A brief history of Religion in England
Before
Henry VIII’s break with the papacy in the 1530s, the Roman Catholic Church was
all powerful in England. Only a small, persecuted minority questioned its
doctrines.
When
Henry VIII declared himself Supreme Head of the Church in England in 1533,
following the Pope’s refusal to sanction his divorce from Katherine of Aragon,
his decision initiated the Reformation of English religion. The Act of Supremacy in 1534 made the monarch
in England the head of the English Church.
1554
saw Mary I revive the Heresy Acts, restoring the death penalty for those who
denied the principles of Catholicism.
In
1558 Elizabeth I instituted the Act of Uniformity which finally made the
Church of England (Anglican) the established church and abolished Papal
authority in England. Throughout
most of the 1600s, Sunday attendance in the established Anglican church was
mandatory for all and those not attending could be fined and punished.
The
Act of Toleration introduced a degree of religious freedom in 1688, allowing
non-conformists to have their own chapels.
Restrictive laws still
remained,
however, and many still
kept
their association with non-conformist movements a secret. Often
access to poor relief was administered by the Church Parish, and those
receiving such relief were expected to attend Anglican services regularly, so keeping non-Conformist views private was vital for those who might need to resort to such relief.
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. 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.
The
better-known Nonconformist groups were Independents (Congregationalists),
Baptists, Presbyterians (including Scots Congregations), Methodists, Society of
Friends (Quakers), Brethren Church, French Huguenots (Walloons), and The Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons).
Baptists,
Presbyterians, Independents, and French Huguenots all had their beginnings in
the 16th century. The others were established in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Non-Conformist Records
Few
Nonconformist registers exist before 1700 because of persecution. By the late
1700s or early 1800s, many denominations had started keeping registers.
Some
were better at keeping records than others. The denominations usually did not
have a formal hierarchy, so the records were kept on a local level. However,
most denominations did eventually form central registries.
The
Presbyterians, Baptists, and Independents (Congregationalists) established
central birth registration in 1743; and the Methodists did so in 1773.
Birth
and baptism registers are by far the most numerous of records amongst the
non-conformist collections. Many chose
to escape possible discrimination by being baptized in both their
non-conformist faith and in their local Anglican church and so may appear in
both records.
There
were few marriage registers amongst these collections since between 1753 and
1836 only Church of England marriages had been legal. Hardwicke's Marriage Act
of 1753 required marriage in an Anglican church in order for the
union to be legally recognized, however it is notable that Jews and
Quakers were exempt from this law.
It
wasn't until 1836 that the Marriage Act allowed a couple to be legally married
in a non-Anglican parish church. Again,
some people would have been married in their own chapel and in their local
Anglican church.
Burial
records among non-conformist groups can be rare. Although there are a
number of
burial registers, before the 1850s nonconformists were usually buried in
Anglican parish churchyards until the chapel they belonged to was big enough to
obtain its own burial grounds or until civil cemeteries opened.
A Researching Challenge
Researching your non-conformist ancestors can be a challenge, but there are records available and many resources for finding out more about their beliefs and how they chose to practice their faith. Good luck in your searching!
