Tracing a birth with just the father's name

[Merry]

I have someone on my tree whose birth was registered by the occupier of the house where the child was born. The occupier was also the child's father, but it doesn't say so on the cert, because he and the mother were not married and she didn't attend the registration.

[Olde Crone]

Ah, right Merry, I had it in my head that only a parent could register a birth.

So Sorril's GF could have registered the birth if he was "present" at the birth, i.e. in the house at the time of the birth?

OC

[Merry]

From the Dixon Cert tutorials, the order of precedence for registering a birth (this is the Victorian list, but it's not changed substantially with regard to this query):

(1) In all cases - mother

(2) Father - if he is married to mother

(3) Father and mother jointly where they are not married to one another

(4) A person present at the birth

(5) The owner or occupier of the house or institution

(6) The person in charge of the child

[Uncle John]

I have one where the birth was registered by the occupier of the house. There was obviously a subsequent argument about the first names given, and there is an entry in Column 10 changing her first names.

[Nell]

The point is that a father who ISN'T married to the mother has to be present at the birth registration if he is to be named as father on the cert. Though as OC says he may have given a different name.