The Value of Civil Registrations
Civil Registrations can open the door to your research in the United Kingdom by providing you with the date and place of birth, the name and sex of the child, the father’s name and occupation, the mother’s maiden name and given name, as well as the residence and signature of the person notifying the authorities of the vital event.

If a marriage record is what you seek, the name, age, residence and occupation of the bride and groom could be provided as well as the date and place of marriage. If the bride or groom were previously married that would be provided as well. The name and occupation of the father of the bride and groom as well as the signature of witnesses is recorded.

Death records contain the name, age and occupation of the deceased as well as his or her sex, date, place, and cause of death. Once again the name and residence of the person notifying the authorities of the information as well as their relationship to the deceased is provided.

Historical Background
England and Wales started to register Vital Records July 1, 1837. Scotland started their register January 1, 1855. Northern Ireland started registering their marriages April 1, 1845 and then their birth and death records on January 1, 1864. In some of the more remote areas of each country the records were not kept as they should have been. This will appear as gaps in the records for the first few years. The fact is that the law required registrations of all events, but it wasn’t enforced until the 1870s.