Liverpool & South West Lancashire FHS - Forum

If a mother's maiden name is not shown on a birth record (GRO 1887) would there be any particular reason - someone forgot, illegitimate child etc? I'm trying to do some research on my Great aunt, Margaret Bolton Taylor, b1887 and shown as Margaret Bolton 8b 430 in 1887 births. I have her shown as Margaret Bolton Taylor in the marriage banns when marrying my great uncle Thomas Orrett in 1908. Death records show Margaret Bolton Orrett.

Other family trees have her parents as unknown father and Ellen Bolton. She is shown as a half sibling in another tree with the same Ellen Bolton and William Taylor as the father but they married 6 years after she was born.

She is in the 1911 census as Margaret Orrett but I can't trace her in the 1891 or 1901 census with the rest of the Taylor/Bolton family

I have contacted one of her relatives on Ancestry but they cannot offer any further information and are stumped. I'm getting slightly confused (not hard at the moment) and hoping some of the experts here can shed any light on it.

Thanks, John

I'm confused I've never come across a birth certificate without a mother's name before, or am I getting this wrong and you are only checking the indexes? I think you need to clarify what the actual certificate says and perhaps see who registered it.

MaryA wrote:I'm confused I've never come across a birth certificate without a mother's name before, or am I getting this wrong and you are only checking the indexes? I think you need to clarify what the actual certificate says and perhaps see who registered it.

Hi Mary, at this stage I am only looking online at GRO, freebmd etc. I want to make sure I have the correct Margaret Bolton before I pay £9.95 . Wonder why the index doesn't have a mother's name, and again, don't really want to pay to find out it's not on a certificate. It is only a great aunt, so again, don't really want to pay the money!

It might be a coincidence, I have checked (GRO) 2 children in my tree that I know for certain they were both illegitimate, no mothers name appears with them in the GRO indexes.

Have the GRO withheld the mothers name if no father is on the birth cert?

Just did a check on one of mine that I knew was illegitimate and there is no mother's name given. So it seems they give the information differently to the other indexes. A cross check against Freebmd would probably show the mother's maiden name the same as the surname.

Checked 2 more illegitimate children, found through baptism records, 1896 and 1857, mothers name not recorded,(GRO)

Beginning to look like if mothers maiden name is left blank, Fathers name not on cert? rather than a clerical error.

MaryA wrote:Just did a check on one of mine that I knew was illegitimate and there is no mother's name given. So it seems they give the information differently to the other indexes. A cross check against Freebmd would probably show the mother's maiden name the same as the surname.

Thanks for the feedback folks. Mary, I would have thought Freebmd would not show the mother's name until after 1911?

My thinking is; If the father was not named, then ehe mother's name would be the surname registered with. If the father was named, then there would be a mother's name given.

JohnnyO wrote:

MaryA wrote: I would have thought Freebmd would not show the mother's name until after 1911?

Ooops I boobed there didn't I

MaryA wrote:

JohnnyO wrote:

MaryA wrote: I would have thought Freebmd would not show the mother's name until after 1911?

Ooops I boobed there didn't I

You taught me well