1837    Civil Registration in England and Wales begins

1852    GRO References change from Roman Numerals (XVI) to Arabic numbers and letters (6d)

1866    GRO indexes include age at death

1875    Birth and Death Act 1874:
a) Compulsory registration of births (parents/guardians responsible for registration),
b) Fines for non-registration of births/penalties for late registration (42 days to register),
c) For illegitimate births, father must be present at the birth registration for his name to appear on a birth entry in the register,
d) Deaths to be registered within 5 days, instead of 8 as previous,
e) Medical certification in respect of cause of death required.

1898    Non Conformist and Catholic Churches can appoint an "Authorised Person" to register marriages, removing the need for a Registrar to be present.

1911    GRO Indexes include Mothers Maiden Name

1912    GRO Marriage Indexes include Spouses Surname

1927    Register of Still Births 

1927    a) Introduction of the Adopted Children’s Register,
b) Re-registration of illegitimate births allowed if parents subsequently marry each other,
c) Registrar’s certificate / coroner’s order required before a burial / cremation of a body.

1929    a) Legal age for marriage increased from 14 (males) and 12 (females) to 16 for both (parental consent still required up to age 21),
b) Functions of civil registration transferred to Local Authorities,
c) Newly appointed Registration Officers paid salaries.

1947    Short birth certificate introduced

1969    a) Format of Birth and Death Certificates changed, to portrait instead of landscape,
b) Age of majority reduced from 21 to 18,
c) Re-registration of births of illegitimate children to include name of father allowed, irrespective of whether the parents marry.

1969    Death Indexes show ‘Date of Birth’ instead of ‘Age at Death’.

1975   Adopted adults allowed access to their original birth data