Unusual birth certificate regarding adoption

[Rosalind]

I have a birth certificate (not for me!) which I don't understand. The certificate is for the December quarter of 1926. The baby has a name, let's say Julie Jones. The mother is recorded as Mary Jones and the father as John Smith. In the margin it is written by the registrar that this is an adoption. Does anyone know what this means? Is John adopting the baby, though he is not married to the mother (this is known), thus acknowledging his paternity, or are they both adopting, though unmarried? Both parents went to register the baby. I'd be grateful for enlightenment. I know the new Adoption law had just been passed.

[Maths girl]

I understand that if the baby was born out of wedlock the father's name can only be put on the birth certificate if he was present when the birth is registered.

If the father later chose to acknowledge the baby then by a quirk of the law I understood both the mother and the father had to adopt even if she was the natural mother ie they adopted as a pair.

[Northern Lass]

The way I understand that is that it is for information that the baby has been adopted
and that there will be another birth certificate or adoption certificate linked to it,
I have one of these and it says adopted on the original
and then I have the adopted one 2 which has the adopters names on

[MarkCDodd]

If you find the original birth certificate index it will have a reference to that one.

After 1923, if no other person had claimed to be the father on an earlier certificate, you did not have to adopt. Just visit the registrar with the mother and sign a statuatory declaration.

The certificate you have means that at least one of the parents differs from the original certificate and adoption had to take place.

It could even be that the adopting father is actaully the biological father but his name was not on the original certificate.

If a child is adopted, the original certificate is "sealed" and there are rules on who can obtain a copy.

[Rosalind]

Thank you for all your replies. It seems very complicated. The father named on the certificate was married to someone else but is supposed to have lived (for a while) with the mother on the certificate I have. I suppose the only way to be 100% sure is for the child of the "adoptee" (who is now deceased) to apply to see if there's an original one.
Rosalind