Registration district
Encyclopedia
A registration district in the United Kingdom
is a type of administrative region which exists for the purpose of civil registration of birth
s, marriage
s, and death
s and civil partnerships. It has also been used as the basis for the collation of census
information.
were created with the introduction of civil registration on July 1, 1837, and were originally co-terminous with poor law union
s. Their existence as autonomous entities came to an end in 1930, when the relevant administrative county
or county borough
was made responsible. A subsequent series of reforms of local government
has resulted in the responsibility today being held by the relevant county council
, unitary authority
, metropolitan district, or London borough
.
Each district is divided into sub-districts, each of which has a registrar responsible for the registration of births, marriages, civil partnerships, and deaths in his or her area. Overall responsibility for a district is held by a superintendent registrar.
Registration districts are not always co-terminous with county boundaries, and so in the past were grouped into "registration counties
" for statistical
purposes. They remained in use for the census from 1851 to 1911.
came into being with the introduction of civil registration there in 1855; away from the cities their boundaries usually coincided with civil parishes. They still exist today in their own right and in many places do not coincide with the current council areas; commonly both geographically-large and densely-populated Council Areas will have several registration districts, each with a registrar within easy reach of most residents. The Local Electoral Administration and Registration Services (Scotland) Act 2006 now allows births and deaths to be registered with any registrar in Scotland, rather than solely in the registration district where the event occurred or in the registration district of usual residence.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
is a type of administrative region which exists for the purpose of civil registration of birth
Birth
Birth is the act or process of bearing or bringing forth offspring. The offspring is brought forth from the mother. The time of human birth is defined as the time at which the fetus comes out of the mother's womb into the world...
s, marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
s, and death
Death
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
s and civil partnerships. It has also been used as the basis for the collation of census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
information.
England and Wales
Registration districts in England and WalesEngland and Wales
England and Wales is a jurisdiction within the United Kingdom. It consists of England and Wales, two of the four countries of the United Kingdom...
were created with the introduction of civil registration on July 1, 1837, and were originally co-terminous with poor law union
Poor Law Union
A Poor Law Union was a unit used for local government in the United Kingdom from the 19th century. The administration of the Poor Law was the responsibility of parishes, which varied wildly in their size, populations, financial resources, rateable values and requirements...
s. Their existence as autonomous entities came to an end in 1930, when the relevant administrative county
Administrative county
An administrative county was an administrative division in England and Wales and Ireland used for the purposes of local government. They are now abolished, although in Northern Ireland their former areas are used as the basis for lieutenancy....
or county borough
County borough
County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control. They were abolished by the Local Government Act 1972 in England and Wales, but continue in use for lieutenancy and shrievalty in...
was made responsible. A subsequent series of reforms of local government
Local government
Local government refers collectively to administrative authorities over areas that are smaller than a state.The term is used to contrast with offices at nation-state level, which are referred to as the central government, national government, or federal government...
has resulted in the responsibility today being held by the relevant county council
County council
A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries.-United Kingdom:...
, unitary authority
Unitary authority
A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national...
, metropolitan district, or London borough
London borough
The administrative area of Greater London contains thirty-two London boroughs. Inner London comprises twelve of these boroughs plus the City of London. Outer London comprises the twenty remaining boroughs of Greater London.-Functions:...
.
Each district is divided into sub-districts, each of which has a registrar responsible for the registration of births, marriages, civil partnerships, and deaths in his or her area. Overall responsibility for a district is held by a superintendent registrar.
Registration districts are not always co-terminous with county boundaries, and so in the past were grouped into "registration counties
Registration county
A registration county was, in Great Britain and Ireland, a statistical unit used for the registration of births, deaths and marriages and for the output of census information. In Scotland registration counties are used for land registration purposes....
" for statistical
Statistics
Statistics is the study of the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It deals with all aspects of this, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments....
purposes. They remained in use for the census from 1851 to 1911.
Scotland
Registration districts in ScotlandScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
came into being with the introduction of civil registration there in 1855; away from the cities their boundaries usually coincided with civil parishes. They still exist today in their own right and in many places do not coincide with the current council areas; commonly both geographically-large and densely-populated Council Areas will have several registration districts, each with a registrar within easy reach of most residents. The Local Electoral Administration and Registration Services (Scotland) Act 2006 now allows births and deaths to be registered with any registrar in Scotland, rather than solely in the registration district where the event occurred or in the registration district of usual residence.
External links
- Status details for Registration District (A Vision of Britain)
- Registration Districts in England and Wales (1837-1974) (GENUKI/UK BMD)
- Analysis of the Response to the second Consultation on Proposals to Improve and Modernise the Registration Service in Scotland (Scottish Executive)