Since Civil Registration first began in 1837 deaths in England and Wales are required to be registered within 5 days.

The Death Certificate
Certified copies of an entry of death give the full name of the individual, age, sex, occupation, name and address of the informant and their relationship to the deceased, date of registration, the cause of death and length of the last illness. From 1 April 1969 you can also get the date and place of birth, and the maiden name if the individual was a married woman.

Pre-1969 Death Certificate

Certified copies of an entry of death (i.e. 'death certificates') can be ordered directly from the GRO either online at their website, or by post, phone or fax. Ordering online is the cheapest option: £7 instead of £10 (correct as of 02/03/2008) for a full certificate if you provide the GRO reference from the GRO indexes as found on Jacomb.com. Certificates are also obtainable from the register office local to where the birth/marriage/death took place.

Births - Marriages - Deaths