Genealogy Forum UK

Hi there.
I have a birth cert and a baptism entry for my GG g'dad which appear to be the same person but differ on the DOB.
Given that the baptism pre-dates the cert - what's the explanation?

Birth: 1/1/1881
Name: Peter Cunningham
Mother: Jane Cunningham
Father: Thomas Cunningham
Address: 3 Burnet St Liverpool

Baptism: 25/12/1880
Birth: 17/12/1880
Name: Peter Cunningham
Mother: Jane Cunningham
Father: Thomas Cunningham
Address: 3 Burnet St Liverpool

I'd appreciate any help or suggestions?

Hi I would think that the Jan 1881 date is when his birth was actually registered.

Linell

as linell points out there was and still is an allowance of days between birth and registration, plus as his birth was late dec poss to late to include in that qrt registration anyway

Baptism always wins out over whatever is on the birth certificate.

Baptism dates are sequential in the parish register and entered by the Church Warden/Clerk on the day of the event.

Birthdays on the GRO certificate are supplied many days or weeks after the birth and are not checked.

Sometimes the birth on the certificate is falsified so that the child appears to be born under wedlock.

It may also be because they hadn't registered the baby within the first 6 weeks, which since registration Act 1837 was brought in, if you didn't you would face an hefty fine/imprisonment which still stands today.

The church had no powers of fining anybody, so you'll more likely to be truthful to the priest/vicar...