women who went through this same thing.. thank God things have changed... lou xxx