Beginners Guides: BMD Certificate Information

Information to be found on Civil Registration Certificates for Birth, Marriages and Deaths

What information could I find on a birth certificate?
You may find any or all of the following information on a birth certificate:

Name and sex of the child
Date of birth and in the case of twins the time of birth
Place of birth
Name of mother /married name / maiden name
Name and occupation of father
Signature or mark of informant
Name and address of informant
The Superintendant Registrars district and Sub district & name of registrar

What information could I find on a marriage certificate?
You may find any or all of this information on a marriage certificate:

Date of the marriage
Place of the marriage i.e. Name of Church, Chapel or Registry office
The names and ages of spouses and their places of residence
Bride and grooms occupation and status at marriage i.e. widowed, divorced, and single
Names and occupations of their fathers and whether they were already deceased
Whether the marriage took place after the calling of the banns or by licence
The signature or mark of the bride and groom and the two witnesses to the marriage
Name of the person officiating at the ceremony and their title

What information could I find on a death certificate?
You may find any or all of this information on a death certificate:

Name of Deceased and maiden name if married or widowed
Date and Place of Death
Cause of death and possibly the nature and duration of the illness.
Possibly the medical attendant’s name
The age of the deceased is given from January 1866
The date of birth of the deceased from April 1969
Deceased occupation
Signature or mark and name and address of the informant and relationship to deceased
Whether there was a coroner’s inquest and if so the date and coroners name
The Registration district and name of registrar