England and Wales Nonconformist Record Indexes (RGA 4-8) ,1588-1977 - FamilySearch Historical Records

 England

 Wales

What is in This Collection?
This collection will include records from 1588 to 1977.

The following religious groups are considered nonconformist groups:

RG 4
 * Presbyterian, Baptist, Congregational Church and the Royal Hospital in Chelsea; the Royal Hospital in Greenwich; the Wesleyan Methodist Metropolitan Registry; the Bunhill Fields Burial Ground in Hackney, London; the South London Burial Ground in Walworth, London; and the Necropolis Burial Ground in Everton, Liverpool.

RG 5
 * Contains birth records from the General Register Office; Dr. Williams' Library; the Presbyterian, Independent, and Baptist Registry; and the Wesleyan Methodist Metropolitan Registry.

RG 6
 * Contains birth, marriage and burial records from the Society of Friends’ (Quakers’) registers, notes and certificates, 1578-1841.

RG 7
 * Contains records of clandestine marriages and baptisms in the Fleet Prison, the King’s Bench Prison, the Mint, and the May Fair Chapel, 1667-c1777.

RG 8
 * Non-Parochial Registers Commission of 1857, registers of burials in the Victoria Park Cemetery, the New Burial Ground, Southwark, Bunhill Fields Burial Ground, Hackney, and the Bethnal Green Protestant Dissenters Burying Ground; registers of Chapels Royal at St James's Palace, Whitehall and Windsor Castle.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
Nonconformist Record Indexes may contain the following information:


 * Surnames
 * Given names (also known as “forenames”)
 * Relationship
 * Year of event
 * Type of event (birth, marriage or burial)
 * Place of event
 * Record group (RG 4, 5, 6, 7, 8) view full details of a transcript or page image

How Do I Search This Collection?
To begin your search through these records, it is helpful to know:


 * Name of person the person you are looking for
 * Approximate date of the event

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * If possible, look at an image of the original record. The original may contain information that was not recorded in the index
 * Use any date to locate the event in civil records
 * Use the names of parents or other relatives to locate the family in census records

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This can help you find possible relatives
 * Search the records of nearby areas
 * Check for other names. An individual might have been listed under a middle name, a nickname, or an abbreviation of their given name
 * Search in parish registers. The individual may have been christened or married in the Church of England

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in England. The following articles will help you in your research for your family in Wales.
 * England Guided Research
 * England Record Finder
 * Research Tips and Strategies
 * Wales Guided Research
 * Wales Record Finder
 * Research Tips and Strategies

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.