Certificates can also be obtained by applying directly to the office of the local registrar where the event was recorded. Locations have changed over time, so it may not be simple to identify the right one. You will have to weigh the costs and complexities of each option according to your situation. Obtaining certificates at the Family Records Centre in London is a competitive business. English Family Tree Magazine and the Genealogy and Local History Handbook contain plenty of advertisements quoting rates.
Assistance is often available to members of English family history societies.
The index entry for a birth, marriage, or death will occur in the volume for the quarter in which the registration occurred. This is not necessarily the quarter in which the event happened. Births are more likely to have been registered late than other events, but a death on March 30th could have been registered in April, the next quarter. Until 1875, there was no requirement to register, and the fine for being late was steep. To avoid payment, many births were never registered, or altered by parents who did not have the means to pay.