Birth, Marriage and Death Records

England & Wales

Birth, Marriage and Death records are commonly referred to as B.M.D. records. 

They are kept by the General Register Office of England and Wales, part of the National Office of Statistics. (ONS), in those countries.  In Scotland, the records are records are kept by the Registrar General for Scotland at New Register House in Edinburgh, while In Northern Ireland, the records are recorded by the General Register Office of Northern Ireland (GRONI).

These records have been kept since July 1837 when it was required by law to record every birth, marriage and death. These days the Office holds records of births, deaths, marriages, civil partnerships, stillbirths and adoptions.

To order a copy of a record you will probably need an index number for which there is a charge. A free database of index numbers can be found on the website FreeDMB. Accessing the index at some libraries and archive centres is also possible.

Scotland

In Scotland, BMD records are kept by the Registrar General for Scotland at New Register House in Edinburgh.

Visit: https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/

Northern Ireland

In Northern Ireland, the records are recorded by the General Register Office of Northern Ireland (GRONI).

Birth certificates usually show:

  • Date and place of birth
  • Name and gender
  • Names of parents (including mother’s maiden name)
  • Father’s occupation
  • Name, description and address of the informant
  • Date of registration

Marriage certificates usually show:

  • Date and place of marriage
  • Forenames and surnames of bride and groom
  • Ages of bride and groom (‘full age’ means 21 or over)
  • Abode of bride and groom
  • Father’s name and occupation for both bride and groom
  • Names of witnesses

Death certificates usually show:

  •  Date and place of death
  • Full name
  • Age at death
  • Occupation
  • Cause of death
  • Name, description and address of the informant
  • Date of registration