I am hoping that someone can help me regarding the wording of a birth certificate. In the following I have changed the names from those that actually appear on the certificate.
This certificate is for John Smith born in 1935. It shows his father. Peter Smith, and his mother, Jane Smith formerly Jones. The certificate is dated 1953 and states that it is 'as per declaration dated 1953'.
The birth of John Smith had originally been registered in 1935 with the name John Jones and the mother shown as Jane Jones with no father's name given.
I know that Peter Smith and Jane Jones married in 1953. I am assuming from the information on the 1953 certificate that Peter Smith and Jane Jones had been in a relationship between 1934/5 and 1953 and that the parents were regularising the registration of the birth of their son.
The only alternative to my assumption, that I can think of, was that Peter Smith was not the father of John and that Peter was adopting John ( by then age 18) at the time of his marriage to his mother, Jane,
I think that my first assumption is likely to be correct but would appreciate comments on this. Surely the wording would be different if it was an adoption.
David