Forgery Act 1861

As to forging Registers of Births, Marriages, and Deaths:—

36 Forging Registers of Births, Baptisms, Marriages, Deaths, or Burials.

Whosoever shall unlawfully destroy, deface, or injure, or cause or permit to be destroyed, defaced, or injured, any Register of Births, Baptisms, Marriages, Deaths, or Burials which now is or hereafter shall be by Law authorized or required to be kept in England or Ireland, or any Part of any such Register, or any certified Copy of any such Register, or any Part thereof, or shall forge or fraudulently alter in any such Register any Entry relating to any Birth, Baptism, Marriage, Death, or Burial, or any Part of any such Register, or any certified Copy of such Register, or of any Part thereof, or shall knowingly and unlawfully insert or cause or permit to be inserted in any such Register, or in any certified Copy thereof, any false Entry of any Matter relating to any Birth, Baptism, Marriage, Death, or Burial, or shall knowingly and unlawfully give any false Certificate relating to any Birth, Baptism, Marriage, Death, or Burial, or shall certify any Writing to be a Copy or Extract from any such Register, knowing such Writing, or the Part of such Register whereof such Copy or Extract shall be so given, to be false in any material Particular, or shall forge or counterfeit the Seal of or belonging to any Register Office or Burial Board, or shall offer, utter, dispose of, or put off any such Register, Entry, certified Copy, Certificate, or Seal, knowing the same to be false, forged, or altered, or shall offer, utter, dispose of, or put off any Copy of any Entry in any such Register, knowing such Entry to be false, forged, or altered, shall be guilty of Felony, and being convicted thereof shall be liable, at the Discretion of the Court, to be kept in Penal Servitude for Life or for any Term not less than Three Years,—or to be imprisoned for any Term not exceeding Two Years, with or without Hard Labour, and with or without Solitary Confinement.

37 Making false Entries in Copies of Register sent to Registrar.

Whosoever shall knowingly and wilfully insert or cause or permit to be inserted in any Copy of any Register directed or required by Law to be transmitted to any Registrar or other Officer any false Entry of any Matter relating to any Baptism, Marriage, or Burial, or shall forge or alter, or shall offer, utter, dispose of, or put off, knowing the same to be forged or altered, any Copy of any Register so directed or required to be transmitted as aforesaid, or shall knowingly and wilfully sign or verify any Copy of any Register so directed or required to be transmitted as aforesaid, which Copy shall be false in any Part thereof, knowing the same to be false, or shall unlawfully destroy, deface, or injure, or shall for any fraudulent Purpose take from its Place of Deposit, or conceal, any such Copy of any Register, shall be guilty of Felony, and being convicted thereof shall be liable, at the Discretion of the Court, to be kept in Penal Servitude for Life or for any Term not less than Three Years,—or to be imprisoned for any Term not exceeding Two Years, with or without Hard Labour, and with or without Solitary Confinement.