Why did my ancestor lie ? (Quick Tip 7)

After the Registration of Births and Deaths Acts 1874, it became compulsory to register the birth of a child within 6 weeks (42 days) on penalty of a fine. In order to avoid this, parents who had left registering their children late would often falsify the date of birth on a certificate by a matter of a few weeks. For this reason, it’s always worth looking at the date of registration on a birth certificate. If it is exactly six weeks from the date of birth, you should perhaps be a little suspicious.

Weeping Baby – Sir C. Bell, The Anatomy and Philosophy of Expression as Connected with the Fine Arts. London: John Murray, 1844, p. 155. Welcome Institute.