Hi Allan, Surely there should be a birth registration shown in the GRO index. Civil Registration began in July 1837 and all births, no matter where they took place should have been registered with the District Registrar for where the birth occurred. It may be that a birth that took place in a workhouse might be registered by a workhouse employee but the birth should still be registered and should be in the GRO index. Have a look at the Workhouse site set up by Peter Higginbottom, http://www.workhouses.org.uk/ select from the left hand menu Workhouse Locations and then scroll down to County Durham and then look for Houghton Le Spring and click on the place name. This will bring up a page about this particular workhouse and may tell you where any records are kept today. Houghton Le Spring Poor Law Union took in Hetton Le Hole You could also look at the page for Sunderland Workhouse too. Could it be that the mother went to the workhouse infirmary or lying in ward to give birth?, if there were complications she might need the help of a doctor and the nursing staff there, rather than her being an inmate of the workhouse before the and after the birth? Have you found the mother and child in the 1841 census in the workhouse or elsewhere?c Why do you think the child was born in the workhouse? If you gave more details about who it is you are looking for in the workhouse we might be able to help you find the birth in the GRO index or find the mother and baby in the census perhaps. But we need something to work on. Regards Jenny DeAngelis Spain. <<Hello All Would anybody know if there are Workhouse Birth Records of Births around 1840 in Sunderland or the Hetton-Le-Hole area. Thanks Allan>>