The Old Non-Parochial Registers of Dudley : Comprising Those of The

RICKS COLLEGE LRC Sfib/ta/ty 008 023 1 cs 436 .D835 Old USRB USE OHLT FOR UBRAW FOR LIBRARY USE ONLY Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2013 http://archive.org/details/oldnonparochialrOOroll : Limited issue ioo Copies. THE Old Non-Parochial Registers of Dudley, COMPRISING THOSE OF THE SOCIETY OF FRIENDS, THE OLD MEETING HOUSE, THE INDEPENDENTS, THE WESLEYAN METHODISTS, THE BAPTISTS, AND THE METHODIST NEW CONNEXION. EDITED BY ARTHUR A. ROLLASON, Member of The Parish Register Society, The William Salt (Staffordshire) Archaeological Society, The Worcestershire Historical Society, The Harleian Society, The British Record Society, &c, &c. DUDLEY Printed hy the "Herald" Press, 210, Wolverhampton Street, 1899. PREFACE. The Act for the Civil Registration of Births, Marriages, and Deaths came into operation on ist of July, 1837, which superseded for civil purposes the Old Parochial and Non-Parochial Registers. It has been repeatedly urged that the Registers before that date should, for the purposes of preservation, be transcribed and printed. Many old Parish Registers have been printed by private persons and by the Parish Register Societies, and such work is steadily progressing throughout the country, but very few of the old Non-Parochial Registers, which supply much supplementary matter, have as yet been published. The Parochial Registers of Dudley, which commence in the year 1540, comprise 22 volumes to the year 181 2. There is every likelihood of the transcription and publication of those Registers being undertaken by the Parish Register Society. The Old Non-Parochial Registers of Dudley, here produced, contain over Three Thousand entries of Births, Baptisms, Marriages, Deaths, and Burials of Nonconformists from 1656 to 1837. By way of introduction to each Register I have given a short historical sketch of the Meeting House or Chapel to which the Register formerly belonged. A. A. R. Dixon's Green, Dudley, November, 1899. THE Old Non-Parochial Registers of Dudley. THE SOCIETY OF FRIENDS , MEETING, I IIC. II STREET, DUDLEY. time in Worcester gaol. Eventually the Act of Introduction. Toleration was passed in 1689. Fox died in London in 1691. EORGE FOX, the originator of the Society of Friends, commonly called It was on the first day of the sixth month (August) Quakers, was born at Drayton, in of 1674 that Robert Nayle, for ,£10, sold to the Leicestershire, in 1624. About 1646 he Friends a piece of land 33 feet long and 23 feet wide, left off attending church for divine with a footway through other land of the said Robert worship. His first efforts at proselytism Nayle from it to High Street, in Dudley. It was to be " were made in or near Manchester in held for such purposes as the members of the 1647 or 1648. He afterwards travelled throagh Society of Friends assembled in Quarterly or Monthly various parts of the Midland Counties. His followers Meeting shall direct." On the twentieth day of the were first contemptuously called " Quakers," at Derby third month (May), 1676, the trustees bought of in 1650 by Justice Bennet. The passing of the Act of the same Robert Nayle, tor «£85, a house in Uniformity in 1662, and the Conventicle Acts, instead High Sheet, Dudley, with a garden and newly- of stamping out Nonconformity, considerably increased erected cottage at the lower end of the back side. On the tweuty-third day of the fourth month (April) it. The Quakers gloried in their sufferings, and were leased years Q> so resolute as to assemble openly, soldiers and other 1794, the property was for forty Martin in consideration of an outlay of £700 officials dragging them off to prison. It is re- Thomas the Meeting House and adjacent premises. corded that on the 2nd May, 1665, four Friends on of Dudley were seized by one Major Wilde The earliest entry in the registers is the birth of and a troop of horsemen, and taken to Wor- Thomas, son of Henry Fidoe, on the 12th day of the cester gaol, kept there thirteen days till the Assizes 8th month 'October), 1656. The volume from which and Sessions were over, and then committed to the the 457 entries are taken is with other non-parochial common gaol for three months without any trial or registers in the custody of the Registrar General at even being brought into open Court. At the expira- Somerset House, London, the reference number tion of their time of imprisonment, these Friends being 1184, and the description : Marriages, 1662—1774; were brought into open Court and fined 12d each, and Births, 1656-1801; Burials, 1662—1827. The then dismissed. The heinous crime with which they volume consists of some 40 leaves, is 15 inches long had been charged was " that they would not take an and 6 inches broad, 'and strongly bound in vellum, oath." In 1673 Fox himself was imprisoned for some internal evidence seems to point to] the fact that io — — The Society of Friends' Meeting. originally contained other matter. Inserted on the in the ——• of [occupation'] and E his wife, front cover ia a piece of older vellum, on which is and D E daughter of M E of in the of written " H. Dudley." The leaves have' been care- [occupation'] and M his wife each took other in Mar- fully mended. The entries do not seem always to riage in a Public Assembly of the people called have been made at the time of the events recorded, Quakers in for at] in the presence of and are occasionally somewhat confusing, but so far as [Navies Addresses and Occupations of Witnesses] possible their order is here preserved. Some of the This Marriage was solemnized between us. entries are very faded. The spelling of the [Signatures of contracting parties.] names, &c, is retained. The marriage con- tracts, 1662—1706, are with slight verbal FORM OF THE BIRTH NOTE. alterations the same as the two specimens given [Two of which are to be properly filled up, inserting which have annexed the greatest number of witnessesv the father's occupation or other usual addition, and names. From the prominence given to these two, signed.] and the extra care seemingly bestowed upon their On the day of the •• month one thousand copying by the clerk, it may not unreasonably be eight hundred and was [or were] born at [or supposed, that these were marriages of the most in] in the parish of in the of important members of the Dudley Friends and that unto A. B. of [occupation] and C. his the names of the witnesses are those of the persons wife who was [or were] named . connected with the Society. We who were present at the said birth have sub> As this ia the only Non-parochial Register of scribed our names as witnesses thereof. Dudley containing entries of marriages, some explanation of such marriages, outside the Church of FORM OF THE BUHIAL NOTE. England, and in a Dissenters' place of meeting is [Y'o be properly filled up, inserting the condition of the considered necessary. deceased; as the man's occupation or usual Before the Marriage Act of 1754, a marriage by addition ; also wife of —— widow of son sufficient words of present espousal constituted a of ———— daughter of as circumstances binding marriage, though not celebrated in facie may require.] ecclesice. At the common law the presence of a To CD., Grave-maker priest in holy orders was essential. The Quakers The day of the month 18 were however bold enough to ignore the Church even make a Grave on or before next day in Friends in the rites of marriage. The Marriage Act of 1754 was Burial Ground, at or near and therein lay the passed to put an end to irregular marriages and required body of A.B., of in the of certain forms, such as banns or licence, to be adopted [occupation] aged about who died the and made it compulsory that marriages should be day of the month, one thousand eight hundred solemnized in the Church of England. The marriages and amongst Quakers or Jews, where both parties were [To be signed by the Friend appointed to give out Quakers or Jews, were expressly excepted from that burial notes.] Act. The Act of 10 and 11 Vic, c. 58, removed doubts The body above-mentioned was buried the which existed as to the validity of the marriages day of the month 18 — . amongst Quakers and Jews solemnized before 1st July, C D., Grave-maker. 1837, according to their usage, by enacting that such The Society of Friends disapprove of tombstones, marriages ll were and are good in law," provided both monuments, inscriptions, &c, and many old ones parties were Quakers or Jews respectively. were removed in consequence of an Advice in 1727 for The dates prior to 1752 are according to the old that purpose. style. The year formerly commeuced on 25th March, and not, as according to the new style, the 1st of The monthly meeting of Warwickshire North com- January. The first month was then March. prised Birmingham, Dudley, Stourbridge, &c, and it may be that there are entries in those registers of the The Society of Friends are particularly careful in births, marriages, and burials of some of the Dudley causing notices to be sent to their Monthly and Friends. The registers of this monthly meeting at Quarterly meetings of all births, marriages, and Somerset House with the reference numbers are : burials of or connected with the members of their 1187 .... 1777—1795 community. Births 1188 .... Births 1794—1837 The following are the forms of their registers and 1189 .... Burials 1777-1794 notices : FORM OF MARRIAGE REGISTER.

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