Thomas Vincent Cavell

Griffin Street
201, Lower Street
55, Beach Street
Sholden Bank, Sholden

Occupation: Registrar of BMD for Deal/Schoolmaster/Newsagent/Assistant Accountant

The Registration of Birth Marriages and Deaths Civil registration of births, marriages and deaths, in England and Wales, commenced on 1st July 1837. The country was divided into Registration Districts, each under the control of a Superintendent Registrar. Thomas Vincent Cavell was the first Registrar for Walmer and Deal being appointed in 1837. He was responsible for issuing certificates for births and deaths when they occurred in his area. His duty was to actively collect information and he would have been paid according to his success. It was up to him to be aware when babies were due to be born and the citizens of Walmer and Deal were about the breathe their last.

Being the registrar meant that Thomas had the pleasant duty of signing the birth certificates of his many grandchildren. This must have also been a sad duty at times when he was called upon to confirm the deaths of several of them. Being the superintendent registrar was also very useful, on occasions, as shown by the following marriage certificate. 

 It appears his daughter, Sarah, married Edward Thomas Rose by superintendent registrar’s certificate issued by himself. Research tells me that is a rare finding on a marriage certificate. When this was arranged it meant the 3 Sundays of ‘Reading of the Banns’ were not necessary for a legal marriage to take place. Their wedding would have been a secret although it was still necessary to wait three weeks after informing the registrar. Why did they use this method? Possibly because Sarah was eight months pregnant when she walked up the aisle! 

Thomas was also responsible for informing the town’s Officer of Medical Health. He must have been a very busy man. It wasn’t until 1874 that registration became compulsory.

Thomas was succeeded by his son, Thomas Jnr, as the next Registrar.  Thomas Vincent Cavell’s ‘claim to fame’ is that you will find his signature on the Duke of Wellington’s death certificate! 

Taken from The Illustrated London News 25 September 1852