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England Nonconformist Church Records (view source)
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== Society of Friends == | == Society of Friends == | ||
==== History and Beliefs ==== | |||
The ''Religious Society of Friends'' (colloquially ''Friends'' or ''Quakers'') was an extreme puritanical group founded by George Fox in 1647 and had its chief strength in north west England. [Note this date, all those who mistakenly believe that the ''Mayflower '' was loaded with Quakers in 1620!) The group did not believe in formal services, buildings or paid ministers and thus did not pay tithes to support them, hence their particular antipathy towards the imposition of tithes on every inhabitant for the benefit of the Anglican Church. Quakers were upright citizens believing that all were equal, that God’s word was given to each one individually, and opposed violence including armed service. The Bible was viewed as interesting but certainly not binding. These views frequently brought them in conflict with the law and they were much persecuted until William III’s Act of Toleration in 1689. Starting in 1682, William Penn lead 23,000 Quakers to North America where they established the colony of Pennsylvania. This severely depleted Quaker strength in England and numbers were down to 40,000 by 1700 and declined drastically by the mid-18th century, aided by their forbidding of marriage to outsiders and to first cousins. Some joined other Protestant groups, and others, who perhaps had gained more prominence in society, felt that the Anglican church was a better choice. They have remained a small and separate group ever since, but have been extremely influential in social reform. Nowadays there are about 18,000 Quakers in Britain. | |||
The Friends set up numerous meeting houses (they did not favour fancy church buildings, calling them ''steeplehouses''), as well as Quaker schools. In 1694 there were 151 district groups called ''Monthly Meetings'' and the local community units called ''Preparative'' or ''Particular'' Meetings drew up material for them to discuss. Men and women would often meet separately and divide up the work. Representatives were elected to the county ''Quarterly Meetings'' which, in turn, sent representatives to the Yearly Meeting held in London. Their superb organization allowed them to organize philanthropic work and exert a considerable influence in public affairs. There is a great amount of historical literature on the Society of Friends; a keyword search on the FamilySearch Catalog for ENGLAND + QUAKER brings up well over 800 references. As an example, Rickard’s small book on ''Quakers in Kent'' gives a concise history as well as lists of births, marriages and burials from different Monthly Meetings, extracts of wills, burial ground deeds and subscription list, and a Quaker Affirmation Roll. Bartlett has a two-part article on Quaker records, and a major section on west country Quakers appeared in the Greenwood Tree (Anonymous).<ref>Christensen, Penelope. "England Quaker History (National Institute)," ''The National Institute for Genealogical Studies'' (2012), https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/England_Quaker_History_%28National_Institute%29.</ref> | |||
=== Quaker Records === | |||
The Society of Friends has kept its own distinctive and detailed records since 1669, with an earlier system from 1656 but there are very few records surviving from those early years. They were the first Nonconformist group to keep systematic records and the survival rate for their registers is higher than for the three major Old Dissent denominations (Baptist, Presbyterian and Independent/Congregational). Milligan and Thomas should be consulted for a detailed discussion on Quaker records and further references. Quakers used their own system of dating described in the next section. | |||
==== Quaker Dates ==== | |||
Quakers objected to the use of names of days and months which were derived from pagan gods, thus always used numbers, for example Saturday 27th of March 1789 would be spoken as ''27th 3rd month 1789''. To distinguish the two numbers in writing, Quakers often used Arabic numerals for the day and roman numerals for the month, so this would become 27.iii.1789. A complication arises prior to 1752 when the English year began, not on January 1st but, on March 25th. In early records March was the 1st month but from 1752 March became the 3rd month (see chart below). This system explains why September/October/November/December are not the 7th/8th/9th/10th months, respectively, now as their names would imply! | |||
When transcribing from early records the researcher needs to remember to double date (which occur in the period January to March 24), which effectively lap over into what we call the next year. This is done by using the format: 24 Jan 1721/22, meaning, ‘It is written as 1721 but we would call it 1722’. When we now apply the Quaker numbers instead of names, 24 Jan 1721 would have been written 24.xi.1721 in Quaker records. | |||
<br> '''Chart: Numbers of Quaker Months''' | |||
{| width="400" border="1" align="center" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" | |||
|- | |||
! scope="col" | UP TO 1751 | |||
! scope="col" | QUAKER # | |||
! scope="col" | 1752<br> ONWARDS | |||
|- | |||
| March | |||
| 1st | |||
| January | |||
|- | |||
| April | |||
| 2nd | |||
| February | |||
|- | |||
| May | |||
| 3rd | |||
| March | |||
|- | |||
| June | |||
| 4th | |||
| April | |||
|- | |||
| July | |||
| 5th | |||
| May | |||
|- | |||
| August | |||
| 6th | |||
| June | |||
|- | |||
| September | |||
| 7th | |||
| July | |||
|- | |||
| October | |||
| 8th | |||
| August | |||
|- | |||
| November | |||
| 9th | |||
| September | |||
|- | |||
| December | |||
| 10th | |||
| October | |||
|- | |||
| January | |||
| 11th | |||
| November | |||
|- | |||
| February | |||
| 12th | |||
| December | |||
|} | |||
<br> | |||
Note that not all countries made this change from the Julian to the Gregorian Calendar in 1752. Catholic countries of southern Europe changed in 1582, Scotland in 1600, and others at various times up to the 20th century (Webb 1989). | |||
=== Quaker Registers === | |||
Quaker registers were the responsibility of the Monthly Meeting and are a joy to the genealogist as they are so detailed. They did not have to use the formats provided by Hardwicke’s Marriage Act (1754) or George Rose’s Act (1812). All known registers dating from the 1650s were deposited with the Registrar General in the mid-19th century, and summaries called Digests were made. These nearly 1500 registers contain about 260,000 births (not baptisms), 40,000 marriages and 310,000 deaths/burials. One copy of each Digest was sent to its local congregation, which may now be at the county archives, and another to the Friends House Library. To access them on film do a ''keyword search'' for QUAKER DIGEST ENGLAND. | |||
The original registers, which contain more information as well as a few entries missing from the Digests, are in PRO series RG 6 (with four latecomers in RG 8). Most have been filmed and can be found under FamilySearch Catalog - ENGLAND - COUNTY - CHURCH RECORDS with indexes under CHURCH RECORDS - INDEXES. However some random checks indicate that the RG6 Quaker registers are not included in the IGI. | |||
Other registers which have come to light since 1857 have found their way into Friends House Library or county archives and some remain in private hands. Quakers continued to record births until 1959, deaths until 1961 and they still record marriages, and many of these later registers are also held by the PRO and may be an easier source to use than civil registration. | |||
=== Quaker Births === | |||
Quakers do not practice baptism and their birth registers were similar to post 1813 Anglican baptismal ones but with birth instead of baptismal dates, and can have more information such as witnesses names. There is individual variation both within and between registers in what extra information is given and how it is written up, and many of the early registers contain retrospective entries dating back into the 16th century (Chart 61). | |||
<br> '''Chart: Quaker Births''' | |||
{| width="600" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" | |||
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'''Lewes Meeting, Sussex '''{{FHL|110694|item|disp=FHL Film 0811737}}<br>''1682 28th day 5th Month '''Sarah VERRALL''' the first daughter <br> and child of Richard Verrall (and Sarah his wife) was <br> born at Hove<br>1682 5th day 11th month '''Sarah CHISMAN''' the daughter of John <br> Chisman (and Sibilla his wife) was born at Shoreham<br>1683 20th day 3rd month '''Frances BEARD '''the daughter of <br> William Beard (and Frances his wife) was born at Brighthelmstone<br>1685 15th day 4th month '''Nicholas BEARD''' the son of William <br> Beard (and Frances his wife) was born at Brighthelmstone'' | |||
<br> A separate list is headed | |||
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<br> | |||
{| width="600" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" | |||
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| '''A Register of Several Children Born before their Parents were Convinced of the TRUTH'''<br>Children of Nicholas BEARD<br>'''''Sarah BEARD''' the first daughter of Nicholas and Susanna Beard <br> was born at Rottingdean the 24th day of 12th month 1650.<br>'''Nicholas BEARD''' the second son of Nicholas and Susanna Beard <br> was born at Rottingdean the 17th day of 4th month 1652<br>'''Hannah BEARD''' the third daughter of Nicholas and Susanna Beard <br> was born the 14th day of 8th month 1654<br>'''George BEARD''' the third son of Nicholas and Susanna Beard <br> was born at Rottingdean the 17th day of 8th month 1655<br>A child of Rich d BEARD<br>'''Persis BEARD''' the daughter of Richard and Ann Beard was born at <br> Rottingdean the 8th day of 9th month 1655'' | |||
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| '''Colchester, Essex RG6/999 on''' {{FHL|49310|item|disp=FHL film 0812204}}<br>These few retrospective birth records occupy the first page in the book and are clearly of the adult members of the congregation born well before the Society of Friends was started in 1647.<br>'''Thomas CHITTAM''' born in ye 12 mo. 1613<br>'''Stephen CRISP''' senior born ye - 1616<br>'''John Furly (junior''' crossed through) born 8th 7 mo 1618<br>'''George Weatherby senior '''sonn of Richard Weatherby born the 8th day of the 7 mo 1624 in a villadg cald Ruslip in the Countey of Midellsex. | |||
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{| width="600" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" | |||
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| '''Gainsborough, Lincolnshire RG6/1538 on''' {{FHL|103962|item|disp=FHL film 0817375}}<br>The register books starting in 1700 are handwritten, later some have individually printed certificates with spaces for filling in details, and later still they are printed in columns. These show When and Where born, Name, Son or Daughter, Names of Parents, Residents, description of the Father. In the last column there are three types of entries:<br>'''Simon Mow BROWN '''father of Abigail born 1804 is described as ''Grocer and Chandler.''<br>'''George BLAKEY''' father of Mary born 1805 has ''Watchmaker NB The Parents not members at the Birth of the Child.''<br>'''Samuel COOK''' father of Sarah born 1806 has ''Linen Weaver NB The Child has not a right of Membership by Birth.''<ref>Christensen, Penelope. "England Quaker Records (National Institute)," ''The National Institute for Genealogical Studies'' (2012), https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/England_Quaker_Records_%28National_Institute%29.</ref> | |||
|} | |||
=== Other Quaker Records === | |||
Friends House Library has a wealth of other Quaker records as well, and also maintains a list of material held elsewhere. These include the minute books of the Preparative (local), Monthly, Quarterly (county) and Yearly (national) Meetings, the Sufferings Books, and lists of members. The local records contain more of interest to the family historian. Much has been filmed, but some of these records may still be with the local congregation or at a local archives and may not yet be filmed. | |||
Some indexed transcripts of Monthly Meeting Minutes have been made and are listed by Milligan and Thomas. A list of Quarterly Meetings as existing in 1840-2 is provided by Milligan and Thomas. Although copious other records were kept, Quakers did not keep membership records like other Nonconformists. | |||
The Minutes of Quaker Monthly Meetings are probably the most useful source after the Registers have been read. They deal with: | |||
*Membership and transference to and from other meetings. They issued certificates similar to parish settlement certificates for those moving out of their district. These confirmed that a person was of sober and orderly life and conversation, clear of debt and (if unmarried) of marriage engagements; for an example see Herber’s ''Ancestral Trails''. Society of Genealogists. (2000). The former Meeting would support a family if they fell on hard times within three years of moving to a new Meeting.<br> | |||
* Disciplinary matters including disownments. The Quakers were a very caring community who persevered with persuasive discipline with those who—absented themselves from meetings.<br> | |||
*:*were dishonest in business. | |||
*:*became bankrupt. | |||
*:*drank excessively. | |||
*:*condoned war by having arms, joining the army or hiring a substitute for the militia. | |||
*:*paid Anglican tithes. | |||
*:*married before a priest, or were present at such a marriage. | |||
*:*committed fornication. | |||
*:*had a bastard child or one conceived before wedlock. | |||
This ''disorderly walking'' was cause for ''disownment'', or not being in good standing; but the suitably penitent individual could attend meetings and eventually come back into good standing. | |||
* Finance and property.<br> | |||
* Apprenticeship.<br> | |||
* Poor relief.<br> | |||
* Death testimonials.<br> | |||
* Clearness for marriage. This was of great import and the Meeting had to ensure that the parents approved, that neither party had promised themselves to another, and that the prospective partners were both Quakers in good standing. In fact some did marry in the Anglican Church, either to ensure legality of the union, or to a partner outside their faith. Herber has examples of Minutes regarding marriages.<br> | |||
* Persecution (''sufferings''), including any form of prosecution or distraint, were recorded by monthly, quarterly and yearly Meetings, from 1793 in standard printed books for thispurpose. Most were sent to the London Yearly Meetings and entered into the ''Great Book of Sufferings'' 1650-1856 in 44 volumes. Consult Besse on {{FHL|223292|item|disp=FHL film 0599671}} for a compilation of interesting cases from 1650-1689, and Friends House Library for a check of the index prepared for volumes 1-29 (1650-1791) and other county summaries. Volumes 1 and 2 have been indexed by Audrey Sullivan (1991) but not filmed; use the Request for Photocopies form for appropriate pages. Gandy (Sufferings of Early Quakers. Facsimile of 1753 edition by Joseph Besse with an introduction and indexes to names and places. Sessions Book Trust, Ebor press, York, England, 2002) has edited a 1753 facsimile edition of Besse’s 4 volumes. Examples are shown below. | |||
'''Chart: Colchester, Essex Sufferings of Quakers<br>RG6/999''' {{FHL|49310|item|disp=FHL film 0812204}}<br> | |||
{| width="600" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" | |||
|- | |||
| These are intermingled with the burial records.<br> '''Those imprisoned in Colchester Castle'''<br>'''12th of 5th month 1655'''<br>'''James PARNELL''' sent prisoner thither by Dionisius Wakering, Thomas Cooke, Herbert Pelham and William Harlarkinde for speaking to Priest Willis in the steeplehouse at Great Coggeshall, where he remained a prisoner about tenne moneths suffering much abuse from the Jaylor’s wife and there didd an innocent suffer for ye testimony of Jesus.<br>'''20th [?] of 10th month 1657'''<br>John Sewell of Gestingthorpe being moved of the Lord to goe into the steeplehouse at Hedingham Castle stood silent till the priest had ended his service who having sprinkled a child with water the said John bid him prove that ever any Minister of Christ sprinkled water upon the face of any child and called it Baptisme, which he refused to doe but caused the said John to be had before him called Justice Eden whoe committed him to Colchester Castle where he suffered imprisonment on yt account 12 or 14 days.<br> | |||
'''1671 2 mo 4th day Distrained for not finding Armes'''<br>'''Jno Furly junior''' fined four pounds had taken from him by Henry Garland and Edwd Roritt [?]sergeants in Ralph Crefild’s Company three quarters of a hundred to thirteen pounds wth of kettles worth six pounds five shillings.<br>'''Thomas Cole''' for 40/- fine had taken from him by Sergeant Baker and J...... serjants and Wm Wiltshire constable a good feather bed and blanket valued of about three pounds. <br> | |||
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Quakers appeared frequently in the Quarter Sessions records with other Nonconformists during times of persecution. Quakers refused to swear the standard oaths as they believed that one should tell the truth all the time. However, in 1696 it became possible for Quakers (and a few Strict Baptists), to make an ''affirmation'' rather than swearing an oath. Quakers also would not take off their hats before the magistrate as a sign of deference as they believed all were equal, so for these offences they were often committed for contempt of court. Several stayed in prison for many years without any conviction. The Anglican Church frequently took Quakers to court for refusing to pay tithes, and bailiffs were appointed to confiscate goods of a greater value than the tithes they refused to pay. Quakers were leaders in educational reform and established their own ''Meeting Schools'' from the 17th century, as well as ''Private Schools'' and public ''Committee Schools'' from the 18th century. Committee school ''admission books'' can be found, some of them published, but records of Meeting and Private Quaker schools are rare. Note that attendance at a Quaker school does not necessarily denote membership in the Society of Friends. Quaker teacher training institutes were set up from 1848 in the midlands and north of England. Further information on [http://www.quaker.org.uk Quaker schools], and a large bibliography can be found at their website. | |||
==== Portraits and Coats of Arms ==== | |||
Quakers disapproved of portraits since they might flatter and exalt an individual, thus most pictures purporting to be of pre-1850s Quakers would have been made much later and would not be true likenesses. They thought silhouettes and photographs to be truthful portrayals, so from the mid-19th century these are found abundantly. Beck (''The Impact of Photography on Quaker Attitudes to Portraiture''. Genealogists’ Magazine Vol 27 #2, page 21-24) has a most interesting article on this topic. Quakers deemed everyone equal and thus did not approve of vanities such as coats of arms, any that were already entitled to them quietly stopped using them. | |||
==== Records of Quaker Clergy ==== | |||
Quakers employed no paid ministers, and they were led by seasoned Friends at first called ''elders'' and ''overseers'', and later termed ''ministers''. An obituary and appreciation, known as a ''testimony'', frequently appeared in the Minutes of the Yearly Meeting and these have been published, with an index for the years 1700-1843 being at Friends House Library. Many were also published in ''Piety Promoted'' and in the ''Annual Monitor''. | |||
<br> | |||
==== Quaker References and Publications ==== | |||
*The standard text to commence with is Milligan and Thomas’ ''My Ancestors Were Quakers''.<br> | |||
*''Dictionary of Quaker Biography'' is a work in progress with about 25,000 entries and is kept at Friends House Library and well worth a lucky dip.<br> | |||
*''The Quaker Record'' (Green 1894 on {{FHL|114845|item|disp=FHL film 0908277}}) has 20,000 deaths 1813-1892 indexed from ''The Annual Monitor.''<br> | |||
*''Piety Promoted'' in 11 volumes from 1701-1829 by Tomkins and Kendall contains some biographies as well as collections of ‘dying sayings’. Friends House Library has an alphabetical index.<br> | |||
*''The Annual Monitor'' 1813-1920 carried many death notices and is on 14 films starting at {{FHL|192612|item|disp=FHL film 0874080}}. Green has indexed these for 1813-1892 and this is on {{FHL|114845|item|disp=FHL film 0908277}}.<br> | |||
*The magazine ''The Friend'', started in 1843 and contains announcements of births from 1850, marriages and deaths from 1843 and obituaries since 1894.<br> | |||
*The ''British Friend'' has some births, marriages and deaths from 1845 to 1913.<br> | |||
*''Friends Quarterly Examiner'' from 1867.<br> | |||
*''Journal of the Friends Historical Society'' from 1903 for which there is a typescript index at Friends House Library.<br> | |||
*''Bulletin of the Friends Historical Society of Philadelphia'' 1906-1923.<br> | |||
*''Bulletin of the Friends Historical Association'' 1924-1961.<br> | |||
*''Quaker History'' from 1962.<br> | |||
*''Quaker Connections'' published by the Quaker FHS, a group composed of those researching Quaker ancestors (but who are not Quakers themselves), is a useful forum for the researcher.<br> | |||
*There is a useful article on the ''Archives of the Society of Friends'' by Mortimer, in Amateur Historian Vol 3 #2, 1956-7.<br> | |||
*An excellent example of a history of Quakerism in parts of Yorkshire is that by Hoare.<br> | |||
*A fascinating account of a genealogist’s search for Quakers is recounted by Southey.<br> | |||
*The [http://www.quaker.org.uk website] has good discussions of genealogical sources, Quaker dates, and lists of Quaker schools etc.<ref>Christensen, Penelope. "England Additional Quaker Records (National Institute)," ''The National Institute for Genealogical Studies'' (2012), https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/England_Additional_Quaker_Records_%28National_Institute%29.</ref> | |||
==== Quaker Marriages ==== | |||
Quaker marriage registers are of especial interest for many details and all the witnesses, often more than 50, are given in the originals (but not in the Digests), with relatives and friends usually listed separately (see chart below). Not all the witnesses are necessarily Quakers, since non-members were allowed to attend.<br> | |||
The form of the ceremony was of an open declaration by both parties, which followed an exhaustive check of their eligibility to marry. In the certificates the names of both parents of each party were given, and variations included the use of printed forms from the end of the 18th century; whether the couple’s parents were still alive and where they resided; or the additions of children’s and grandchildren’s names and birth dates to the marriage certificate copy in the register. | |||
One copy of the certificate was copied or pasted into the each party’s monthly meeting register along with a summary, and another was sent to the quarterly meeting which generally entered a summary into its register. | |||
<br> '''Chart: Quaker Marriages'''<br> | |||
{| width="600" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" | |||
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| '''Lewes, Sussex 1786 RG6/145''' {{FHL|110694|item|disp=FHL Film 0811737}}<br>Preprinted form with spaces for insertion of details. | |||
'''''Samuel BAKER''''' ''of the City of Bristol, hat maker son of William BAKER of Cromhall in ye County of Glocester shopkeeper (deceased and Sarah his Wife Surviving) and '''Jane MITCHEL''' daughter of Henry MITCHEL of Brighthelmstone in the County of Sussex yeoman deceased and Jane his Wife Surviving'' | |||
Having declared their Intentions of taking each other in Marriage before several meetings of the People called Quakers in ''Brighthelmstone and Bristol'' the Proceedings of the said ''Samuel Baker'' and ''Jane Mitchel'' after due Enquiry and deliberate Consideration thereof were allowed by the said Meetings, they appear clear of all others and having consent of ''Parents'' and ''those'' concerned. | |||
Now these are to certify all whom it may concern that for the accomplishment of their said Marriage this ''Twenty third'' Day of the First Month called January in the Year One Thousand Seven Hundred and Eighty Six they the said ''Samuel Baker'' and ''Jane Mitchel'' appeared at a public Assembly of the aforesaid People and others in their Meeting House in Brighthelmstone (aforesaid) and he the said ''Samuel Baker'' taking the said ''Jane Mitchel'' by the Hand did openly and solemnly declare as followeth, ''Friends, in the fear of the Lord and before this Assembly I take this my friend Jane Mitchel to be my Wife and promise through Divine Assistance to be unto her a loving and faithful Husband until it shall please the Lord by Death to separate us.''<br> | |||
And the said ''Jane Mitchel'' did then and there in the said Assembly declare as followeth, ''Friends, in the fear of the Lord and before this Assembly I take this my friend Samuel Baker to be my Husband promising through Divine Assistance to be unto him a loving and faithful Wife until it shall please the Lord by Death to separate us.''<br>And the said Samuel Baker and Jane Mitchel as a further Confirmation thereof and in Testimony thereunto did then and there to these Presents set their hands.<br> ''Samuel Baker''<br> ''Jane Mitchel''<br> | |||
We who were present, among others, at the abovesaid Marriage have also subscribed our Names as Witnesses thereunto the Day and Year above written.<br>(Here follows two lists of names)<br>Relations - 15 names headed by Jane Mitchel senior<br>(Others) - 51 names <br> | |||
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| '''Lewes and Chichester Meeting, Sussex 1780''' {{FHL|110694|item|disp=FHL Film 0811737}} In an almost identically worded handwritten document to the above '''John MICHELL''' of Southover near Lewes, Sussex marries ''Mary GRINFIELD'' spinster daughter of William GREENFIELD of Hurstperpoynt, Sussex. The differences are that the announcements were made in Hurstperpoynt and Lewes Meetings, and the marriage took place at Cuckfield; and she promises to be not only ‘Faithfull and Loveing’ but also ‘Obedient’. The lists of witnesses are not labelled but the small one consists of John Michell, Mary Michell and, underneath a dividing line, Will: Greenfield, Mary Greenfield, Will Linfield, Will: Greenfield, Sarah Greenfield, who would seem to be the relations. There is a separate list of 22 other witnesses. <br> | |||
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| '''Colchester, Essex'''<br> '''RG6/999 on''' {{FHL|49310|item|disp=FHL film 0812204}}<br>These marriages are recorded in the Digest format.<br>1659 6 mo 21 day<br>'''Edmond CROSS''' of Colchester and '''Mary BACON''' of Halsted declared their Marriage publickly in the meeting in ye presence of many faithfull witnesses.<br>1660 6 mo 15 day<br>'''John LOVE''' of Colchester and '''Susan RUST''' of ye same declared their Marriage publickly in the meeting in ye presence of many faithfull witnesses. <br> | |||
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<br> | |||
Quakers were the only Nonconformists whose marriages were deemed legal between 1754 and 1837. In contrast to the Anglican Church list of ''Prohibited Degrees of Consanguinity,'' marriage between first cousins was not allowed, and the records can reveal such relationships of the intending parties. This may have resulted in the couple choosing not to marry or leaving the Quakers, but occasionally the impediment was ignored. Prospective marriage partners were subjected to exhaustive checks for their suitability, which allows glimpses into the respectability or otherwise of their families. | |||
==== Quaker Burials ==== | |||
Quakers would not have their bodies buried in consecrated ground and hence provided their own burial grounds, or utilized their own orchards or gardens. The occasional record in a parish register usually refers to burial elsewhere, not in the Anglican churchyard. Quaker burial records were also duplicated, one being given to the quarterly meeting and the other staying with the monthly meeting where the burial took place; another was sent to the home meeting of the deceased if this was different. Names, ages, and at least the town or village of residence were generally given, and sometimes occupations. Records may take the form of instructions to prepare a grave, signed by the meeting’s registrar; the third one in the chart below of this type. | |||
<br>'''Chart: Quaker Burials'''<br> | |||
{| width="600" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" | |||
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| '''Colchester, Essex'''<br> '''RG6/999 on''' {{FHL|49310|item|disp=FHL film 0812204}}<br>There were perhaps 15-20 burials a year in the early 1660s, then this heading: appears:<br>'''From the fifth month 1665 to the 7th of ye 10th month 1666 which was a time of great plague in this towne'''<br>Then a list of 98 persons <br> | |||
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| '''Lewes Meeting, Sussex''' {{FHL|110694|item|disp=FHL Film 0811737}}<br> Dates are those of death<br>1659 18th day 10th month '''Elizabeth COTTINGHAM''' wife of<br>Thomas Cottingham departed this life and was buryed at Rottingdean<br>1661 20th day 7th month '''Richard BEARD''' departed this life and<br>was buryed at Rottingdean<br>1662 15th day 3rd month '''Ann BEARD''' the widow of the aforesaid Richard Beard departed this life and was buryed at Rottingdean<br>1662 21st day 11th month '''Elizabeth BOYCE''' departed this life<br>and was buryed at Rottingdean<br>1663 4th day 12th month '''Joan BOYCE''' sister of the abovesaid<br>Elizabeth Boyce departed this life and was buryed at Rottingdean <br> | |||
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| '''Gainsborough, Lincolnshire''' '''RG6/585 on''' {{FHL|103962|item|disp=FHL film 0817375}}<br>To ''Robert Offerton '' Grave-Maker<br>The ''First'' Day of the ''Third'' Month 1784<br>Make a Grave on or before next ''Third Day'', in Friends Burying-Ground, at Gainsborough and therein lay the Body of Jonathan Hopkins Grocer of Gainsborough in the County of Lincoln aged ''Thirty'' nine Years who died the Twenty Ninth Day of the Second Month, called February One Thousand Seven Hundred and Eighty four. Thos Morley<br>The Body above mentioned was buried the ''Second Day'' of the '''Third Month''', called March 1784.<br>Witness Robert Offerton Grave-Maker<br>A true Copy, David Nainby<br>Register to ''Gainsborough Monthly'' Meeting<br> | |||
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| '''Society of Friends Burial Ground, Drapers, St. John the Baptist, Margate, Kent '''{{FHL|549701|item|disp=FHL Film 1835483}}<br>This is a printed format with columns for Name, Abode, When buried and Age. There is only one burial in 1867. | |||
'''Martha Greenwood HUNTLY''' of Margate in the Parish of St. John, 16th day of 11th month 1867, age 44<br>Signed, Henry Headley, Keeper of the register Book<br>Witness Jas I. Cudwonl (?) | |||
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In the columnar Gainsborough Burial registers in RG6/1538 it was noted that several entries were noted as ''Not a Member of our Society,'' so non-Quakers were also buried there—a point worth noting when burials can’t be found in parish registers. Among the microfilmed Quaker burial records is a letter from the Staines Urban District Council with a list of tombstone inscriptions of those disinterred from the Friends Burial Ground in Staines, Middlesex and re-interred in Jordans Burial Ground, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire in 1973. The originals are in RG37/149 at the PRO and on {{FHL|628060|item|disp=FHL film 1818112}}, and dates range from 1865 to 1933 and most are rendered in Quaker fashion as in Chart 64. | |||
==== Quaker Monumental Inscriptions ==== | |||
Quakers disapproved of mourning, tombstones and ‘other vain funeral customs’ and until the 19th century Quaker M.I.s are non-existent. Examples are shown below in which the earlier ones still use numbers for the months.<br> | |||
'''Chart: Examples of Memorial Inscriptions from Friends Burial Ground, Staines, Middlesex '''<br> | |||
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| '''Alexander Lucas ASHBY''' eldest son of Alexander and Susanna<br> Lucas ASHBY. Died 30th of 1st month 1872. Aged 14 years.<br>'''Elizabeth Sheldon Dudley ASHBY''' eldest daughter of Thomas<br> and Caroline ASHBY. Died 13th of 3rd month 1877. Aged 24 years.<br>'''Muriel Cicely''', eldest daughter of Algernon Charles and Sophia '''ASHBY'''. Born May 3rd 1878. Died Feb 21st 1880.<br>'''Caroline ASHBY''' widow of Thomas ASHBY. Died 7th of a 12th<br> month 1889. Aged 67 years.<br>'''Caroline FELTCHER (sic)''' widow of William FLETCHER. Died<br> Feb 7th 1922. Aged 82 years.<ref>Christensen, Penelope. "England Quaker Marriage Records, Burials, Monumental Inscriptions (National Institute)," ''The National Institute for Genealogical Studies'' (2012), https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/England_Quaker_Marriage_Records,_Burials,_Monumental_Inscriptions_%28National_Institute%29.</ref> | |||
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Also known as Quakers, the Society of Friends did not have appointed clergy to perform the rites of baptism. They recorded births instead. Burial registers usually include the date of death. Quakers recorded marriages to ensure their validity. | Also known as Quakers, the Society of Friends did not have appointed clergy to perform the rites of baptism. They recorded births instead. Burial registers usually include the date of death. Quakers recorded marriages to ensure their validity. | ||