England, Norfolk, Non-conformist Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection contains images of birth, baptismal, marriage, and burial records from the county of Norfolk for the years 1613-1901. There are also a few records from the county of Suffolk. The original records are held at the Norfolk Record Office.

Nonconformist church records may not have the most widespread coverage, but when they are available, they are the most informative and accurate source available for English family history until the start of civil registration in 1837. Nonconformist birth and baptismal registers are fairly common, and they generally contain more information than those of the Church of England.

For more information on the content, significance, and availability of Nonconformist Records, please see the England Nonconformist Church Records page.

Image Visibility
Whenever possible, FamilySearch makes images available for all users. However, rights to view images on our website are granted by the record custodians.

These images can be viewed online by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, at a Family History Center near you, or the Family History Library. Also, the images are viewable to users who have contributed to the FamilySearch Indexing effort. Learn how to be a part of FamilySearch indexing here.

For additional information about image restrictions, please see the Restrictions for Viewing Images in FamilySearch Historical Record Collections page.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * Name of the person
 * Date of the record

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the :
 * 1) Select County
 * 2) Select Location
 * 3) Select Denominations
 * 4) Select Event Type' to view the images.

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?

 * Save or print a copy of the record if you can
 * If a christening date is found, search for a birth record
 * If the parents' names are listed look for the child in census records
 * If a marriage record is found, look for the new family in census records
 * If a burial record is found or an age, estimate a birth year and search for birth information
 * Continue to search the records for people with the same surname to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives

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

 * Try variations of given names and surnames. An individual might have been listed under a middle name, a nickname, or an abbreviation of their given name
 * Spelling was not standardized for much of the period of this collection, so names were often spelled as recorders heard them. Pay attention to how the name should have been pronounced and try spelling variations that could have that pronunciation
 * Vary the search terms. For example, search by either the given name or surname to return broader list of possible matches
 * Try expanding the date range. This is especially useful in searching baptismal records, as it was not unusual for a child to be baptized weeks or even months after birth
 * The person might not have records in a nonconformist denomination. They might have either converted to the Church of England at some point or undertaken Anglican ordinances
 * Search in nearby locations
 * Suffolk to the south
 * Cambridgeshire to the west
 * Lincolnshire to the northwest

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in Norfolk.
 * Norfolk Guided Research
 * England Record Finder
 * England 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.