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Researching family history at the Archives Centre

City of Westminster Archives Centre holds many sources to assist you with your family history research.

Non-conformist and Catholic records

'Non-conformist' describes those who didn't conform to the Church of England; it 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 ancestors may be a non-conformist if you find their marriages, prior to 1837, appearing in the Anglican parish registers but not their baptism or burials.

This could indicate non-conformist families marrying in conformance so their marriage was valid under 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.

We do not hold any original Roman Catholic registers. However we do hold transcripts of various registers.

Published: 22 December 2020

Last updated: 15 January 2021