Births and Deaths Registration Act 1874

Births and Deaths Registration Act 1874
Act of Parliament
	Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to amend the Law relating to the Registration of Births and Deaths in England, and to consolidate the Law respecting the Registration of Births and Deaths at Sea.
Citation	37 & 38 Vict. c. 88
Territorial extent	England and Wales
Dates
Royal assent	7 August 1874
Commencement	1 January 1875
Other legislation
Amends	See § Repealed enactments
Amended by	Elementary Education Act 1876; Statute Law Revision Act 1883; Statute Law Revision (No. 2) Act 1893; Forgery Act 1913; Births and Deaths Registration Act 1926; Local Government Act 1929; Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953; Registration Service Act 1953; Registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages (Special Provisions) Act 1957; National Health Service Reorganisation Act 1973; Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1977; Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1993;
Status: Amended
Text of statute as originally enacted
Revised text of statute as amended
Text of the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1874 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk.

The Births and Deaths Registration Act 1874 (37 & 38 Vict. c. 88) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that consolidated enactments relating to the registration of births and deaths in England and Wales and at sea.

The act closed loopholes within the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1836 (6 & 7 Will. 4. c. 86) and provided that it was the responsibility of parents to register births.

As of 2026 parts of the act remains in force in England and Wales, although the majority of the act was repealed by the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953 (1 & 2 Eliz. 2. c. 20) and the Registration Service Act 1953 (1 & 2 Eliz. 2. c. 23).