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The GRO index (at FreeBMD etc) lists the mum's Maiden Surname on births from 1911q3 on.
However, the GRO isn't the only place you can buy BMD.certs - you can also buy them from the local registery office, and some of these have their own online indexes - see http://www.ukbmd.org.uk/local_bmd

In particular, http://www.cheshirebmd.org.uk/ are retro-fitting the mum's MS, although they haven't started on any of the Congleton RD subdistricts yet (Church Hulme, Congleton, Sandbach).

Births Mar 1867 (>99%)
Ratcliffe John Congleton 8a 260

Cheshire Birth indexes for the years: 1867
Surname Forename(s) Sub-District Registers At Mother's Maiden Name Reference
RATCLIFFE John Congleton Cheshire East CON/32/97

Hartshead Sub-District
Created 1 July 1837. Abolished 1 April 1897. In Ashton & Oldham Registration District (1837-50), Ashton-under-Lyne Registration District (1850-97).
Hartshead [Lancs], Hurst [Lancs].
Records now held at Tameside.
http://www.cheshirebmd.org.uk/subdists.php

Surely the name John Clarke Ratcliffe would be quite normal if the mother was a Ratcliffe (unmarried) and the father's surname was Clarke.
It was common for illegitimate children to bear the father's surname as a middle name.

And then since mum and dad later got married, the Ratcliffe was quietly dropped.

I wonder if this is John and parents in 1871?

CLARKE, John Head M 23 1848 Cheshire Ag Lab
CLARKE, Catherine Wife F 20 1851 Staffordshire
CLARKE, John Son M 4 1867 Cheshire

Piece: 3705

Folio: 74

Page: 17

Registration District: Congleton

Civil Parish: Newbold Astbury

Municipal Borough:

Address: Brownlow, Newbold Astbury

County: Cheshire

The father John in 1881 is listed as a widower with a daughter Annie aged 8 as well as son John and by 1891 the father appears to have remarried and is now working as a domestic gardener

1891

Name: John Clarke
Age: 45
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1846
Relation: Head
Spouse's Name: Elizabeth Clarke
Gender: Male
Where born: Astbury, Cheshire, England

Civil parish: Newbold Astbury
Ecclesiastical parish: Astbury St Mary
Town: Newbold Astbury
County/Island: Cheshire
Country: England

Street Address:

Occupation:

Condition as to marriage:

Education:

Employment status:

View image

Registration district: Congleton
Sub-registration district: Congleton
ED, institution, or vessel: 19
Neighbors: View others on page
Piece: 2846
Folio: 4
Page Number: 1
Household Members:
Name Age
John Clarke 45
Elizabeth Clarke 30
Annie Clarke 18
Alice Clarke 6

I checked the Cheshire FreeBMD site as well.That sometimes lists the mothers maiden name, sadly not in this case

I think it is K thanks. Im wondering if his mum married but the guy wasnt his father, hence the clarke went in the middle not the end.

Even that I dont understand, as if catherine and John had other children they were clarke and he was ratcliffe and he could have avoided that situation.

many thanks

Sorry - Its the same records as FreeBMD and the mother's maiden name is only shown on the index post 1911. It will only be shown on the certificate.

Hope its the right one

Hi K, I think it could well be that one, I will order it, does it give mothers maiden name?

many thanks

Is this him? On the boundary with Staffordshire

Name: John Ratcliffe
Date of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar 1867
Registration district: Congleton
Inferred County: Cheshire
Volume: 8a
Page: 260

am I being stupid, if he was born before the marriage, should he have been registered as a ratcliffe birth with mothers maiden name ratcliffe, there isnt one on freebmd?

thanks to everyone for that, I will order his birth cert, assume its the tameside one

thanks safc thats a lot of info on the marriage that looks likely.

thanks safc could be them, maybe they married after his birth and then he just added his dads name as a middle name.
would it have made more sense to make it as a last name, but who knows?

groom's name: John Clarke
groom's birth date: 1847
groom's birthplace:
groom's age: 22
bride's name: Catherine Ratcliffe
bride's birth date: 1845
bride's birthplace:
bride's age: 24
marriage date: 20 Apr 1869
marriage place: Biddulph, Stafford, England
groom's father's name: William Clarke
groom's mother's name:
bride's father's name: John Ratcliffe
bride's mother's name:
groom's race:
groom's marital status:
groom's previous wife's name:
bride's race:
bride's marital status:
bride's previous husband's name:
indexing project (batch) number: M02090-3
system origin: England-EASy
source film number: 1278828
reference number: p 132 n 263

????

Staffordshire Marriage indexes for the years: 1869
Surname Forename(s) Surname Forename(s) Church / Register Office Registers At Reference
CLARKE John RATCLIFFE Catherine Biddulph, St Lawrence Newcastle-Under-Lyme 4C/2/263

sorry does that mean I need to look for a hartshead/ratcliffe marriage, or is hartshead a place in tameside (not from that area sorry)

thanks for the 1911 census

1911 just for info

Name: John Clarke Ratclife
Age in 1911: 44
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1867
Relation to Head: Head
Gender: Male
Birth Place: Congleton, Cheshire, England
Civil parish: Arclid and Smallwood
County/Island: Cheshire
Country: England
Street Address: Spen Green Smallwood Sandbach Cheshire
Marital Status: Married
Occupation: Coachman & Gardence
Registration district: Congleton
Registration District Number: 448
Sub-registration district: Sandbach
ED, institution, or vessel: 1
Piece: 21734
Household Members: Name Age
John Clarke Ratclife 44
Emily Ratclife 42
John William Ratclife 11
Henry Ratclife 8
Arthur Ratclife 3
George Walker 60

ah he came from staffs well I never knew, does that likely birth in tameside mean probably his mum wasnt married

thats right prickly holly thanks thats the marriage cert .

????

Cheshire Birth indexes for the years: 1865
Surname Forename(s) Sub-District Registers At Mother's Maiden Name Reference
RATCLIFFE John Hartshead Tameside RATCLIFFE HAR/35/16

1901 is this him

Name: John C Ratcliffe
Age: 34
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1867
Relation: Head
Spouse's Name: Emily Ratcliffe
Gender: Male
Where born: Bradley Green, Staffordshire, England

Civil parish: Smallwood
Ecclesiastical parish: Smallwood St John
County/Island: Cheshire
Country: England

Street Address:

Occupation:

Condition as to marriage:

Education:

Employment status: View image

Registration district: Congleton
Sub-registration district: Sandbach
ED, institution, or vessel: 1
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 80
Piece: 3351
Folio: 12
Page Number: 16
Household Members: Name Age
John C Ratcliffe 34
Emily Ratcliffe 32
Ellen Ratcliffe 9
John W Ratcliffe 1
William Fryer 74