Had a baby before marriage, didn't sign some document/paperwork after wedding...what was it?!

[WhatsHoppening]

Hello,
I woke up last night and had a sudden recollection of our pre wedding chat with the vicar where he said that because we had DC before our wedding we needed to sign some document/piece of paper that said something (?) so they had equal rights to any future children.
I think it is clear by now that we completely forgot about this...and have since had another DC. WHAT was this document? Have I ruined DC1s life?! Can I fix it? Can a will override the automatic increased rights of the non-bastard child?
We got married 5 years ago and honestly this is the first time I have remembered!
Thank you

I have never heard of that before. But I'm not religious, is it a religious thing? I had 2DC before marriage and 1 after.

I can’t remember what it is or what it’s called but I know I did it when I got married for our first DC. Sorry not helpful but will bump this for you anyway!

Children born before marriage need to be re-registered after the marriage, otherwise any subsequent children will have a stronger claim on potential inheritance. You’ve just reminded me that we need to do the same as we also forgot to sign the other paperwork before we left!

You have to re register the child so that you are classed as married on their birth certificate. Something I sound have done years ago and still haven't!

We have never bothered.

No more children but DH has sons from his first marriage so maybe we should.

As above I’ve also never gotten around to doing it.

childlawadvice.org.uk/information-pages/register-and-re-register-a-childs-birth/

You need to re-register him at the registry office. I think my eldest has two birthday certificates. It's a, fairly old law, that I think gives children born "outside of wedlock" less rights than those born inside. We have one of each so re-register the eldest at the same time as registering the youngest for the first time.

You reregister the birth

This.

You re-register the children you had before marriage so they are recognised as the children of the marriage. It is an archaic law which makes no difference if your children were born after 2003, are both your children and you aren't changing their lastnames.

childlawadvice.org.uk/information-pages/register-and-re-register-a-childs-birth/

Application to re-register a child’s birth following marriage or the entering into of a civil partnership of natural birth parents

If the parents have married or enter into a civil partnership after the child was born, they are legally required to re-register the birth. This is the case even if the father is already on the child’s birth certificate. This particular requirement stems from The Legitimacy Act, section 9.

The relevant form is LA1.

In the event that the father did not already have parental responsibility, the father will acquire parental responsibility once the birth has been re-registered in accordance with Section 4, sub-section 1 (a) of the Children Act 1989.

We never got round to doing this… baby is now 12 and we’ve been married nearly 12 years.

Does it really make any difference nowadays? DH is on the birth certificate. Are there really instances where DC1 could lose inheritance in the absence of a will? No one cares on DH’s side of the family, in fact DC2 is the only grandchild born IN wedlock.

Ok so it’s a legal requirement.

But they aren’t going to send me to jail (I assume…) so I only care if there are any likely consequences for DC1.

I vaguely remember I was told to do this. DD is 10 this year and still haven't got round to doing it.