Death Register Corrections

The correction is annotated "in the presence of Michael Moan," and is accompanied by his mark (signature). So he was there that day.

Following up on this, does anyone know if GRONI take account of corrections sent to them these days. I submitted a correction a couple of years ago but never heard back from them.

It took me years to find my great great Patrick Plunketts death because his age was wildly out. He died on 3rd January 1928 and his age was listed as 80 but two days later an article in the Belfast newsletter gave his age as 103. It is true that his age was wrong in the censuses of 1901 and 1911 (and quite different in the two) but the family says he was 106 when he died and he died just a few years before my first cousin once removed born 1926 (and still alive) was born, so not really beyond living memory. I have his marriage recored in the RC register in Galoon on 14th November1854 and no dispensation was given so he must have been at least 21 when that happened which would require him to have been at least 96 when he died.

Beeps,

It’s very important to make the distinction between a clerical error when transcribing a certificate onto the GRONI website and inaccurate information provided by the informant. GRONI will correct the former but not the latter. Their role is to accurately record what the informant tells them, but not to assess the accuracy of that information. If the informant says a deceased person was 80 when they were in fact 103, they are not going to alter that. It’s what the informant declared. (However if the informant said aged 80 and a clerk later transcribed that incorrectly as 103 then they would alter it).  Hopefully the difference is clear.

I have advised GRONI of several transcription errors and they have always acknowledged them and advised me whether or not they have accepted them. So in general terms you should hear back from them if you report an error. But for them to change the record it should normally be a transcription error not what someone thinks is a factual error. 

Hello Elwyn,

I just realised that I never replied to your informative reply to my post. Thanks for the information. I did in fact never hear back from GRONI but given what you said, I don't think it is worth chasing.