It certainly hasn't been used on Scottish birth certificates recently - it's certainly not on my son's! Genealogy might even become easier with fewer marriages - no need to find the marriage and (hopefully) both parents' original names on the birth certificate! Louise On 28 July 2013 19:03, Janet <[email protected]> wrote: > Ray, I am almost sure that the word "illegitimate" is no longer used on > official documents. I would have to look up chapter and verse again. The > information I gave relates to England & Wales of course and was to add to > what John (Hardy) usefully posted. > Fragmented families will find it difficult to pursue genealogy in future, > though one might hope children would ask. > > Janet > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Ray Hennessy" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Sunday, July 28, 2013 6:29 PM > Subject: Re: [ABERDEEN] Irregular Marriage > > >> On 27 July 2013 21:59, Janet <[email protected]> wrote: >> >>> FYI - The doctrine was applied in England & Wales per Legitimacy Act 1926. >>> More recently under the Legitimacy Act 1967 a child born of a void >>> marriage >>> is regarded as legitimate if at the time of conception or subsequent >>> "marriage" either parent believed the marriage to be valid, and a >>> non-marital >>> child is automatically legitimised if his parents marry at some time after >>> his birth. >>> ===================== >> >> >> Janet >> >> Thanks for the detailed explanation of the way the law stands. >> >> Of course the whole of this idea of legitimacy is outmoded. So many >> couples don't see the need to marry - the majority these days - and I >> believe it is still a requirement that the birth certificates of their >> children still have "illegitimate" written on them however stable the >> parents' partnership may be. >> >> Best wishes >> >> Ray >> >> Ray Hennessy >> www.whatsinaname.net >> >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the >> quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message