Non-Conformist and Roman Catholic Records

Non-Conformist is a term used to describe those who did not wish to conform to the Church of England and includes Baptists, Methodists, Huguenots, Quakers and others. A religious census taken in 1851 suggests that a quarter of the population belonged to non-conformist congregations. In 1754, Lord Hardwicke's Marriage Act made marriages outside the Anglican Church illegal, although Quakers and Jews were exempt. It is possible that your ancestor may be a non-conformist if you are finding your ancestors' marriages, prior to 1837, appearing in the Anglican parish registers but none of their baptism or burials. This could be an indication of non-conformist families having weddings in conformance with Hardwicke's Marriage Act, to ensure their marriage was valid under English Law, but celebrating baptisms and burials in their own chapels.

After Civil Registration in 1837, Non-Conformist churches could be licensed for marriages. The Non-Parochial Register Act of 1840 requested all non-conformist groups (except Jews) to surrender their registers, and a further collection was made in 1857. The registers collected are held at the National Archives. However, not all registers were surrendered and a list of our holdings can be found in Information Sheet 3: Non-Conformist Registers. A list can also be found in Chapter 16 - Non-Anglican Religious Bodies in our Guide to Holdings.

We do not hold any original Roman Catholic Registers. However we do hold transcripts of various registers and a guide to our holdings can be found in Information Sheet 2:- Roman Catholic Registers.