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Twins and Birth Certificates

• Message 1.Β 

  Posted by TwoBitTwoBit (U1573417) on Thursday, 6th October 2005

  If a child was one of twins would it be noted on their birth certificate?
  
  I have uncovered the fact that my great grandmother had two children who died in infancy that were never mentioned by my grandfather (her other son). I noticed that on the death certificate index that another child was born and died aged 0 in the same quarter as my grandfather's birth and in the same town. He has the same surname as my grandfather and what is more, the maiden name of the mother is given as my great grandmother's birth name (she was unmarried). We have a very distinctive surname and as far as I can tell are the only family in the town with that surname.
  
  There is no mention of twins on my grandfathers birth certificate. Am I on to something here, or am I barking up the wrong tree?

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• Message 2

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by Janeo75 (U1914714) on Thursday, 6th October 2005

  A twin birth is usually indicated on a birth certificate by having the time of birth entered as well as the date. My great great aunts were twins and one has 11.40am written on her birth certificate and the other has 11.45am. They were born in 1884.

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• Message 3

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by loftyowl (U1774904) on Friday, 7th October 2005

  The quick way to find out would be to telephone the GRO at Southport. If you ring the number listed for borths, they will be able to tell you. If you do ring, would you please come back to this notice board and share your finds? It would be interesting to hear. Thanks

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• Message 4

  , in reply to message 3.

  Posted by TwoBitTwoBit (U1573417) on Friday, 7th October 2005

  Yes, no problem. I will report back. Thanks for the suggestion - I didn't realise that phone enquiries were possible.
  
  Interestingly, by trawling through the death records I have found two more similar births (same surname, mother's 'maiden' name, all probably illegitimate) and deaths, one two years before my grandfather's birth in 1913 and one during the First World War. I know she had two children who died in infancy in 1920 and 1922 respectively (found them by chance in crematorium records) in addition to my grandfather and his younger brother (born in 1919).
  
  If the other children are hers then she seems to have had quite a prolific childbearing rate for an unmarried woman!

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• Message 5

  , in reply to message 4.

  Posted by Linda1111 (U1103093) on Friday, 7th October 2005

  Can I just add something here? Don't automatically assume that because there is a time of birth on a birth certificate, that there is a twin! Some registrars have sometimes been just a little too efficient in their jobs and recorded times of birth as a matter of course for all births.
  
  It is usual in the case of a multiple birth for the time of birth to be recorded but it wasn't always done. You have to look for the other clues that pinpoint a multiple birth.

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• Message 6

  , in reply to message 5.

  Posted by halcroves (U1813496) on Friday, 7th October 2005

  

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• Message 7

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by davebarrett2005 (U2193374) on Monday, 10th October 2005

  I am a identical twin but this is not noted on my birth certificate. The only difference is that its noted that I was born half an hour after my brother. His time of birth is also entered on his certificate.

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