A Nonconformist is “a member of a religious body which is separated from the Church of England (Wales / Scotland / Ireland)”.
The early Nonconformists were sometimes described as Dissenters. These names really came into being after the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, and it’s draconian attempts to enforce conformity under what came to be known at the “Clarendon Code”.
The difficulty for researchers is that at no stage in history has there ever been one single body that represents all Nonconformists. From the 16th Century onwards terms such as the Congregationalist, Independent, Presbyterian, Baptist and Quaker emerged. Later came the Unitarians and Methodists along with other smaller groups.
With the accession of William and Mary in 1668 the Toleration Act of 1669 was passed which allowed Nonconformists to have their own ministers and build their own meeting houses, providing that the ministers took an oath of allegiance to the Crown.
It should be noted at this stage that in the 17th century the term Nonconformists was applied to Catholics and Jews as well.
Locating their records
Availability of Nonconformist records for births, baptisms, marriages, deaths and burials is inconsistent because:
The Hardwicke Act of 1754 required that all marriages except for Quakers and Jews must be carried out in the Church of England (Wales). This was not repealed until 1837. If you can only find a marriage record for your ancestor it’s a good indication that they were Nonconformists.
n 1840 the Non-Parochial Register Act was passed that required all the Nonconformist establishments in England and Wales to hand over their registers of births, marriages and deaths to the Register General, and there was a subsequent request in 1857. These records form part of a collection in Series RG4-RG8 at the National Archives. These records are available on line from Ancestry.co.uk.
Other records may have been deposited with local record offices, or may still be with the religious organisation in question.
Each of the major genealogical pay to view sites will have a collection of birth, marriage and death records, which may well include Nonconformist records.
Family Search has an extensive collection of such records, and a companion site such as
www.archersoftware.co.uk/
can help you identify individual places of worship within their overall database:
The early Nonconformists were sometimes described as Dissenters. These names really came into being after the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, and it’s draconian attempts to enforce conformity under what came to be known at the “Clarendon Code”.
The difficulty for researchers is that at no stage in history has there ever been one single body that represents all Nonconformists. From the 16th Century onwards terms such as the Congregationalist, Independent, Presbyterian, Baptist and Quaker emerged. Later came the Unitarians and Methodists along with other smaller groups.
With the accession of William and Mary in 1668 the Toleration Act of 1669 was passed which allowed Nonconformists to have their own ministers and build their own meeting houses, providing that the ministers took an oath of allegiance to the Crown.
It should be noted at this stage that in the 17th century the term Nonconformists was applied to Catholics and Jews as well.
Locating their records
Availability of Nonconformist records for births, baptisms, marriages, deaths and burials is inconsistent because:
- In the early years the keeping of such records could be used as evidence against them in criminal proceedings.
- Many of the denominations do not have any structures in place to determine what happens to their archives – whether periodically (the equivalent of Bishops Transcripts), or when a particular meeting house closes.
The Hardwicke Act of 1754 required that all marriages except for Quakers and Jews must be carried out in the Church of England (Wales). This was not repealed until 1837. If you can only find a marriage record for your ancestor it’s a good indication that they were Nonconformists.
n 1840 the Non-Parochial Register Act was passed that required all the Nonconformist establishments in England and Wales to hand over their registers of births, marriages and deaths to the Register General, and there was a subsequent request in 1857. These records form part of a collection in Series RG4-RG8 at the National Archives. These records are available on line from Ancestry.co.uk.
Other records may have been deposited with local record offices, or may still be with the religious organisation in question.
Each of the major genealogical pay to view sites will have a collection of birth, marriage and death records, which may well include Nonconformist records.
Family Search has an extensive collection of such records, and a companion site such as
www.archersoftware.co.uk/
can help you identify individual places of worship within their overall database:
The 1851 Religious Census was a unique survey of all identified places of religious worship then in existence, including Nonconformist and Catholic chapels and Jewish synagogues as well as Church of England churches.
In order to consult the original returns go to the National Archives website, and key in the search term “Ecclesiastical Census”. One of the results should be: “Free online records: digital microfilm – The National Archives”. Click on that link and scroll down until you find HO 129, and then pick the subseries that is relevant. Chorley is HO 129 / 481.
The returns tell you the names and locations of the religious establishments, the size of the congregations, the denomination, when they were erected etc.
Many Catholic Church records have been made available on line with major genealogy sites. Catholic records often use Latin names even in the 20th century.
The Society of Friends (Quakers) have their own archives and libraries which can be located on line.
Other Nonconformist denominations also have online portals that can assist. These include: the Moravians, and the Latter Day Saints (Family Search), and undoubtedly others.
Other points to note
Unlike the established church (Church of England), which has a set format for the parish registers, the Nonconformist denominations do not. They set their own formats. This may be set by denomination or by preacher or by religious building. The books / forms may be pre-printed, or they may look like the pre-19th century parish records from the Church of England.
There is not and never have been regulations setting what events, or what information needs to be recorded.
For instance Baptists do not baptise infants. They believe that baptism should only take place with informed consent. Therefore there is no recording of childhood baptisms, but some places of worship did record births.
In order to consult the original returns go to the National Archives website, and key in the search term “Ecclesiastical Census”. One of the results should be: “Free online records: digital microfilm – The National Archives”. Click on that link and scroll down until you find HO 129, and then pick the subseries that is relevant. Chorley is HO 129 / 481.
The returns tell you the names and locations of the religious establishments, the size of the congregations, the denomination, when they were erected etc.
Many Catholic Church records have been made available on line with major genealogy sites. Catholic records often use Latin names even in the 20th century.
The Society of Friends (Quakers) have their own archives and libraries which can be located on line.
Other Nonconformist denominations also have online portals that can assist. These include: the Moravians, and the Latter Day Saints (Family Search), and undoubtedly others.
Other points to note
Unlike the established church (Church of England), which has a set format for the parish registers, the Nonconformist denominations do not. They set their own formats. This may be set by denomination or by preacher or by religious building. The books / forms may be pre-printed, or they may look like the pre-19th century parish records from the Church of England.
There is not and never have been regulations setting what events, or what information needs to be recorded.
For instance Baptists do not baptise infants. They believe that baptism should only take place with informed consent. Therefore there is no recording of childhood baptisms, but some places of worship did record births.
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