London, England, Non-conformist Registers, 1694-1931

Historical Background:

In the 16th century the Church of England (Anglican Church) was established as a reformed version of Catholicism. This became the state church. Individuals remaining loyal to the church in Rome were referred to as Roman Catholics. Yet there were others who broke off from Catholicism all together and became part of the Protestant movement, including Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Baptists, and Methodists. These people became known as Non-Conformists because of their non-conformity to the state religion. Generally speaking, the word “non-conformist” refers to any group that did not conform to the Church of England, including Roman Catholics, Jews, Quakers, Unitarians, the Salvation Army, the Protestant churches already mentioned, and simply non-religious people.

About this Collection:

This data collection contains baptism, marriage, and burial registers from 1694-1921 for many Non-Conformist churches in the greater London area.

Records are typically arranged in chronological order and may contain the following information:

Baptism:

• Name of child
• Baptism or birth date
• Mother’s name
• Father’s name

Marriage:

• Spouses’ names
• Fathers’ names
• Ages at time of marriage
• Marriage date

Burials:

• Name of deceased
• Age at time of death
• Burial or death date

Specific source citations, including call and microfilm numbers, are provided on the record level for each entry.