What exactly is on a certificate?

I don't mean what information is on, say, a Marriage Certificate, but
where exactly does that written information come from which is
photocopied onto the Certificate?

The reason I ask is that a few weeks ago I sent for the marriage
certificate of one of my ancestors, John Dodd, who married Sarah
Catherine White in Poplar in October 1854. At least, according to
FreeBMD's transcription he married Sarah Catherine White and according
to 1837Online's image her name was Sarah Catherine White, but I have
just noticed that on the Certificate the surname, written 3 times, is
quite definitely Waite.

Eve McLaughlin...

either the FreeBMD transcriber has made a mistake or the ONS clerk/or an

Jenny M Benson...

Thank-you to all who responded to my query.

It would seem that WAITE is the correct surname, as I have now managed
to find Sarah Catherine Waite in the 1851 census. Unfortunately, she is
working away from home as a servant, so no help in tracing her parents,
of whom I only know her father was William, a stonemason.

Frustratingly, after *hours* of searching I found in 1851 a William
WAILE who was a stonemason in Poplar (right district) but he was only 31
and unmarried. Assuming the surname was misspelled, this could very
likely be Sarah's brother, taking after his father in name and
occupation, but no place of birth is given and no indication of his
relationship to the head of household where he is living, although I
suspect Lodger.

Confusingly, in 1871 the Dodds are living in Montague Place and also in
Montague Pace is a family with head of household William Waite who is an
Ironworks Labourer and about a year older than Sarah. He was bon in
Northamptonshire.

earlier clerk at the GRO made a mistake. Ask for a recheck by the
issuing office if the certificate is handwritten. If the certificate
really is a photocpy of the ONS registers, then that is the way it was
written in 1854.

Assuming that White is correct, where did the Waite creep in?