Why 2 birth certs

[douglas]

I have someone who was born in Innerleithen and the birth is registered in Innerleithen on 15/1/1867. Then on 28/1/1857 there is an entry in Traquair Parish and in the "where and when registered column" it states "1857 January 15th at Innerleithen. January 28th Transcribed at Traquair". Does this mean that while the birth was at Innerleithen, the family lived in Traquair, or what?

Douglas

[WilmaM]

Is the Innerleithen one a statutory registration certificate or a parish registration?
As statutory reg.started in 1855 they would have had to register the birth officially, but the parish records would still have registered the child's birth or christening.
The Two communities being just either side of the Tweed.

[AndrewP]

Hi Douglas,

This was not uncommon from 1855 (the start of statutory registration in Scotland) until the 1930s. The initial registration would be in the district where the birth took place, and the transcribed registration should be in the district where the parents normally lived. The need for this dual registration for when the child was born away from home was done away with in the 1930s. It was commonplace for the first child to be born in the grandmother's home - does that look to be the case for the birth that you are asking about? Subsequent children were usually born in their parental home. This was all before the time of most births taking place in a maternity hospital (or private maternity home for those who could afford that).

All the best,

AndrewP

[douglas]

The first birth of the family is in the Traquair OPR in 1854. The one in question was the second birth. The 1861 census shows them as living in Innerleithen. It therefore looks like they lived in Traquair and at some point moved to Innerleithen - which ties in nicely with what Andrew says.

Thanks very much.

Douglas