Nature of Source
Records from the many and varied dissenting nonconformist sects. In England nonconformists refused to confirm to the doctrine of the established Anglican Church of England. Originally the term dissenter was applied to those that refused to adhere to the 1662 Act of Uniformity by rejecting the use of the Book of Common Prayer in worship. Nonconformity expanded rapidly in the 19th century and nonconformist had become the usual way of referring to an adherent of Protestants congregations such as Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Independents, Huguenots, Congregationalists and Quakers. Roman Catholics were usually called recusants and were not a part of the Protestant movement. Presbyterians in England were not aligned to the Presbyterianism of Scotland and Ireland. Other more fringe nonconformist sects included:
Moravians, 1727-
Muggletonians, 1652-1979
Inghamites, 1748-
Irvingites/Catholic Apostolic Church, 1832-
Swedenborgians, 1788-
Sandemanians/Glassites, 1760-c1900
Plymouth Brethren, 1827 –
Before the early 1640s, no nonconformist sects kept registers as most strived to change the workings of the Anglican church from within. Some nonconformists were also concerned for their own safety. The Declaration of Indulgence, 1672 allowed the issue of licences for dissenter meetings and preachers. In 1688 the Dutch William of Orange seized the Crown from the Catholic James II in the so called ‘Glorious Revolution‘. One of the first acts of the new monarch, now William III of England, was to pass the Toleration Act in 1689. The Act, for the first time, guaranteed freedom of worship for the dissenting 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). Although nonconformists were forced to accept the 39 Anglican articles of faith and remained barred from public office, Protestant congregations grew in numbers along with and a growth of separate registers. Many nonconformists also recorded vital events within the established church to ensure the legality of the event so no separate registers exist.
Most registers survive after 1780 when the authorities decreed 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. Burial records of nonconformist sects are rare as many chapels could not afford the necessary ground. Furthermore, some sects did not believe in infant baptism at all whilst others saw no necessity for recording baptisms, marriages and burials. As child baptism was shunned, the baptism date is not necessarily a clue to the birth date.
Search for names in minute and membership books. Some congregations kept their own birth (not baptism) books as well as burial registers. Burial grounds were often attached to chapels and many transcriptions of Monumental Inscriptions have been produced. Many preachers took their registration books from circuit to circuit so the events recorded could cover different areas. An important collection of nonconformist birth registers is held by Dr Williams Library in London. A similar system of birth registration was established in 1818 at the Wesleyan Methodist Metropolitan Registry near St Paul’s cathedral. Between 1818 and 1837, 10,291 births were recorded and is available online at BMD Registers.
Registers of burials can be found in the records of Bunhill Fields which was established in response to the 1662 Act of Uniformity which led to a general refusal by Anglican priests to bury in church ground those who would not recognise the religious supremacy of the monarch. Located in Islington just north of the city of London, over 12,000 nonconformist burials took place at the site between 1665 and 1853.
For help in finding places of worship and names of ministers consult the ‘Evans List’ of Dissenting Congregations and Ministers compiled in 1715 and updated in 1730, the similar 1773 Josiah Thompson List and the Surman Index of dissenting ministers compiled by Charles Surman covering the period from the mid-seventeenth century to 1972. The Surman Index is available online and the other indexes are available at Dr Williams Library.
The Hardwicke Act of 1753 ended the near anarchy of marriage ceremonies taking place outside of official jurisdiction. The Act compelled all marriages (except for Quakers and Jews) to take place in a licensed Anglican church and only after the publication of banns. After the introduction of the Act, nonconformist marriages are found in parish registers and before the act within the records of dissenting churches or the various unauthorised places of marriage. After the introduction of civil registration in 1837, all religious denominations were free to hold legal marriage ceremonies and were free to keep their own registers. Post 1837 nonconformist registers contain similar information to the Church of England parish registers. Consult directories or the Ecclesiastical Census of 1851 for the location of individual chapels.
See also
Baptist Registers and Records
Congregational/Independents Registers and Records
Huguenot Records and Registers
Methodist Registers and Records
Missionary Society Records
Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy
Protestant Dissenters Registry/Dr. Williams Library
Protestation Oath Returns/Oath of Allegiance
Quaker Digests (The Religious Society of Friends)
Quaker Records (The Religious Society of Friends)
Sacrament Certificates (Oath of Allegiance)
Unitarian Records & Registers
Where Found
The National Archives (RG 4, RG 8: non-parochial registers; RG 4: Dr Williams Library registers; RG 5: the original certificates: Records of dissenters burial grounds such as Bunhill Fields: Irregular marriage records: Licences issued for dissenter meetings and preachers)
County Record Offices (Non-parochial registers: extant church and chapel records: Meeting Houses Registration [Quarter Session records]: Church books and membership rolls. Find the details of a local UK archive from a searchable list of over 2,500 archives hosted by The National Archives)
Dr Williams Library (Nonconformity literature and various finding aids and indexes)
Society of Genealogists (Copies of nonconformist registers and other nonconformist material)
National Library of Wales (Nonconformist Records. The records of the nonconformist chapels include: Baptism, marriage and burial registers; Manuscript lists of members; Contribution books of individual chapels; Printed annual reports from 1880; Denominational periodicals)
The Mitchell Library (Non-Presbyterian records include baptisms, marriages and burials, confirmations for Episcopal churches, communion rolls, membership lists and pew rents covering Baptist, Congregationalist, Evangelical, Methodist and Unitarian churches as well as Quaker meeting houses)
LDS FamilySearch Centers (Non-parochial registers)
British Museum (Muggletonian archive)
Lambeth Palace Library
Individual churches and chapels
Period Covered
1530 – Onwards
Genealogical Value
N/A
Further References
- Gandy, Michael. Basic Facts About English Nonconformity for Family Historians: Federation of Family History Societies, 1998
- Gandy, Michael. Tracing Nonconformist Ancestors: Public Record Office, 2001
- Lamont, William. Last Witnesses: the Muggletonian History, 1652-1979: Ashgate, 2006
- McLaughkin, Eve. Nonconformist Records: 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)
- Oates, Paul. My Ancestors Were Inghamites: Society of Genealogists, 2003
- Palgrave-Moore, Patrick. Understanding the History & Records of Nonconformity, Elvery Dowers, 1994
- 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
TNA Research Guide: Family History in England and Wales
Websites
http://brethrenhistory.org (The Brethren Archivists and Historians Network. The organisation encourages the study and writing of the history of the Brethren movement)
www.library.manchester.ac.uk/search-resources/special-collections/guide-to-special-collections/christian-brethren-collections (The University of Manchester Library: Christian Brethren Archive; The collection contains material relating to assemblies of Christians often referred to as the Plymouth Brethren. It is made up of printed books, periodicals and manuscript materials)
www.moravian.org.uk/who-we-are/church-archives (The Moravian Church Archive and Library. The archives contain records relating to congregations, particularly those that are no longer active; mission records; Synod minutes and resolutions. The library contains printed books relating to the history of the Church, both in Britain and abroad. There are also a number of periodicals published by Provinces from all over the world)
www.unitasfratrum.org (Unitas Fratrum: The Moravian Unity of the World Wide Moravian Church. The Unitas Fratrum, or Moravian Church, is that branch of the Christian Church which began its distinct life at Kunvald in Bohemia in the year 1457)
www.muggletonianpress.com (Muggletonian Press. The Muggletonian Press is committed to republishing historical Muggletonian documents in their entirety and provide ready access to historic Muggletonian documents)
https://muggletonian.org.uk (The aim of the website is to encourage and support the study of Muggletonianism)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Inghamite_Chapels (List of Inghamite Chapels, historic and current)
www.thornber.net/famhist/htmlfiles/inghamite.html (Wheatley Lane Inghamite Chapel, a brief history)
www.newadvent.org/cathen/08174a.htm (The Catholic Encyclopedia: Irvingites)
www.swedenborg.org.uk (Swedenborg Society. Established in 1810, main aim of the Society is to translate and publish the works of the Swedish scientist, philosopher and visionary, Emanuel Swedenborg,1688-1772. The research library has a comprehensive collection of Swedenborg related titles whilst the Archives contain a wealth of manuscript material charting the history of the Swedenborg Society, and ‘Swedenborgian’ culture in general)
https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://yourarchives.nationalarchives.gov.uk/index.php?title=Swedenborgianism (The National Archives: Your Archives Web Archive: Swedenborgianism)
www.newadvent.org/cathen/13435a.htm (The Catholic Encyclopedia: Sandemanians)
https://id3428.securedata.net/exlibris/nonconform/engdis/index.html ((ExLibris: English Dissenters. The document focuses on English dissenters prior to and during the civil war/revolution in England as well as during the Interregnum. We view the information broadly, incorporating a variety of religious and social movements and viewpoints)
www.sog.org.uk/events/pdf/2011-Show-Handouts/Nonconformists-Records-Online.pdf (Finding Nonconformist Records Online, by Alec Tritton)
www.chapelssociety.org.uk (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)
www.wyjs.org.uk/archive-service/our-collections/guides-to-our-collections (West Yorkshire Archive Service: Collections Guide 2: Nonconformist Registers)
www.qmul.ac.uk/sed/religionandliterature (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)
www.qmul.ac.uk/sed/religionandliterature/dissenting-academies (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)
www.qmul.ac.uk/sed/religionandliterature/dissenting-academies/dissenting-academies-online (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)
www.qmul.ac.uk/sed/religionandliterature/dissenting-academies/dissenting-academies-online (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)
www.soas.ac.uk/library/archives/collections/missionary-collections (SOAS Library: Missionary Collections. SOAS holds the largest collection of Christian missionary archives in the UK; as well as personal papers of many individual missionaries)
https://web.archive.org/web/20160418023559/https://homepage.ntlworld.com/hitch/gendocs/churches.html (Gendocs: Victorian London Churches: The following pages list the various demoninational churches and chapels to be found in Victorian London)
Victoria County History (Description and location of chapels and meeting houses county by county with some volumes online at British History Online. The Victoria County History series of county histories is an ongoing project recording county by county England’s places and people from earliest times to the present day)
www.history.ac.uk/gh/17.htm (Guildhall Library Manuscripts Section: Non Anglican Religious Bodies including records of non-conformist and foreign protestant congregations in the City of London)
www.swheritage.org.uk/da-ls-research-guides (North Devon Record Office Information Leaflet: Nonconformist Records)
www.swheritage.org.uk/da-ls-research-guides (Devon Heritage Centre Information Leaflet Non-Conformist Records)
www.thegenealogist.co.uk/researchguide/?cid=1&p=100 (The Genealogist Research Guide: Non-Conformist & Non-Parochial Records)
www.buildinghistory.org/buildings/chapels.shtml (Researching the history of chapels)
https://bmdregisters.co.uk/help/research-guide/what-are-they (BMD Registers: Guide to Non-Parochial Records)
www.berkshirerecordoffice.org.uk/nonparochial-register (Berkshire Record Office: List of Berkshire nonconformist places of worship and the whereabouts of their registers)
www.sog.org.uk/leaflets/nonconformists.shtml (Nonconformist Records guide from the Society of Genealogists)
www.parishchest.com (Online store selling nonconformist records from a variety of suppliers)
https://search.lma.gov.uk/scripts/mwimain.dll/144/RESEARCH_GUIDES/web_detail_rg?SESSIONSEARCH&exp=SISN+92 (London Metropolitan Archives Information Leaflet No. 3: Records of nonconformists in London)
https://search.lma.gov.uk/scripts/mwimain.dll/144/RESEARCH_GUIDES/web_detail_rg?SESSIONSEARCH&exp=SISN+92 (London Metropolitan Archives Information Leaflet Number 60: Non-Anglican register transcripts. This leaflet lists all the transcripts of non-Anglican registers held in London Metropolitan Archives)
www.edintone.com/nonconformist_denominations (Nonconformist Denominations: A collection of items on nonconformity and Northamptonshire including a section on sources for researching Nonconformists in Northamptonshire)
Online Databases
https://bmdregisters.co.uk (BMD Registers. Search records of birth, baptism, marriage, death and burial taken from Non-Conformist registers including Methodists, Wesleyans, Baptists, Independents, Protestant Dissenters, Congregationalist, Presbyterians, Unitarians, Quakers [Society of Friends], Dissenters and Russian Orthodox. The registers from Bunhill Fields Burial Ground are included in the dataset)
www.findmypast.co.uk (England & Wales Non-Conformist Births and Baptisms. Search non-conformist baptism registers to find ancestors who did not follow the established Church of England such as Methodists, Wesleyans, Baptists, Independents, Protestant Dissenters, Congregationalist, Presbyterians, Unitarians, Quakers [Society of Friends] and Huguenots. The records are extracted from TNA series RG 4, RG 5 and RG 8 and include records from the Methodist Metropolitan registry and Dr Williams’ Library in London)
www.findmypast.co.uk (England & Wales Non-Conformist Burials. Search non-conformist burial registers to find ancestors who did not follow the established Church of England such as Methodists, Wesleyans, Baptists, Independents, Protestant Dissenters, Congregationalist, Presbyterians, Unitarians, Quakers [Society of Friends] and Huguenots. The registers include the Bunhill Fields Burial Ground. The records are extracted from TNA series RG 4, and RG 8 and include records from the Methodist Metropolitan registry and Dr Williams’ Library in London)
www.findmypast.co.uk (England & Wales Non-Conformist Marriages. Search non-conformist marriage registers to find ancestors who did not follow the established Church of England such as Methodists, Wesleyans, Baptists, Independents, Protestant Dissenters, Congregationalist, Presbyterians, Unitarians, Quakers [Society of Friends] and Huguenots. The records are extracted from TNA series RG 4 and RG 8 and include records from the Methodist Metropolitan registry and Dr Williams’ Library in London)
https://blogs.bl.uk/thenewsroom/british-newspaper-archive (British Library Newspaper Collection: Whereabouts of nonconformist journals and newspapers)
www.ancestry.co.uk (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)
www.ancestry.co.uk (Non Conformist Registers, 1694-1921: Baptism, marriage, and burial registers for many Non-Conformist churches in the greater London area digitised in partnership with London Metropolitan Archives and Guildhall Library Manuscripts)
www.ancestry.co.uk (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)
www.ancestry.co.uk (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)
www.ancestry.co.uk (Parish Records: 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)
www.ancestry.co.uk (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)
www.ancestry.co.uk (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)
www.findmypast.co.uk (Cornwall baptism, marriages and burials. Search over a million Anglican and nonconformist record transcripts covering more than three hundred parishes across the Cornish peninsula. Transcripts supplied by the Cornwall Family History Society)
www.findmypast.co.uk (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)
www.findmypast.co.uk (Greater London Marriage Index. Search the vast 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. A full list of parishes is available at the website)
Familysearch.org (Historical Record Collections: Transcripts of baptisms, marriages and deaths extracted from Anglican parish registers and non-parochial/nonconformist registers including those held at Dr. Williams Library. The site incorporates the data formerly known as the International Genealogical Index and also data formerly sold on CD as the British Isles Vital Records Index. Nonconformist records include Cheshire Non-conformist Records, 1671-1900, Bristol Non-Conformist Registers; Northumberland Nonconformist Records; Non-Conformist Record Indexes transcribed from TNA series RG 4-8. The former Ancestral File and Pedigree Resource File can be found under the heading of ‘Family Trees’)
www.familysearch.org (Lancashire Non-Conformist Church Records, 1647-1996. Non-Conformist Church records from the county of Lancashire containing baptisms/christenings, marriages, and deaths)
www.familysearch.org (Gloucestershire Non-Conformist Church Records, 1642-1996. Non-Conformist Church records from the county of Gloucestershire containing baptisms/christenings, marriages, and deaths)
www.findmypast.co.uk (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 mostly for nonconformists)
www.findmypast.co.uk (England & Wales Non-Conformist Births and Baptisms, Marriages and Burials. Search more than more than 1.5 million nonconformist registers from over 50 denominations to find if your English and Welsh family members were nonconformist Protestants or Roman Catholics. The original records are held in TNA series RG 4, RG 5 and RG 8. There is also a significant number of French Protestant or Huguenot records within the collection)
www.findmypast.co.uk (London, Bunhill Fields Non-Conformist Burials 1713-1826 Browse. Browse this collection of nonconformist burial registers and monumental inscriptions to discover your ancestor’s age at the time of death, death date, and burial date)
www.findmypast.co.uk (The Cheshire Collection: Non-Conformist and Roman Catholic Records 1671-1910. The original records are held by the Cheshire Archives and Local Studies)
www.findmypast.co.uk (The Shropshire Collection, 1538-1900. The collection includes searchable transcripts and scanned colour images of Non-Conformist Shropshire registers)
www.findmypast.co.uk (Essex Memorial Inscriptions. The dataset contains records covering Anglican, Roman Catholic, Quaker, and non-conformist, as well as community and war memorials)
Findmypast
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.
ww3.gloucestershire.gov.uk/genealogy/Search.aspx (Gloucestershire Archives Genealogical Search: Search an index of names based on non-conformist baptisms for some chapels in Gloucestershire. Also try searching for a named individual at the Gloucestershire Archives Online Catalogue which includes the General Personal Names Index and other specialist indexes)
Ancestry
West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, Non-Conformist Parish Registers, 1840-1969. The collection includes registers of Baptists, Methodists, Catholics and many other groups.
CD Roms
www.midlandshistoricaldata.org (Old Non-Parochial Registers of Dudley, 1899)
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)
GenFair (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)
GenFair (Browse tens of thousands of family history products including nonconformist registers and records from hundreds of suppliers. The largest range of products covering the British Isles)
