Role of the Register Office

The Civil Registration Service in England and Wales has been in place since 1837. Its purpose is to create accurate and timely records of:

• births and stillbirths
• deaths
• marriages and civil partnerships

These records are held locally and sent to the General Register Office to form a national archive. They are used for legal, official and genealogical purposes, and also help inform national statistics on health and population.

What the Register Office does

Hartlepool Register Office is responsible for:

• registering births, deaths, marriages and civil partnerships
• issuing certificates from current registers
• conducting civil marriage ceremonies
• managing legal preliminaries such as notices of intention to marry or form a civil partnership
• authorising ceremonies and registering buildings for religious worship

Staff Roles

There are two key roles within the Register Office:

Superintendent Registrar

• advises on marriage and civil partnership procedures
• takes notices of intention to marry or form a civil partnership
• issues authorisations for ceremonies
• conducts civil marriage ceremonies
• oversees certification and registration of buildings
• maintains custody of completed registers

Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages

• registers births, stillbirths, deaths and marriages
• issues certificates from current registers
• provides documents for burials or cremations