Registering births and deaths of still borns

[snoopysue]

Does anyone have any experience of people registering stillborns?

The reason I ask is that I've just recieved a death certificate of a child who died aged 1 minute!
As it turns out it's not the certificate I was looking for, but it is very sad. It's possible that the mother of the baby boy was unmarried as the informant is the grandmother and both have the same surname.
The child who remained unnamed, was born at his grandmother's home, and the cause of death is premature birth.

[SRD]

I didn't think they did register stillborns, only if the child was delivered alive were they registered. Something strikes me - as it was the grandmother who registered might it have been a superstitious thing? Or were there financial implications - something like a payout for a child born?

[snoopysue]

I didn't think they did register stillborns, only if the child was delivered alive were they registered. Something strikes me - as it was the grandmother who registered might it have been a superstitious thing? Or were there financial implications - something like a payout for a child born?

The mother probably wasn't in any state to register the child, as the death (and the birth too) was registered the day after the birth and death of the child.
The death was certified, but whether there was a midwife or a doctor present is anybody's guess. I hadn't thourght about the financial implications , especially as themother appears to have been single.

[grangers14]

I think it was some time around 1920's when the law changed to register still borns? I cant think now.. but also can be retricted to allow births certificates for still born.
I cant think!
Sad though
Jo

[grangers14]

Just looked and this explains better than I can, if the baby breathed its not still born...
http://www.familytreeforum.com/content. ... Stillbirth

[peterd]

i think if they were still born they were buried by the state in unmarked graves ie by the trees in the cemertary if they lived a few minutes they had to be registered and buried by the family or in a pauper grave ?
some times if the baby lived a few minutes it would still be registered as still born to save the family money