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Hi all

I sent off for my grandparents marriage cert last week with a cq for 7.50 as told by the lady from the reg office.
I put in all the details that was req index number page number name of both people getting married the quarter of the year and the year married and the reg district (the same office of the reg district they married in).

I have just recieved the cq back with a letter telling me they couldn't locate the entry from the info i supplied. I have to get the correct info from the local library or record office who may have an ONS index Once I have this info I have to send it off to Southport which is the General Register Office for the cert at a cost of 8.50 if a reference number is quoted or 11.50 without a ref number.

Can anyone make any sense of this because I can't.
I had the relevant info taken from the index page which I found on line.

Regards
Catherine

Catherine, I found that certain applications have been dealt with in different ways. In one case I entered the date wrong, and the local office sent me the 2 possible certificates for the price of 1.
On another occassion I entered both Bride & Groom's names as per on-line and it was rejected as per your message, and purely because James Henry turned out to be Henry James, a mistake online. If you provide names and details then perhaps me/someone else can check references. Or resubmit your request with just the Bride or Groom's name of which you are most sure on middle names.

Paul

Thanks a lot Paul

Here goes

Marriages registered in April, May and June 1924

Sarah Borrowdale married William Richardson in the district of Cockermouth Vol 10b Page 1282

Catherine

The reference numbers that you find online (say on Ancestry) are those required by the GRO in Southport. If you order online from them it will only cost £7.

The local register offices do not use these reference numbers. The best thing to do when ordering from them is to just give one of the names f rom a marriage - usually the least common name if possible, the qtr. and the year. If you send to the correct register office this is all the information they should need.

There must have been a slight difference in one of the names you used, or they just haven't checked properly. I had one local office in Yorkshire tell me they couldn't find my great grandfather's birth, and yet when I ordered it from the GRO it came with no problem.

Kath. x

Catherine

I take it you applied to the local register office?

If so, then they don't use the references you had, that is the one taken from the BMD indices.

For marriages they want to know the year, quarter they married, name, where and the church they married in.

This is the downfall of local offices as without the church name they would have to search any number of registers to find it.

So unless you know the church I would follow their suggestion and purchase the cert from the GRO. As you have the refs it will only cost you £7 if you buy online or about £8.50 if you do it by phone. I expect you could do it by post so have a look at their website for up to date information.

Chris

They are definitely the right reference numbers according to Ancestry.

If I were you I would order online from the GRO at:-

www.gro.gov.uk/content/certificates

Kath. x

Hi

The letter I got states that I need a reference number to obtain the cert for 8.50

Can anyone tell me what ONS stands for.

Catherine

ONS is the Office for National Statistics.

The site you need to order the cert is where Kath and I suggested, GRO The General Register Office, web address as kath gave.

You will only pay £7 if you order online as you have the full refs. They probably quoted £8.50 as you had applied to them direct and assume you don't want to buy online so would contact the GRO by phone or post.

Chris

I have just ordered the certificate for £7.00 online, dam sight cheaper than the office quoted. To get them from local office it was 7.50 plus a sae too.

Thanks for all the help

Catherine

Hi Catherine, Just a little tip when ordering on line, if you have names of parents or marriage partners etc add these to the Reference Checking Page (on the next page when ordering on line), if you put them in the first page they don't check them. I just received a birth cert I ordered and gave both the actual date of birth as 21 Dec and mother's christian name and maiden surname (Emma Long). The certificate they sent had the birth date of 24th August and mother's name as Elizabeth Griffiths. When I qaueried it they gave me the following reason. They only check the first 2 lines and the GRO number, They will only read the full details if NO Gro number is given, so always fill in Cross Reference Checking, otherwise like me you'll receive the wrong certificate, Hope this makes sence. Lou