A centralized registration of births, deaths and marriages began for England and Wales in
 July of 1837. Parents were required by law to register the birth of their child within 
six weeks of birth. 

To obtain copies of  birth records you need to know your ancestor's name at birth and the 
approximate birth month and year. Knowing the locality is important also, especially when 
researching common names.

These records are expensive -- currently about $19US each --  and it is highly recommended 
that you utilize the indexes to them  first.
The Family History Library has what are called "Civil Registration Indexes" for both England 
and Wales. They are on microfiche and easy to order through a nearby Family History Center 
(about 15 cents each). 

Each year has four indexes, one for each quarter (March, June, September and December). A 
quarter will contain multiple pieces of microfiche, anywhere from four to more than 30 and 
each quarter year has its own catalog number, so be careful when you are ordering the 
microfiche indexes. The fiche index will show the births in alphabetical order for the year 
and months covered by that particular index. Start by looking on the section that contains 
the year and month of  the birth and surname of the child. The index should provide you 
with their name, the district where they were registered, a volume number and page number. 
Copy this information carefully along with the date of the index you are using. 

 Now you are ready to order the birth certificate:  Request a FULL birth certificate and 
include all the information you found in the index: This will include name, district, 
volume and page, plus the quarter/year.  Send your reques to General Register Office to: 
General Register Office, Smedley Hydro Trafalgar Road, Southport Merseyside PR8 2HH, 
United Kingdom.  Write first to get copies of current  fees and forms needed... 

You also can send money to other countries via Reusch International Monetary Services or 
Cooke Travel Services.  It takes any where from  four to eight weeks usually to receive 
vital records from England.