Middlesex Church History

Effective research in church records requires some understanding of your ancestor’s religion and the events that led to the creation of church records.

During the 16th Century the Church of England became separated from the Roman Catholic Church. This separation was initially prompted by a dispute over the annulment of the first marriage of King Henry VIII. The Church of England, which is also known as the Established, Anglican, or Episcopal Church, continues to be the state religion today.

Individual church units, called parishes, were also used as civil parishes to help the government control poor relief, military conscription, some law enforcement, and taxation. Parishes were grouped together in rural deaneries which in turn were part of a diocese.

Until the late 18th century, there were few non-Church of England religions. Members of other churches were denied privileges or were otherwise persecuted.

Major events affected church history and the records see England Church History for more details. England History mentions other specific events.

The Family History Library has several histories about various religious groups. Look in the Place Search of the FamilySearch Catalog under:

ENGLAND - CHURCH HISTORY

ENGLAND, [COUNTY] - CHURCH HISTORY

Other Wiki Pages

 * England Church History
 * Scotland Church History
 * Wales Church History
 * Ireland Church History