About the General Register Office for Northern Ireland
Background
The General Register Office is part of the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency and is primarily concerned with the administration of the registration of births, deaths marriages and civil partnerships. The main records held are the statutory registers of births, deaths, marriages, civil partnerships, still births and adoptions. The registers themselves are not open to inspection, but the information from them is supplied in the form of certificates.
The Beginnings of Registration
In 1845 legislation came into force which provided for the registration of civil marriages in Ireland and for the regulation of all non Roman Catholic marriages. It also created the Office of the Registrar General who remains to this day responsible for the collation and custody of all birth, death and marriage records.
Further legislation, which became operative in 1864, provided for the inclusion of Roman Catholic marriages, together with birth and deaths. A comprehensive registration system was now in place.
Development of the Northern Ireland Registration Service
After the passing of the Government of Ireland Act 1920, the registration functions for Northern Ireland were placed with the Ministry of Finance on 7 June 1921 and later assigned, on 8 April 1922, to the newly created post of Registrar General for Northern Ireland.
At the time of transfer there were 27 union based superintendent registrar districts and 180 dispensary based districts operating in Northern Ireland.
The reform of local government in 1973 saw changes to that system with the 26 District Councils becoming the registration authorities for their areas and acting as agents of the Registrar General and central government in the provision of the service. At the same time, all birth and death registers previously held in each district were centralised in the General Register Office which retained overall responsibility for the service.
Contact details
General Register Office
Oxford House
49-55 Chichester Street
Belfast
BT1 4HL
Telephone:
101 if calling from within Northern Ireland, or
028 90 252000 if calling from outside Northern Ireland
Fax: 028 90 252120
E-mail: GRO_NISRA@dfpni.gov.uk
Textphone: 028 90 252123