Birth Informant age

sheepintheback · 01-08-2018 3:26pm #1

Hi, was there an age as to which an informant had to be for a birth. I just got a birth record of the GRO for 1921 in which his sister was the informant. I previously belived this sister to be born after 1916, however i doubt it was possible for a 5 year old to be an informant!!!!!!

Did she have to be at least 18 i wonder? Or would a 16 year old be ok? This could realy help me pin down her age, as there doesnt seem to be any record for her on iriahgeneology. ( i have checked thouroughly)

Also why i am here, has anyone else come across a Ann as a diminutive of the name Kathleeb before? I have looked it up but it doesnt appear common.

pinkypinky · 01-08-2018 3:57pm

In theory, I think you had to be an adult, but in practice, they probably never checked. Also, for at least the first 21 years, no one would have been able to prove their majority. I seriously doubt they'd take a 5 year old's word for it though.

Never heard of Ann being short for Kathleen, which is itself often a diminutive of Catherine.

tabbey · 01-08-2018 9:39pm

sheepintheback wrote: »

Hi, was there an age as to which an informant had to be for a birth. I just got a birth record of the GRO for 1921 in which his sister was the informant. I previously belived this sister to be born after 1916, however i doubt it was possible for a 5 year old to be an informant!!!!!!

Did she have to be at least 18 i wonder? Or would a 16 year old be ok?

There was nothing about age in the 1863 act, but I expect the registrar might be sceptical at a young child giving the information.
However it would all depend on the circumstances. If the child lived near the dispensary, and the child and mother was the patient of the registrar, who knew the mother was near full-term, then why would he object if the child comes in, and tells him "Me mammy has had a baby boy, his name is Willie".

In my own family history, my maternal grandfather was barely sixteen when he was informant for the death of his uncle.

VirginiaB · 03-08-2018 6:52pm

Not exactly the same thing but I have young children as baptismal sponsors among my Irish ancestors.

tabbey · 03-08-2018 10:55pm

VirginiaB wrote: »

Not exactly the same thing but I have young children as baptismal sponsors among my Irish ancestors.

My father's godfather was his eldest brother, aged 9.

I asked the priest about this, he said they were supposed to have been confirmed, but sometimes they were not.

VirginiaB · 03-08-2018 11:16pm

As baptismal sponsors, I have an 8 year old first cousin in one family and a 9 year old sibling in another. The two families are from different family lines among my direct ancestors--different counties. Parents born in Ireland but children all born NYC.

cobham · 05-08-2018 2:18pm

I have a 14 yr old informant of the death of a younger sister in 1870's

Birth Informant age

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