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GRO Certified Copy (BMD) "Reference Number" (e.g. MXJ 137949)

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dbnut
Posts: 2
Joined: 18 Jan 2022, 15:41

GRO Certified Copy (BMD) "Reference Number" (e.g. MXJ 137949)

Post by dbnut »

Greetings. Is Question, looking for the Tip OK?

Asked this today on RootsChat, also where I'm newbie, and awaiting moderation.
From the quality of responses in here, I'm hopeful of getting an answer to this :).

When a "certificate" comes back from GRO, there is a cover sheet with (GRO) Reference that is also printed (as Application Number) near the top of the certified copy itself. Never noticed that before, but handy - and perhaps useful as a personal file reference? To record in my citation details too...

What I have noticed before, and always wondered about, was the rather "official"-looking reference number on the copy's bottom left (an example is shown in this topic title for a marriage). One birth example starts "BXCJ".

That has to be interesting, whether useful or not. Any insider info in here, please?

Thanks,
Paul
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AdrianBruce
Posts: 349
Joined: 14 Jun 2020, 18:57
Location: South Cheshire

Re: GRO Certified Copy (BMD) "Reference Number" (e.g. MXJ 137949)

Post by AdrianBruce »

dbnut wrote: ↑18 Jan 2022, 18:30 ... What I have noticed before, and always wondered about, was the rather "official"-looking reference number on the copy's bottom left (an example is shown in this topic title for a marriage). One birth example starts "BXCJ". ...
Well, I'm not an insider but I'm willing to take a punt based purely on logic that every certified certificate has its own individual number, unique to that piece of paper only. And that's what your BXCJ number is.

I have a marriage certificate in front of me whose number starts MXJ - I'll leave it to the reader to speculate what the first letter stands for! ;)

The above isn't quite 100% speculative logic - I registered my mother's death and got several copies of the DC - I just checked and each has a separate, consecutive number - albeit in the top right, as it's the later A4 portrait format.
Adrian Bruce
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Guy
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Joined: 01 Jun 2020, 19:14
Location: Wakefield
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Re: GRO Certified Copy (BMD) "Reference Number" (e.g. MXJ 137949)

Post by Guy »

The reference number is very simply the identification number of that particular certificate.
It cannot be traced back to the person who bought the certificate but it can be traced to a sequence of certificates issued, in other words it helps to prove that the certificate is genuine.
It is very similar to the cheque number in a cheque book (if anyone remembers cheque books) in that respect.
Cheers
Guy
As we have gained from the past, we owe the future a debt, which we pay by sharing today.
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dbnut
Posts: 2
Joined: 18 Jan 2022, 15:41

Re: GRO Certified Copy (BMD) "Reference Number" (e.g. MXJ 137949)

Post by dbnut »

Analytical Adrian gets there first, with an almost identical response to that I viewed just now in https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.p ... 09.new#new. Thanks for that.
And Guy adds some more info that's fun to know.

Thanks, guys,
Paul
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