Plymouth, Registration Districts - Plymouth Registration District

PLYMOUTH
DATA

The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History

PLYMOUTH REGISTRATION DISTRICT

The Borough of Plymouth, comprising the ancient parishes of St Andrew's and Charles, formed the Plymouth Registration District for Births, Deaths and Marriages, when that commenced on July 1st 1837.

Plymouth's first Superintendent Registrar was newspaper proprietor and editor, Mr William Pridham; his deputy was the newspaper's printer, Mr Edward Nettleton. They were assisted by a Registrar of Marriages, Mr John West, of 23 Bilbury Street, Plymouth, and his deputy, Mr Henry Haycock Heydon, of 1 Tavistock Street.

The Registrar of Births and Deaths for the Parish of St Andrew was Mr James Wyatt, of 7 Courtenay Street, Plymouth, and his deputy was Mr T Pearce, of 3 Whimple Street, Plymouth. The Registrar for the Parish of Charles was Mr Henry Haycock Heydon, of 1 Tavistock Street, Plymouth. His deputy was Mr Henry Heydon of the same address.

Mr William Pridham died in post in October 1870 and was succeeded by solicitor, Mr John Williams Matthews, who remained until his retirement in 1906. The third Superintendent Registrar was Mr Ernest Frank Anthony.

On February 1st 1907 the St Andrew's sub-district was renamed Plymouth South West and the Charles sub-district was split into Plymouth South East (which covered the Wards of Friary, Laira and Sutton) and Plymouth North, which comprised the Wards of Charles, Compton, Greenbank and Mutley.

As from July 1st 1937 the East Stonehouse and Devonport Registration Districts were amalgamated in to the Plymouth Registration District under Plymouth's fourth Superintendent Registrar, Mr Walter Naylor. A Register Office was opened at 40 Whimple Street, Plymouth. More information about that and later premises will be found under Register Offices.

Further reorganisation took place as from October 1st 1949 when the Devonport sub-district was abolished and new sub-districts created.

On April 1st 1967 some of the area that formed the Plympton Registration District was absorbed into the Plymouth Registration District.

Plymouth became a unitary authority as from April 1st 1998 and its registration area was then restricted to the authority area, anything additional being transferred to the adjoining South Hams Registration District or West Devon Registration District.