The General Register Office, commonly referred to as GRO, is based in Southport, Merseyside in England and covers civil registration for England and Wales. It was established in 1837, with births, marriages and deaths being registered with them from 1st July 1837 until the present day. GRO are also responsible for the registering of stillbirths, adoptions and civil partnerships. GRO's website at www.gro.gov.ukis frequently used by genealogists to order birth, marriage and death certificates to progress their research.
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History of the General Register Office in England and Wales
Prior to civil registration in England and Wales, baptisms, marriages and burials were recorded in parish registers. These would sometimes give the date of birth of the child being baptised and, more rarely, the date of death for the deceased being buried but usually would only refer to the date of the event itself. Therefore, prior to July 1837 it is sometimes not possible to discover the exact date of birth or death for our ancestors if this cannot be found from other sources.
With the increase of nonconformity in the country and a decline in events being registered in parish records, it was decided a system of civil registration should be implemented. This was part of the Births and Deaths Registration Act of 1836. The office of Registrar General was established, with the first Registrar General being Thomas Henry Lister of Staffordshire. England and Wales were initially split into 619 separate registration districts.
During World War One, GRO was also responsible for co-ordinating the National Registration system which dealt with rationing and military recruitment. GRO was based in London until 1997 when its operations moved to Merseyside.
Certificates available from the General Register Office in England and Wales
Birth Certificate
- Registration district and sub-district
- County
- Date of birth
- Place of birth
- Child’s name
- Child’s sex
- Father’s name (if known)
- Mother’s name (including maiden name and any former husband’s surnames)
- Father’s occupation (if name is listed)
- Informant’s name, residence and relationship
- Date of registration
- Registrar’s signature
Marriage Certificate
- Place of marriage
- County
- Date of marriage ceremony
- Names of the bride and groom
- Bride and groom’s age (often noted as ‘full age’)
- Bride and groom’s marital status
- Bride and groom’s occupations
- Bride and groom’s residences
- Bride and groom’s fathers’ names and occupations
- Whether they married by banns or licence
- The name of the person who performed the ceremony
- Signature or mark of bride and groom
- Signatures of at least two witnesses
Death Certificate
- Registration district and sub-district
- County
- Date of death
- Place of death
- Name of deceased
- Sex of deceased
- Age of deceased
- Occupation of deceased
- Cause of death
- Informant’s name, residence and relationship
- Date of registration
- Registrar’s signature
From the 1st April 1969 birth certificates were changed to show the place of birth of both child's parents and death certificates added the date and place of birth for the deceased. In 1984 birth certificates added a space to record the occupation of the child's mother. Most recently, marriage certificates were changed in 2021 to allow a space for the name of the mothers of the bride and groom.
In addition to the above, people can apply for a certified copy of an entry in the Adopted Children Register from 1927 onwards, certificates of civil partnership from 2005 onwards and a commemorative marriage certificate.
Marriage certificates are sent to recipients in the post. For births from 1837 to 100 years ago and deaths from 1837 to 1957 you can choose to either have a paper copy sent to you, to view a PDF certificate online or view an instant digital image. All have different fees.
General Register Office indexes
The General Register Office in England and Wales produces indexes of births, marriages and deaths every three months. The quarters seen in the index as referred to as follows:
- Quarter 1 (M) – January, February, March
- Quarter 2 (J) – April, May, June
- Quarter 3 (S) – July, August, September
- Quarter 4 (D) – October, November, December
All marriages will appear within the months index within which the event occurred. As births and deaths did not have to be registered instantly some may appear in the following quarters index. For example, if a person died at the end of December 1930 they may not have had their death registered until January 1931 and will therefore appear in the Quarter 1 (M) index for 1931. Once a relevant entry has been found in the index, the details supplied can be used to order a certificate.
The indexes can be searched online via the relevant collections on MyHeritage including England & Wales, Birth Index, 1837-2005, England & Wales, Marriage Index, 1837-2005 and England & Wales, Death Index, 1837-2005.
See also
Explore more about the General Register Office in England and Wales
- England & Wales, Birth Index, 1837-2005 record collection at MyHeritage
- England & Wales, Marriage Index, 1837-2005 record collection at MyHeritage
- England & Wales, Death Index, 1837-2005 record collection at MyHeritage
- Getting the best out of the online Local BMD indexes at Legacy Family Tree Webinars
- Unlocking English & Welsh Civil Registration Records at Legacy Family Tree Webinars
References