Nonconformist Guide
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DERBYSHIRE RECORD OFFICE NONCONFORMIST REGISTER GUIDE CONTENTS Introduction .................................................................................................................. Key to abbreviations..................................................................................................... Introduction to denominations ...................................................................................... Key to abbreviations for denominations ....................................................................... How to use this List ...................................................................................................... List of Nonconformist Registers ................................................................................... Appendix 1: Civil Registers in Derbyshire Record Office ......................................... Appendix 2: Derbyshire Nonconformist Registers in out-county repositories........................................................................................... DERBYSHIRE RECORD OFFICE NONCONFORMIST REGISTER LIST INTRODUCTION WHO ARE NONCONFORMISTS? Nonconformists is the general term used for members of religious groups other than the Church of England. Dissenters is another description, because such people disagreed with the Anglican church, the established or national religion in England since the time of Henry VIII. WHICH NONCONFORMIST CHURCHES HAVE RECORDS IN DERBYSHIRE RECORD OFFICE? Many difference denominations are represented in the archives in Derbyshire Record Office. Churches include Society of Friends (also known as Quakers), lndependent, Presbyterian, Congregational, Unitarian, Moravian, Swedenborgian, Roman Catholic, Baptist and the many branches of Methodism, including Wesleyan Methodist, Lady Huntingdon’s Connexion, Wesleyan Reform, Primitive Methodist, Free Methodist and United Methodist. Nonconformity has been a feature of Derbyshire religious life since the seventeenth century onwards and records exist from this time, but the majority of registers date from the early nineteenth century. The name of William Bagshawe, the Apostle of the Peak, is one of the best-known in Derbyshire nonconformist history. Born in Litton, he was ejected as a Puritan from the living of Glossop in 1662 and travelled preaching in the Peak District for the remainder of his life. Further south in the county, Ockbrook was the site in 1740 of one of the earliest Moravian centres outside London. Roman Catholic communities survived in the High Peak and North East Chesterfield areas throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Primitive Methodism developed from the camp meetings established by Hugh Bourne at Mow Cop in North Staffordshire and in less than seven years its impact in Derbyshire was such that by 1816 Derby had become the denomination’s second circuit in the country. Joseph Strutt, a prominent Unitarian, became the first nonconformist mayor of Derby in 1835 after the repeal of the Test and Corporations Acts. ln the later nineteenth century, Thomas Cook, of travel business fame, was a very substantial benefactor to the General Baptists in his native Melbourne. HOW MANY NONCONFORMIST CHAPELS WERE THERE IN DERBYSHIRE? At their peak in the mid to late nineteenth century, there were hundreds of nonconformist churches and chapels in the county. ln urban areas, you might find four or five different nonconformist chapels within a stone’s throw of one another - Wesleyan Methodist, Primitive Methodist, Congregational, and Baptist would be representative examples. Not all had specific names like ‘Bethel’ or ‘Ebenezer’ chapels. Many were known by the place where they were - Derby Road Church, for example - or just as ‘the Wesleyan chapel’ in a particular village. Often they can only be definitely identified by denomination and this may change over time as various groups formed and re- formed. Summary details of such changes are given in the Key to Denominations. WHAT IS A CIRCUIT? ln the Methodist church, individual chapels are organised in groups in a circuit. ln earlier times, ministers were appointed to a circuit, not just to one chapel. There is one main church in each circuit. Most have some geographical cohesion, but their constituent churches have varied considerably over the years. Rural circuits may cover a very wide area and may straddle administrative county boundaries. This is why some Derbyshire nonconformist registers may have been deposited in out- county repositories. To find where these are, please see Appendix 2 to this list. Urban circuits proliferated as the population grew in the later nineteenth century: many have now amalgamated following the union of the Wesleyan Methodist, the Primitive Methodists and the United Methodist Church in 1932. New circuits may have the same name as their predecessors. WHAT DO NONCONFORMIST REGISTERS INCLUDE? ln many instances, nonconformist registers complement Church of England parish registers. Dissenting ministers might keep records of baptisms, marriages, and - less frequently - deaths or burials. Before the introduction of civil registration in 1837, these could be informal lists and notes, rather than highly-structured or detailed information. For baptisms, the names of the child and his/her parents are usually given, sometimes with comments on the father’s occupation. Godparents are commonly given in Roman Catholic registers. Before 1837, virtually all nonconformists except Quakers and Jews were married in the Church of England because ceremonies of other denominations were not legally valid. After 1837, marriages could only be conducted by authorised persons and, in particular, following the Marriage Act 1898, increasing numbers of nonconformist ministers chose to apply both to perform and to register weddings in their own churches and chapels. This is why many surviving nonconformist marriage registers begin around the turn of the twentieth century. Some denominations do not believe in infant baptism and so their baptism registers will relate to adults, not newly-born children: the Baptists are one such group. ln such instances, births of church members may be noted separately. Burial is not a sacrament and therefore for some religious denominations it was more appropriate to record deaths: this was usual Roman Catholic practice in the past, for example. The closure of urban church and chapel burial grounds in the mid- nineteenth century and their replacement by municipal cemeteries may be the reason why there are no late nineteenth or twentieth century registers for churches and chapels in such locations. Many cemetery records are available in microform in Derbyshire Record Office. These are noted in Appendix 1 to this list. Other civil (as opposed to church and chapel) registers, for example, those from workhouses or hospitals, now in Derbyshire Record Office are also included in Appendix 1. WHY ARE NONCONFORMIST REGISTERS NOT CONTINUOUS? ln addition to the reasons given above, there may well be gaps in nonconformist registers, especially early ones. Before the Toleration Act of 1689, many generations of dissenters suffered persecution for their religious beliefs. Because of this, services and ceremonies took place privately - if not secretly - and records may be scarce. ln these circumstances, ministers and priests were often peripatetic, moving around the county and even the region, and making entries in their registers and records for different places. DO I NEED TO LOOK AT RECORDS OTHER THAN REGISTERS? One writer has said “Nonconformist registers should always be used in conjunction with church rolls and other records of the individual chapel or circuit”. This is good advice. Chapel and, in the case of Methodists, circuit records often include much information of use to the family and local historian. Because congregations were smaller than those in Church of England parishes, it was possible for ministers to have a detailed knowledge of their adherents. Not only occupations and addresses, but also life histories may be noted in some church books. Particularly where a church member returned to active practice after a lapse of time, personal details may be included. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN CHAPELS CLOSE? The twentieth century has seen a decline in many nonconformist congregations. This has led to the amalgamation of some churches and the closure of redundant buildings. One of the most major recent changes took place in 1972 when many formerly Congregational or Presbyterian or lndependent congregations came together to form the United Reformed Church. Because there is no statutory protection for Nonconformist registers as there is for their Church of England equivalents, survival may be more haphazard. Derbyshire Record Office undertakes survey and fieldwork programmes throughout Derbyshire to identify nonconformist registers no longer in use and to encourage their deposit here for safekeeping and research. Archives are accepted from all denominations. The records are kept in secure, environmentally-monitored conditions which meet national standards and are made available to researchers during normal office hours under invigilation in the Office’s public Search Room. lf you know of registers or other records from nonconformist churches or chapels in the county, Derbyshire Record Office would be pleased to receive information about them. They are a very important part of our archival heritage. Please contact: THE COUNTY ARCHIVIST DERBYSHIRE RECORD OFFICE NEW STREET, MATLOCK, DERBYSHIRE address for