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Birth Record Enquiries

The record of a birth is part of the medical record of the mother. Either consent from the mother or proof of death will be required.

If you were adopted and are trying to trace your birth mother you must contact other bodies first and you may have to see an adoption counsellor. A web search on ‘tracing birth mother’ will lead to several useful sites with further information.

Maternity hospital birth records and home/special birth records 

We do not have these records; they are part of the records of the Women’s Centre at the John Radcliffe Hospital.  Contact should be made by letter to:

Data Quality Department
Level 3 West Wing
John Radcliffe Hospital
Headley Way
Oxford
OX3 9DU

Or via email: subject.accessrequest@ouh.nhs.uk

Maternity hospital admission records

Records held at Oxfordshire Health Archives:

  • Warren Hospital, Abingdon 1943-1968
  • Chipping Norton War Memorial Hospital 1966

Midwives’ registers of cases

Held at Oxfordshire Health Archives:

  • Bicester Cottage Hospital 1972-1975
  • Brackley Cottage Hospital Dec 1963-Mar 1986
  • Chipping Norton War Memorial Hospital Nov 1959-Feb 1972
  • Watlington Hospital Sep 1931-May 1950

Held at Oxfordshire History Centre:

  • Bampton and surrounding parishes 1938-1965
  • Banbury and surrounding parishes 1930-1938, 1944-1959
  • Begbroke and surrounding parishes 1957-1958
  • Benson and surrounding parishes 1936-1962
  • Bicester 1941-1966
  • Carterton and surrounding parishes 1943-1965
  • Checkendon and surrounding parishes 1947-1960
  • Enstone and surrounding parishes 1933-1963
  • Kidlington and surrounding parishes 1960, 1968-1970
  • Kidmore End and surrounding parishes 1935-1964
  • Nettlebed and surrounding parishes 1964-1969
  • North Leigh and surrounding parishes 1953-1961
  • Shiplake and surrounding parishes 1932-1957
  • Sibford Ferris and surrounding parishes 1935-1968
  • Stanton St John and surrounding parishes 1966-1972
  • Thame and surrounding parishes 1940-1970
  • Wheatley and surrounding parishes 1969-1973
  • Woodstock and surrounding parishes 1955-1972
  • Woodstock and surrounding parishes, including North Leigh and Middle Aston 1971-1973

Held at Victoria Hospital, Thame:

  • Victoria Cottage Hospital, Thame Jan 1927-Jul 1939

Public Health department

Under the Notification of Births (Extension) Act 1915 notifications of births had to be made to the appropriate Medical Officer of Health. These records of the Medical Officer of Health for Oxfordshire are held at Oxfordshire History Centre under the reference H2.

  • Notification of births in Oxfordshire 1915-1958
  • Register of births in Oxfordshire Mar-Dec 1944
  • Register and notifications of births in Oxford City Hospitals, institutions or at home 1924-1969
  • Registers of children born in hospitals or institutions in Oxford City 1945-1958
  • Registers of children born in hospitals or institutions outside the County of Oxfordshire (mainly Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Wiltshire and Northamptonshire) 1945-1958

Last updated: 29 August, 2018