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== Introduction == | == Introduction == | ||
From the sixteenth to the nineteenth century, the term "nonconformist" was applied to English and Welsh Christians who belonged to a denomination other than the Church of England. As these individuals did not follow or "conform to" the state religion, they were subject to a restriction of legal rights, per the Act of Uniformity of 1559. However, this did not stop people from joining other denominations; by 1888, when most of the Act of Uniformity was repealed, approximately 15 percent of the population of England and 80 percent of the population of Wales were considered nonconformists. | |||
Even though nonconformist records are not nearly as prevalent as Anglican records, they are one of the most informative and accurate sources of information when they are available, at least until the start of civil registration in 1837. Nonconformist birth and baptismal registers are fairly common, and they generally contain more information than those of the Church of England. Except for the Quakers, nonconformist denominations generally did not keep marriage records, especially after 1754. Nonconformist burial records are also less common, as nonconformist individuals were buried in Anglican churchyards if a churchyard belonging to their sect was not locally available. <br> | |||
they are often the most informative and accurate source available for English family history until the start of civil registration in 1837. | |||
Sometimes nonconformist was restricted to Protestant religions other than the Church of England; occasionally the term was intended to include Roman Catholics and Quakers, and rarely the term included other non-Christian faiths. | |||
Lord Hardwicke’s Act, passed in 1754, required that couples had to be married in the Church of England for their marriage to be legal, regardless of what religion one belonged to. An exception was made for Jews and Quakers. The law lasted until 1837 when civil registration began. | Lord Hardwicke’s Act, passed in 1754, required that couples had to be married in the Church of England for their marriage to be legal, regardless of what religion one belonged to. An exception was made for Jews and Quakers. The law lasted until 1837 when civil registration began. | ||
Nonconformist records are essential for those families who did not have a baptism, marriage, or burial take place in | Nonconformist records are essential for those families who did not have a baptism, marriage, or burial take place in the Church of England. As a result the Nonconformist records should be consulted when your ancestor does not show up in the Church of England records. Nonconformist registers contain some burial entries, though nonconformists were usually buried in parish churchyards until the chapel obtained its own burial grounds or until civil cemeteries opened. <br> | ||
It is not uncommon to find an ancestor affiliated with more than one religion during his or her lifetime. Search all religions and all chapels of a particular religion if an ancestor might be a nonconformist because some people changed religions and | It is not uncommon to find an ancestor affiliated with more than one religion during his or her lifetime. Search all religions and all chapels of a particular religion if an ancestor might be a nonconformist because some people changed religions and traveled long distances to attend their meetings. Ministers often travelled large circuits keeping the vital statistics of several places in the register they carried with them. | ||
A law passed in 1836 required many nonconformist groups to send their registers into the Public Record Office. The Family History Library has microfilm copies of those that were deposited. Many of these records have been extracted, and the names appear on [http://www.familysearch.org www.familysearch.org] under 'Records.' | A law passed in 1836 required many nonconformist groups to send their registers into the Public Record Office. The Family History Library has microfilm copies of those that were deposited. Many of these records have been extracted, and the names appear on [http://www.familysearch.org www.familysearch.org] under 'Records.' | ||