I've just downloaded all the BDM for Abram and Abrams from the FreeBDM website as I'm looking into both names in Northants and Leicester in the late 1800's through to the 1910s.

I have census records showing my ancestors as born as follows:

Edward 1871
Silas 1872
Sarah 1876
George 1877
Walter 1879
John 1881
Mary 1882
Albert 1884

I can find no reference to any of them on the BD lists. Is it usual for it to be so inaccurate?

Graham,
The Freebmd records are very accurate and mostly complete for that era.
If you cannot find what you are after it generally means that the name is different (illegitimacy maybe) or the timing is wrong.

Remember that the age given in a census is x years and up to 364 days so the time of birth is likely to be 0ne year earlier than simple arithmetic would give you.

I tried for two of your family and found what seems to be them easily.

Births Q4 1871
Abram Silas Hardingstone 3b 35

Births Q1 1884
Abram Albert Northampton 3b 78

Bryan

Hi Bryan,

I think I have cracked it; I have two lists and must have been looking at the Abrams instead of Abram. They family changed its name around the turn of the century to add the S, which does not help.
To make it even more interesting I received Walter's birth certificate yesterday to see that the registrar recorded him as Walter Abraham then crossed it out to change it to Abram. It all goes to show that we cannot trust 100% what we see when researching records.

Thanks for your time.

Graham