---
title: "Births and Deaths Registration Act 1874"
id: 6bb74642-6ab2-4237-ab13-c95faf34abc8
authority: uk
place: "United Kingdom"
applies_also_from: []
kind: statute
in_force: true
publisher_url: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Vict/37-38/88
attribution: "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
solon_url: https://solon.orangecat.ch/law/6bb74642-6ab2-4237-ab13-c95faf34abc8
language: en
in_force_from: 1993-11-05
date_basis: publisher
status: consolidated
source_url: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Vict/37-38/88/data.xml
read_on: 2026-11-09
sha256: 9cacd43454fb58c4284b3c35a6473f60d7bd6a9cd1a5808b09a670d032eb9d95
provisions: 31
---

# Births and Deaths Registration Act 1874

## Title and introductory text {#prelims}

Births and Deaths Registration Act 1874
1874 c.88
An Act to amend the Law relating to the Registration of Births and Deaths in England, and to consolidate the Law respecting the Registration of Births and Deaths at Sea.
[7th August 1874]

## 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . {#section-15.}



## 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . {#section-6}



## 7–16 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . {#section-716}



## 17 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . {#section-17}



## 18 Burial of deceased children as still-born. {#section-18}

A person shall not wilfully bury or procure to be buried the body of any deceased child as if it were still-born.
A person who has control over or ordinarily buries bodies in any burial ground shall not permit to be buried in such burial ground the body of any deceased child as if it were still-born, . . .
Any person who acts in contravention of this section shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 1 on the standard scale.

## 19 Notice where coffin contains more than one body. {#section-19}

Where there is in the coffin in which any deceased person is brought for burial the body of any other deceased person, or the body of any still-born child, the undertaker or other person who has charge of the funeral shall deliver to the person who buries or performs any funeral or religious service for the burial of such body or bodies notice in writing signed by such undertaker or other person, and stating to the best of his knowledge and belief with respect to each such body the following particulars:—
(a) If the body is the body of a deceased person, the name, sex, and place of abode of the said deceased person;
(b) If the body has been found exposed, and the name and place of abode are unknown, the fact of the body having been so found and of the said particulars being unknown; and
(c) If the body is that of a deceased child without a name, or a still-born child, the name and place of abode of the father, or, if it is illegitimate, of the mother of such child.
Every person who fails to comply with this section shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 1 on the standard scale.

## 20 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . {#section-20}



## 21 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . {#section-21}



## 22 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . {#section-22}



## 23 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . {#section-23}



## 24–27 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . {#section-2427}



## 28 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . {#section-28}



## 29 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . {#section-29}



## 30 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . {#section-30}



## 31–33 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . {#section-3133}



## 34 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . {#section-34}



## 35 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . {#section-3536.}



## 37 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . {#section-37}



## 38 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . {#section-3844.}



## 45 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . {#section-45}



## 46 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . {#section-46}



## 47–49 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . {#section-4749}



## 50 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . {#section-50}



## 51 Extent of Act. {#section-51}

This Act . . . shall extend only to England and Wales.

## 52 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . {#section-52}



## 53 Short title. {#section-53}

This Act may be cited as “The Births and Deaths Registration Act 1874.”

## 54 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . {#section-54}



## FIRST TO THIRD SCHEDULES {#schedule-1}

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## FOURTH SCHEDULE {#schedule-FOURTH}

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## FIFTH SCHEDULE {#schedule-FIFTH}

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