You need to be logged in to the GRO website to search their indexes. You can still use the link below but if you are not logged in it won't take you directly there. Once you are logged in either use this link or look for the search the GRO Indexes option. The advantages of these birth indexes is the mothers' surnames, the advantage of the death indexes is they give the age at death for earlier deaths something Free BMD does not have.

www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/indexes_search.asp