Research Forum

I am in the process of researching a family tree for a friend, and have come across some difficulties with late entry birth records, and would welcome any guidance, thoughts or suggestions. It relates to a Edith Blanche NUTTYCOMBE b. 1898 Banwell, daughter of William & Blanche, and she is shown on 1911 Census as being 12yrs. The story given to me was that Edith went to London for hotel work and married someone who had a tea plantation in Ceylon (Sri Lanka), and they had two daughters. The husband died, and Edith re-married. I found a marriage to Herbert Fenning b. Suffolk 1880, for Mar ¼ 1924. Previously, Herbert was in the Army, and likely served a time in Ceylon. *I was able to find the following Passenger Lists relating to them:- 28th March 1924 – Herbert Fenning on his own, departing Liverpool on SS Oxfordshire to Colombo. 18th July 1924 – Edith Fenning on her own, departing Liverpool on SS Lancashire to Colombo. 18th December 1925 – Edith 28yrs and Patricia 5mths on SS Warwickshire to Colombo 1926 – SS Nyanza embarking Colombo arriving London 28th April 1926 with Herbert, Edith and Patricia 1yr. 28th Jan 1927 – SS Warwickshire departing Liverpool for Colombo, with Herbert, Edith, Patricia 1yr and Joan 4mths. *These are the only Passenger Lists I have to date been able to find, but in all, Herbert is described as a ‘Tea Planter’. The shuttling between UK and Ceylon over this period might suggest wanting the children being born in UK, and from the detail we have, perhaps Patricia was born C1925, and Joan born C1926. I have discovered that both Patricia and Joan in fact were not registered until June ¼ 1956 in Lambeth! Curiously, the reference index indicates both Patricia and Joan were born June ¼ 1926 in Lambeth. There are two entries for each child, one with the mother’s name as Fenning - (not her maiden name), and the other Harris, - which possibly is her name at the time of the registration and as a consequence of re-marriage. I am not an expert in the law regarding registration, especially at that time, but I understand that any registration done outside of the allotted period could only be done in conjunction with special evidence, - ie medical etc. What do you think might have happened with this? Many thanks. 

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