Methodist Registers and Records

Nature of Source

Methodism is one of the major nonconformist Christian movements in Britain. The movement emerged in the 18th century and significantly influenced society and religious life.

Origins and Development of Methodism
Methodism emerged in the 1720s from the teachings of John Wesley, a Church of England clergyman, his brother Charles and their associate, the Anglican minister George Whitefield. The first chapel for the newly emerging Methodist Societies opened in Bristol in 1739, followed by first chapel in London in 1778. Methodism evolved from initially seeking evangelical renewal and reform from within the Church of England to become an independent entity following John Wesley’s death in 1791.

Two main theological strands of Methodism developed:

• Wesleyan Methodists, who followed John Wesley’s Arminian doctrine which stresses that salvation is open to all believers.
• Calvinist Methodists, followers of George Whitefield, who believed in predestination which states that only God determines who is saved.

Record Keeping
Before the 1640s, Methodists and other nonconformist sects kept only a few registers of their own as most sought to change the workings of the Anglican church from within. Other concerns included the legal status of a non-Anglican register and fears of persecution. Change occurred with Declaration of Indulgence (1672), which allowed licences for dissenting preachers and meeting houses. Greater religious freedom followed the Toleration Act of 1689. This was introduced under William III after the Glorious Revolution of 1688 in which William III (William of Orange) and his wife Mary II ascended to the throne after the Catholic James II fled to France in December 1688. The Act, for the first time, guaranteed freedom of worship for non-Anglican Protestant groups and granted these groups the right to establish their own licensed places of worship (attendance at Anglican church services was compulsory up until the Act).

Despite these freedoms, nonconformists were still required to accept the Church of England’s 39 Articles of Faith and remained barred from public office. However, Protestant congregations grew in numbers along with a growth of separate registers, although many nonconformists continued to record vital events within the established church to ensure their legality and validity.

Registers exist after 1780 following a decree from the authorities that nonconformist congregations should keep registers. Most complied with the ruling and these registers form the bulk of those handed in to the Registrar General in 1837. Collectively these registers are known as the Non-Parochial Registers and are held at The National Archives with copies available at various record offices and available online.

Types of Methodist Records
Methodist records across various Methodist denominations encompass chapel meetings and committees and other circuit records. Known for their meticulous record-keeping, the type of records include:

Vital Records
Please note that many vital events were recorded in the church books which means they are not recorded in separate Methodist registers. Also preachers were known to take their registration books from circuit to circuit, so knowing the specific church is crucial. Dedicated Methodist registers generally started from 1815/1816, with most beginning in the 1830s/1840s.

• Baptisms and Births: These are most commonly held registers. The baptism date is not necessarily a clue to the birth date as it was common for baptisms to occur weeks, months, or even years after birth. Adult baptisms were also practiced, especially for individuals who converted later in life. Some congregations kept their own birth (not baptism) books. The Wesleyan Methodist Registry, established in 1818, provided registration of births and baptisms for Wesleyan Methodists throughout England, Wales covering approximately 50,000 named individuals.
• Marriages: Marriage ceremonies held in Methodist chapels were legalised from July 1, 1837 following the Marriage Act of 1836. However many Methodists continued to marry in Anglican churches or register offices for some time after 1837.
• Deaths and Burials: Methodist burial records are less common for a number of reasons such as chapels not being able to afford their own burial grounds and many nonconformists being buried in Anglican churchyards and later in municipal cemeteries.

Other Methodist Church Records

• Membership records and registers.
• Circuit records contain the names of local preachers and possibly officers of the church.
• Circuit registers contain the names of those attending each chapel and dates of death or departure of an individual.
• Class books or prayer groups provide the names of attendees.
• Minute books from chapel and circuit meetings include minutes from church councils, committees and circuit meetings.
• Sunday school attendance registers.
• Pew rent records provide the names of congregants who paid a fee to reserve specific seats in church.
• Temperance meeting minutes and records from temperance movements like the Band of Hope.
• Plaques and memorials which commemorate prominent church members or officials.

Bunhill Fields
Bunhill Fields is a significant historical burial ground in Islington, just north of the City of London. It is particularly known for its association with religious nonconformists, although it was open to anyone who could afford the fees. It became a popular burial ground for London dissenters with over 123,000 nonconformist burials taking place at the site between 1665 and 1854. Unlike consecrated churchyards, it provided a suitable burial ground for those who did not adhere to the Church of England’s practices or denied burial in Church of England consecrated ground. However, Methodists often preferred their own burial sites or churchyards if available and Bunhill Fields predates the formal rise of Methodism which began in the 1730s. Notable people buried Bunhill Fields include Susanna Wesley (1669-1742) the mother of John and Charles Wesley. John Wesley is interred at the burial ground of the nearby Wesley’s Chapel along with many of his followers. Other notable Methodist sites include Globe Fields in Stepney, London which was on the site of Globe Road Wesleyan Chapel. The burial ground served the Wesleyan Methodist community from 1820 to 1857 and accommodated approximately 14,000 burials.

Wesleyan Methodist Metropolitan Registry
Registry is a valuable resource for documenting births and baptisms of Wesleyan Methodists across England, Wales and elsewhere. The registry was established in 1818 near St Paul’s Cathedral in Paternoster Row, London holding over 10,000 Wesleyan Methodist births and baptisms, including retrospective entries dating back to 1773. The registry operated until 1838, with records surrendered to the Non-Parochial Registers Commissions of 1837 and 1857. The registers are housed at The National Archives in series RG4 and RG5 and is available online at BMDRegisters and Ancestry. Each entry included comprehensive information such as the child’s name and sex, parents’ names and addresses, name of the mother and both her parents, Wesleyan circuit name, witnesses to the birth, and officiating minister.

Wesleyan Methodist Twentieth Century Fund
The Fund, also known as the Million Guinea Fund, was established in 1898 to celebrate the turn of the 20th century and promote Methodism. The fund was active for 10 years from 1898 to 1908 and raised over a million pounds from more than 1,025,000 donors. The funds were used to build the Methodist Central Hall in Westminster which opened in 1912, build or enlarge Wesleyan chapels and Sunday Schools and promote overseas missionary work. The 50 volume Historic Roll recording all donors including children is kept at Methodist Central Hall, Westminster.

Researching Church Ministers
For further research on ministers and places of worship consult the ‘Evans List’ of Dissenting Congregations and Ministers compiled in 1715 and updated in 1730. The survey, conducted county by county, provides information on dissenting congregations and ministers in England and Wales. The Josiah Thompson List of 1773 is similar in scope. The Surman Index is a biographical card catalogue of dissenting ministers compiled by Charles Surman (1901-1986) covering the period from the mid-seventeenth century to 1972. The Index includes approximately 32,000 ministers, with details such as dates, education, ministries, employment and sources. Both resources are available at Dr Williams Library with the Surman Index available online.

To locate individual chapels, consult local trade directories which include listings of churches and chapels by denomination. Also useful is the Ecclesiastical Census of 1851 which was conducted to assess the availability and usage of places of worship across England and Wales, including Nonconformist chapels such as Baptist, Methodist, and Catholic chapels.

General Register of Protestant Dissenters
The register housed at Dr Williams Library covers some 29, 865 nonconformist births from 1743 to 1837, with some retrospective entries dating back to 1716. The registry began when a committee representing Presbyterians, Independents and Baptists, known as the Dissenting Deputies, arranged with the library to keep an official register of births. A typical entry should include the name of child, date and place of birth, parent’s name, mother’s maiden name, occasionally the names of the mother’s parents and the father’s occupation. The registers were handed to the Registrar General in 1837 and are now housed at The National Archives in series RG 4 and RG 5. They are available on line at BMD Registers and partially at FamilySearch.

Key Legislation and Changes:

Hardwicke Act (1753)

The Hardwicke Act, officially known as the Marriage Act of 1753, came into force on March 25, 1754. The Act fundamentally reformed the marriage system in England and Wales, closing the loophole to prevent legally binding ‘irregular’ or ‘clandestine’ marriages taking place.
Key provisions included:

• All marriages to take place in a licensed Anglican parish church before an Anglican minister to be valid and legal.
• The ceremony to take place in the bride or bridegroom’s own parish in the presence of two witnesses.
• The marriage to proceed only after the publication of banns or after obtaining a marriage license.
• The details to be recorded in a separate book with a numbered space for each entry, to prevent fraud.
• Jews and Quakers were exempt from the new law.
• Marriages celebrated overseas or in Scotland were not affected.

The Hardwicke Act remained in force until it was repealed by the Marriage Act of 1823.

Civil Registration (1837)
Civil registration was introduced in England and Wales on July 1, 1837, following the Registration Act of 1836. The Act allowed all religious denominations the freedom to hold legal marriage ceremonies and maintain their own registers. Following the Non-Parochial Registers Act of 1840, the Registrar General issued a request to nonconformist congregations including Catholics to voluntarily submit their pre-1837 registers to be authenticated as legal records and deposited with the Registrar General. A second set of registers was voluntarily surrendered in 1857. Many churches chose to leave their registers with the government for safekeeping whilst some churches kept their registers which were later deposited in local archives.

Evolution and Splits Within Methodism
Following John Wesley’s death, the Methodist movement experienced numerous schisms and reorganisations and the movement remained in a state of continual instability.

• 1797: Formation of the Methodist New Connexion by Alexander Kilham (1762-1798) and three other preachers and several laymen.
• 1811: Emergence of the Primitive Methodists jointly founded by Hugh Bourne (1772-1852) and William Clowes (1780-1851)
• 1815: A new Methodist denomination called the Bible Christians emerged in southwest England. The movement was founded by William Bryant, a former Wesleyan Methodist local preacher
• 1827: The Protestant Methodists were formed in 1827 in Leeds, England.
• 1835: The Wesleyan Methodist Association was founded in April 1835 led by Dr. Samuel Warren. The Association merged with the Protestant Methodists in 1836.
• 1849: The Wesleyan Reformers emerged as a result of expulsions of several Wesleyan Methodist ministers at the Manchester Conference of the Wesleyan Methodist Church in 1849.
• 1857: United Methodist Free Churches formed from a merger of the Wesleyan Reformers, the Protestant Methodists and Wesleyan Methodist Association.
• 1859: A minority of Reformers rejected the UMFC merger and established the Wesleyan Reform Union which exists today as an independent Methodist denomination.
• 1907: The United Methodist Church formed from merging the United Methodist Free Churches, Methodist New Connexion and Bible Christians.
• 1932: The Methodist Union thereafter known as the Methodist Church was established at London’s Royal Albert Hall on September 20, 1932, formed from the United Methodist Church, the Primitive Methodists and the Wesleyan Methodists. The church later adopted the name of the Methodist Church of Great Britain.
• 1968: In the U.S. the United Methodist Church was established through a merger of the Methodist Church (1939) and the Evangelical United Brethren.

Several Independent Methodist groups emerged in the 19th century with strong ties to the Primitive Methodists. The Independent Methodist Churches remain in existence today particularly in northern England with others in Bristol, the Midlands and Ramsey on the Isle of Man.

George Whitefield’s Calvinistic Methodist teachings with an emphasis on predestination attracted the wealthy noblewoman Selina Hastings, the Countess of Huntingdon. He became her chaplain in 1748 and together they established a separate and independent network of Calvinistic Methodist chapels called the Countess of Huntingdon Connexion. The Connexion exists today as a small evangelical denomination in the UK and retains its historical Calvinistic Methodist identity.

See also
Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy
Sacrament Certificates

Where Found

The National Archives

• Series RG 4, Registers of Births, Marriages and Deaths surrendered to the Non-parochial Registers Commissions of 1837 and 1857.
• Series RG 8, Registers of Births, Marriages and Deaths surrendered to the Non Parochial Registers Commission of 1857, and other registers and church records.
• Series RG 4, Registers of Births, Marriages and Deaths surrendered to the Non-parochial Registers Commissions of 1837 and 1857. Also the registers of the Presbyterian, Independent and Baptist registry at Dr Williams’ Library and the Wesleyan Methodist Metropolitan Registry, with indexes.
• Series RG 5, Birth Certificates from the Presbyterian, Independent and Baptist Registry and from the Wesleyan Methodist Metropolitan Registry. Original parchment and paper certificates from which the entries in the registers of births from the Presbyterian, Independent and Baptist registry at Dr Williams’ Library were compiled, and the parchment certificates recorded in the registers of births and baptisms from the Wesleyan Methodist Metropolitan Registry.

County Record Offices
Local archives hold a variety of nonconformist records from Methodist, Baptist, Quaker, Congregationalist and other Protestant denominations including:

• Circuit Records for denominations like Methodists.
• Pre-1837 non-parochial registers collected by the General Register Office.
• Baptism/Birth, marriage and burial registers from nonconformist burial grounds
• Membership Records.
• Administrative Records and correspondence.
• Licenses and Certificates for dissenters’ Meeting Houses issued under the 1689 Toleration Act.
• Sunday School and Charity Records.
• Court records documenting prosecutions.
• Certificates for Dissenters’ Meeting Houses: Issued under the 1689 Toleration Act.

Methodist Archives and Research Centre
John Rylands Research Institute and Library. The centre holds the official archives of the Methodist Church including books and journals, manuscripts, chapel histories and minutes of Methodist congregations. The centre also has material relating to the Moravians, Unitarians, Christian Brethren and Baptists. The centre also holds the personal libraries of John Wesley, Charles Wesley and John Fletcher as well as Methodist hymnals, pamphlets, magazines and newspapers. The site has a number of guides to help in researching Methodist ancestry including Researching your family history and an Index of Methodist Ministers.

John Rylands University Library
In addition to the records of the Methodist Archives and Research Centre, the library holds manuscript papers, printed books, periodicals and pamphlets, relating to Baptists, Congregationalists, Presbyterians, Unitarians, Quakers, Moravians and the Christian Brethren.

Dr Williams Library
The library holds significant materials on Unitarian theology and history and other Protestant nonconformity in England including correspondence, diaries and autobiographical writings from key figures; printed pamphlets, theological works and historical texts; the Congregational Library which includes books and manuscripts documenting the Congregationalist tradition. The library maintained a central registry of births for nonconformist families before civil registration began in 1837.

Oxford Centre for Methodism and Church History
The Oxford Centre for Methodism and Church History closed in July 2024. A portion of the Centre’s collection, particularly the reference library materials of the Wesley Historical Society, will be made available at a new reading room at Wesley Memorial Church Oxford. The other materials will go into storage. Holdings include books, newspapers, manuscripts and chapel histories. The former centre incorporates the holdings of the Wesley Historical Society Library and Archives, the archives of Westminster College, AVEC consultancy, Oxford Institute of Methodist Studies and the papers of Donald English and Bill Gowland as well as the archive of the Bletchley Park/Lady Spencer Churchill College of Education.

Wesley Historical Society
Yorkshire Library. The library is located at the University of Huddersfield Archives Key holdings include over 13,000 printed items and some manuscripts related to Yorkshire Methodism, Chapel histories, Biographies and autobiographies, General Methodist histories, Conference minutes and The Methodist Recorder newspaper and other journals and magazines.

Englesea Brook Chapel & Museum
The library houses an extensive collection of Primitive Methodist records including circuit plans, literature, journals and conference minutes.

National Records of Scotland
The NRS holds records and registers related to nonconformist churches and Protestant dissenting groups that were not part of the Church of Scotland including Seceders, Baptists, Methodists, Quakers and Congregationalists

The Mitchell: Glasgow City Archives
The City Archives holds the records of a large number of non-Presbyterian dissenting churches, including Baptist churches, Congregational and Evangelical Union churches across Scotland, Episcopalian churches for Glasgow, Methodist churches for Glasgow and Lanarkshire, Unitarian Church of Glasgow and Quakers, Edinburgh and Glasgow (copies only.

Borthwick Institute for Archives
The Institute holds a collection of nonconformist records covering various denominations including Methodist Records from the York Circuit and surrounding areas; Quaker (Society of Friends) Archives; Unitarian Archives; Congregational and United Reformed Church Records; Meeting House Certificates; Histories of nonconformist churches in York; Digitised Registers of baptism, banns, marriage and burial.

Lambeth Palace Library
The Library holds the archive of the Court of Arches which includes cases involving nonconformists, particularly disputes over ecclesiastical law. The records may deal with disputes over tithes, marriages, or property between Anglican authorities and nonconformist individuals or groups.

Period Covered

1779 – Onwards

Genealogical Value

Baptism

• Full name, address, date of baptism and possibly date of birth.
• Name of parents.
• Father’s occupation.
• Name of minister.

Marriage

• Full name of bride and groom and address.
• Name of bride’s father.

Burial

• Name and address of deceased.
• Date of burial.

Other Records

• Names, addresses, occupations of practicing Methodists.
• Location and description of chapels and meeting houses.
• Death of church member or dates of departure from church.

Further References

• Gandy, Michael. Basic Facts About English Nonconformity for Family Historians: Federation of Family History Societies, 1998
• Leary, William. My Ancestors Were Methodist: Society of Genealogists, 1999
• Leary, William. Local Methodist Records: A Brief Explanation of Local Methodist Archival Material Deposited in County Record Offices: WMHS Publications, 1981
• McLaughlin, Eve. Nonconformist Ancestors: Varneys Press, 1995
• National Index of Parish Registers: Society of Genealogists (A list of the parish registers with dates of available registers and where they are kept, includes nonconformist registers)
• Palgrave-Moore, Patrick. Understanding the History & Records of Nonconformity, Elvery Dowers, 1994
• Ratcliffe, Richard. Methodist Records for Family Historians: The Family History Partnership, 2014
• Ratcliffe, Richard. Basic Facts About Methodist Records for Family Historians: Federation of Family History Societies, 2005
• Ratcliffe, Richard. Basic Facts About The Wesleyan Methodist Historic Roll: Federation of Family History Societies, 2005
• Ruston, Alad (ed). Obituaries and Marriages of Dissenting Ministers in the Gentleman’s Magazine in the 18th Century: Rushton, 1996
• Thomas, Amanda A. The Nonconformist Revolution: Religious dissent, innovation and rebellion: Pen and Sword Books, 2020
• Waller, Ian H. Introducing Nonconformist Records: Explaining Nonconformist Records for Family Historians: Family History Books, 2023

The EurekA Partnership: Various titles containing transcriptions of Methodist Circuit records and registers covering Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Gloucestershire, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, Surrey, Warwickshire and Worcestershire

Websites

Wesley Historical Society
The society was founded in 1893 for the advancement of interest in the history of all branches of the Methodist Church. The site provides access to a Methodist resource library, lectures from historians, conferences and A brief guide to help you search for Methodist family records.
Methodist Heritage
The website offers a variety of resources for those interested in researching Methodist family history with information about various archives containing resources on the Methodist Church and guidance on how to access and use these archives. The site also lists heritage sites across England, Scotland and Wales with detailed descriptions, tips and tricks for conducting family history research and guidance on researching Methodist missionaries in the family.
Methodist Heritage
Researching Family History. For people with a Methodist ancestor there are a number of ways of researching your family tree using Methodist archives and records.
The Museum of Methodism
Wesley’s Chapel and Leysian Mission. The Museum of Methodism, located at City Road in London, allows visitors to discover the origins and spread of Methodism through objects, documents and paintings. The Burial Register for Wesley’s Chapel covers the period from 1779 to 1854, plus 1858. This register contains approximately 5,500 burial records.
The Methodist Church
History and Heritage. History of Methodism. The guide explores Origins and Key Figures, Development and Spread of Methodism and the Divisions and Unifications.
Methodist Archives and Research Centre
Researching your family history.
My Methodist History
The website is a community archive dedicated to preserving and sharing the history of the Methodist Church where people can contribute photos, memories and research related to Methodism. Features include information about Methodist sites and chapels, family history: stories and information and obituaries of ministers.
My Primitive Methodists
This is a community archive for the 19th century working class movement known as the Primitive Methodists. Here you can browse through photos, stories, memories and research.
My Wesleyan Methodists
Welcome to ‘My Wesleyan Methodists’ where you can enjoy sharing photos, memories, stories and research about anything related to the Wesleyan strand of Methodism from its 18th century beginnings  until the establishment of the Methodist Church in 1932
My United Methodists
This community website is a place to collect and share online the history of the United Methodist Church and the nineteenth-century British Methodist movements that came together in 1907 to form it.
The Chapels Society
The Society seeks to foster public interest in the architectural and historical importance of all nonconformist places of worship including churches, chapels and meeting houses throughout the United Kingdom.
Englesea Brook Chapel and Museum
Library. A unique library relating to Primitive Methodism believed to hold the largest collection of printed material relating to Primitive Methodism in the world. It contains over 4,000 volumes, including many rare items.
Online Dictionary of Methodism
Explore the online version of the dictionary that explores the history, development, principles and figures associated with Methodism in Britain and Ireland. It is an expanded version of the printed volume published by Epworth Press in 2000.
Spartacus Educational
Wesleyan Methodists.
Catholic Encyclopedia
New Advent. The website provides an overview of Methodism. It discusses the origins of the movement, its theological system, practices, and organisational structure.
SOAS
School of Oriental and African Studies. The library holds the largest collection of Christian missionary archives in the UK, including records from London Missionary Society (Council for World Mission), the Methodist Missionary Society and the Presbyterian Church of England Foreign Missions Committee as well as personal papers of individual missionaries. These collections, spanning the 18th to 20th centuries, offer primary source material like correspondence, reports, minutes, journals, photographs, and films.
Victoria County History
The Victoria County History aims to provide comprehensive histories of each county in England, covering various topics from ancient times to the present day to the present day, including social, religious, economic and industrial history. Each county volume contains detailed accounts of local history, including religious institutions which may include the description and location of nonconformist chapels and meeting houses.
The Queen Mary Centre for Religion and Literature in English
The Centre is an association of individuals, societies, centres, and projects with a shared commitment to the broad subject of religion and literature in English. The focus is on the history of Roman Catholicism, the Church of England, Protestant dissent, Methodism, and Judaism.
The Dissenting Academies Project
The project brings a wealth of information about dissenting higher education from the later 17th to the later 19th centuries. The site has a history of nonconformity and individual dissenting denominations as well as Timeline charting key dates and events in nonconformist history as well as a history of dissenting academies.
Dissenting Academies Online
Database and Encyclopedia, 1660-1860. The site is major research resource containing detailed historical accounts of individual dissenting academies including biographical articles about leading tutors and biographical data for thousands of students educated at the academies.
Dissenting Academies Online
Virtual Library System. The System is a union catalogue recording the holdings of leading Baptist, Congregational, and Presbyterian academy libraries in England over the 18th and 19th centuries compiled from a range of sources.
The London Archives
Research Guide. Nonconformist records. This guide explains how to trace people in London who did not belong to the established church (known as nonconformists or dissenters). Since 1559, the established church in England has been the Church of England (Anglican Church).
My Wesleyan Methodists
Wesleyan Historic Roll. An Introduction.
West Yorkshire Archive
Collections Guide 2: Nonconformist Registers.
Devon Archives and Local Studies
Research Guide. Nonconformist Records.
North Devon Record Office
Research Guide. Nonconformist Records
BMD Registers
Guide to Non-Parochial Records.
Society of Genealogists
Nonconformist Records.
FamilyTree
Guide to Researching Methodist Ancestors, by Sunny Jane Morton.
Who Do You Think You Are? magazine
Nonconformist family history: The best websites.
Explore Your Genealogy
Indications of Nonconformists in Your Ancestry.

Online Databases

BMD Registers
The Official Non-Conformist and Non-Parochial BMDs Service. The site contains records of births, baptisms, marriages, deaths and burials from various Non-Conformist denominations, including Methodists, Wesleyans, Baptists, Independents, Protestant Dissenters, Congregationalists, Presbyterians, Unitarians, Quakers (Society of Friends) and Russian Orthodox. The Bunhill Fields Burial Ground registers are included in the dataset. The data is extracted from a number of series at The National Archives including RG 4 and RG 5 with some records going back to 1567.
Findmypast
Datasets include:

• England & Wales Non-Conformist Births and Baptisms, Marriages and Burials. Search non-conformist registers to find ancestors who did not follow the established Church of England such as Methodists, Wesleyans, Baptists, Independents, Protestant Dissenters, Roman Catholics, Congregationalist, Presbyterians, Unitarians, Quakers (Society of Friends) and Huguenots. The records are extracted from The National Archives series RG 4, RG 5 and RG 8 and include records from the Wesleyan Methodist Metropolitan Registry and Dr Williams’ Library in London and burials from the Bunhill Fields Burial Ground.
• Cornwall baptism, marriages and burials. Search over a million Anglican and nonconformist record transcripts covering more than three hundred parishes across the Cornish peninsula.
• Yorkshire Baptisms and Burials. Search parish register transcripts across the three historic Yorkshire counties of Anglican parishes as well as records from some Roman Catholic and Non-Conformist parishes.
• Greater London Marriage Index. Search a collection of transcribed marriage records created by various family history societies and covering the Greater London area including Middlesex, Surrey and Hertfordshire. The dataset includes Anglican, Non-conformists, and Quaker marriages and covers 1502 up to 1871.
• Greater London Burial Index, 1399-1992. Search burial records across 300 parishes in the Greater London area including Anglican parishes and nonconformist registers. The record set includes the Middlesex Memorial Inscriptions, South London Burials Index 1545-1905, City of London Burials 1754-1855 (originally compiled by Cliff Webb) and Middlesex Burials 1538-1992. Also included are records from the Bunhill Fields and Spa Fields Burial Grounds which catered mainly for nonconformists.
• London, Bunhill Fields Non-Conformist Burials 1713-1826. Browse nonconformist burial registers and monumental inscriptions.
• Yorkshire & Derbyshire Methodist Baptisms, 1795-1997 and Methodist Marriages. Search Methodist registers from the Sheffield district.
• The Manchester Collection. Cheetham Hill Wesleyan Cemetery burial registers, 1858-1968.
• The Shropshire Collection, 1538-1900. The collection includes searchable transcripts and scanned colour images of Non-Conformist Shropshire registers.
• The Cheshire Collection. Non-Conformist and Roman Catholic Records 1671-1910.
• Essex Memorial Inscriptions. The dataset contains records covering Anglican, Roman Catholic, Quaker, and non-conformist, as well as community and war memorials.
• Norfolk Non-Conformist Records 1613-1901 Image Browse. This collection comprises registers of baptisms, marriages, and burials as well as membership lists and meeting minutes covering Methodist, Quaker, Baptist and Congregational congregations.
• Derbyshire Births and Baptisms. Search nonconformist registers mainly covering Methodists, Baptists, and Presbyterians.
• Northamptonshire Quarter Sessions Licences, 1689-1932. Discover the names of any individual or group who wished to open a Nonconformist chapel or hold such religious services in a house or other premises and needed to obtain a licence from the Quarter Sessions.

Ancestry
Datasets include:

• England & Wales, Non-Conformist and Non-Parochial Registers, 1567-1970 This collection is mainly comprised of birth, marriage, and death registers from non-conformist congregations and churches in England and Wales that were turned over to the Registrar General following the Non-Parochial Register Act of 1840 and a later request in 1857.
• London Non-conformist Registers, 1694-1931: Baptism, marriage, and burial registers for many Non-Conformist churches in the greater London area digitised in partnership with The London Archives.
• Hampshire, Nonconformist Registers, 1835-1921. Search over 58,000 records of baptism, marriage and burial that took place in eleven Methodist circuits including Aldershot, Basingstoke, Newbury and Winchester.
• Bristol, England, Non-Conformist Baptism, Marriage and Burial Registers, 1644-1981. This collection comprises baptism, marriage and burial records from Non-Conformist congregations in the Bristol area. These include Roman Catholic, Methodist, Quaker, Presbyterian, Wesleyan, Congregationalist, Baptist, Unitarian, and other denominations.
• Birmingham, England, Non-Conformist Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1825-2007. This collection contains baptism records up to 1932, marriage records continue through 1958 and burial records end in 2007. The collection contains records from Baptist, Independent, Unitarian, Wesleyan, and Presbyterian churches.
• Wiltshire, England, Non-Conformist Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1810-1987. This collection comprises baptism, marriage and burial records from Non-Conformist congregations from the county of Wiltshire. These include Methodist, Quaker, Wesleyan, Independent, Baptist, and other denominations.
• West Yorkshire, Nonconformist Records, 1646-1985. This database contains a compilation of records from Nonconformist congregations in the West Yorkshire area of England including Methodist, Baptist, Society of Friends (Quaker), Presbyterian, Congregationalist, and other congregations.
• Manchester, Non-Conformist Births and Baptisms, Marriages and Deaths and Burials, 1758-1987. This database contains birth records from Nonconformist congregations in the Manchester area. These include Methodist, Quaker, Presbyterian, Wesleyan, URC, Congregationalist, Baptist, Unitarian, and Jewish congregations.
• Medway, Kent, Methodist Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1798-1932.
• Bristol, England, Non-Conformist Baptism, Marriage and Burial Registers, 1644-1981. This collection comprises registers from Non-Conformist congregations in the Bristol area. These include Roman Catholic, Methodist, Quaker, Presbyterian, Wesleyan, Congregationalist, Baptist, Unitarian and other denominations.
• Tyne and Wear, Non-Conformist Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1710-1960. This collection contains congregation member lists and registers of baptisms, marriages, and burials from non-conformist churches in Tyne and Wear.
• Westminster, London, England, Non-Conformist Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1841-1964.
• West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, Non-Conformist Parish Registers, 1840-1969. The collection includes registers of Baptists, Methodists, Catholics and many other groups.

MyHeritage
Shropshire Nonconformist and Roman Catholic Registers.
FamilySearch
Liverpool, Banns and Marriages, 1557-1960. Marriage records from Church of England parishes and Methodist congregations in Liverpool. Includes digital images of microfilmed records held by the Liverpool Record Office.
Bath Ancestors
Methodist Registers, 1792-1928. Baptism registers for various Bath Methodist churches for different dates, and burial registers for Walcot Methodist Church, 1887-1928. Not all the registers are included in the database.
British Newspaper Archive
The Archive holds several nonconformist journals and newspapers, including those representing Methodists, Quakers, Baptists and other dissenting groups including The Nonconformist (1841-1900) which represented Congregationalists, Baptists, Methodists and other free churches, later renamed The Independent and The Methodist Times (1880s-1900s).
UKPressOnline
The Watchman Archive 1835-1884. The Watchman & Wesleyan Advertiser was first Methodist newspaper, established in 1835.
FamilySearch
The Historical Records collections contain digitised, indexed and browsable images of nonconformist records and registers dating from 1567.

• England and Wales Nonconformist Record Indexes, 1588-1977. The collection includes records of births, baptisms, marriages and burials from nonconformist registers deposited with the General Register Office in 1837 and 1857 and now with The National Archives in series RG4 to RG8.
• England nonconformist registers from various chapels and meeting houses covering counties including Gloucestershire, Lancashire and Northumberland.
• Wales nonconformist registers from various chapels and meeting houses covering a number of counties.
• Scotland nonconformist church records from groups like the United Secession Church, Free Church and Relief Church.
• Ireland nonconformist records include Presbyterian and Methodist records from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
• Digitised copies of Quaker Monthly Meeting records, including births, marriages, and burials, particularly from England and Wales.

Gloucestershire Archives
Genealogical Search. Non-conformist baptisms (child, father and mother) for some chapels in Gloucestershire.
Durham Records Online
Transcripts (mainly baptisms) from Wesleyan and Primitive Methodist Circuits covering County Durham and Northumberland. Coverage also includes Baptist, Congregational, Quaker and Roman Catholic registers.
The Genealogist
The Methodist Who’s Who, 1913. The directory contains condensed biographies of ministers intended to show the education, public works, tastes and recreations of the workers in this church from across the world.

CD Roms

S & N Genealogy Supplies
Worcestershire, Dudley Non-Parochial Parish Registers 1656-1837.

Gloucestershire Family History Society
Gloucestershire Non-Conformist Transcriptions: Vol 1 Baptisms, Gloucestershire Non-Conformist Transcriptions; Vol 2 Baptisms and Burials, Gloucestershire Non-Conformist Transcriptions; Vol 3 Baptisms, Gloucestershire Non-Conformist Transcriptions.

GenFair
Browse tens of thousands of family history products including nonconformist registers and records from hundreds of suppliers. Products include the Sussex Family History Group: Sussex Nonconformists Registers: Over 50 Sussex Nonconformist Chapel pre-1837 Registers, mainly baptisms and burials, transcribed by Michael Burchall. Set out in alphabetical order by place, then date. Full search facility for names, occupations and places.

Berkshire Family History Society
Bradfield, St Andrew, Parish Registers & Tutts Clump BMDs including Methodist Chapel Baptisms 1873-2002, Marriages 1921-2006 and Burials 1908-2006.

Devon Family History Society
Wesleyan Methodist Historic Roll 1899-1904: A transcription of the names and addresses of over 24,000 donors from Wesleyan Methodist Circuits in Devon and Cornwall and parts of Somerset and Dorset.