General Chat

Hi
Nonconformists and registering births/marriages/deaths.
I’m new to all this so forgive me if this is a really stupid question. Am I correct in assuming the church registers only record baptisms/marriages/deaths for C of E members? I believe some of my ancestors may have been Methodists or possibly Baptists in Leicestershire in the late 1700s/early1800s and I can find no trace of them in the relevant parish registers.
Would they, in those days, have had to register the births/deaths/marriages with the civil authorities as we do today?

Official registration did not start until September 1837 - can't help with the parish registers but I am sure someone on here will know.
Liz

Church registers don't generally record deaths, ....unless you have a helpful vicar / clerk who recorded that extra information. They do record burials.
Several of my baptist relatives in Wales are buried in the churchyard of the Anglican parish church, this being the only place of burial in that village.

Gwyn

You could try this website

http://www.bmdregisters.co.uk/

I think I know what you mean;

Churches keep their own registers: Chapels keep their own registers

All BMD's after Civil Registration began in July 1837 should have been registered with the authorities though some early births were missed out.

You will not find a non conformist baptism or marriage in a C of E Church register you will need to consult the approriate chapel register.

Many chapels had no burial ground (though some did) and before Civil Registration all marriages had to take place in a C of E Church to be legal. Baptisms of the children could, of course, take place in the parents' chapel.

Interestingly, most chapels kept quite detailed records, with the child's birth date often recorded.

Birdi