Where to order a BMD certificate from

[steveflan]

When ordering a BMD certificate where would you suggest I order from? Would St. George's Hall be best or should I go direct to GRO?

[MaryA]

Both have lead times of 2-3 weeks so speed isn't an issue.

Price from St George's is a little more expensive I believe, being £10 or just a little more. I also don't think you can order online, you could either call in with your order, or write.

You can order online from the GRO if you have the reference at a cost of £9.25.

If you need a marriage certificate have you checked Lancsbmd site first of all to see which church the marriage took place - if you could get a copy from the Parish Registers (available at the Record Office) you could save yourself the money.

Just realised it's probably the birth certificate you are looking to get and I didn't find a baptism for him.

Either St George's or the GRO will do that kind of search for you.

[dickiesam]

If this is the birth you are interested in: Births Sep 1857: Meadows, John - W. Derby 8b 381,
I suggest the GRO. I could be mistaken but the last time I asked a Registry Office to do a similar search I recall they imposed a charge, whether or not they found what I was looking for. At least with the GRO you know they will refund the fee in full if they can't find a cert with the precise details you supplied.

[steveflan]

Thanks again to you both.

It was in relation to "John" Meadows that I was asking.

However, I was also wondering whether there was any major differences between a "local" registry copy of a certificate (either birth or death) and the GRO copy.

Mary, I agree with your suggestion (and is, in fact, what I try to do) with regards to marriage certificates in trying to locate the Parish record copy first.

[dickiesam]

However, I was also wondering whether there was any major differences between a "local" registry copy of a certificate (either birth or death) and the GRO copy.

In theory, both documents should be identical and usually are. However, since the GRO Indices were transcribed from copies of the original entries in the District Register, which were sent to the GRO by the Registrar at the end of every quarter to be written into the respective Index, it is not unknown for errors to have found their way into the Indices.

The District Registry record will be the accurate record of what was recorded at the time the event was registered.

[dickiesam]

Concerning errors in the GRO BMD Indices.....
From a timely post today... http://www.forum.liverpool-genealogy.or ... 09#p110309

See: http://globalgenealogy.com/globalgazett ... azfd38.htm