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

England Northumberland

This collection consists of vital records of nonconformist individuals in Northumberland for the years 1708-1982.

Why Should I Look at This Collection?
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.

What is in the Collection?
This collection contains images of birth, baptismal, marriage, death, and burial records.

Image Visibility
Whenever possible, FamilySearch makes images available for all users. However, ultimate rights to view images on our website are granted by the record custodians. Some images in this collection are not available for general viewing, but can be accessed by registered FamilySearch Patrons, at the Family History Library or a Family History Center. Registration for a free FamilySearch account can be done here.

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

What Can this Collection Tell Me?
The following lists indicate potential information given in each type of record. It must be remembered that every record may not provide all of the listed information, as record-keeping practices often varied by time, location, and especially denomination.

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching, it is best to know the following information: As you search, compare your results with this information to find a match.
 * Name of the person
 * Date range for the record

View the Images

 * 1) Go to the collection Browse Page.
 * 2) Click on the correct Name of County link.
 * 3) Click on the correct Name of Town (with Church) link.
 * 4) Click on the correct Event Type and Year Range (with Volume) link to go to the image viewer.
 * 5) Use the onscreen controls to move between record images as you look for a match.

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

 * Copy down all the information from the index entry.
 * Cite the record; see below for help citing this collection.
 * Look at an image of the original record, if possible. The online index entry generally lists only the most basic identifying information for an individual; the original record may contain further information which was not included in the index. Save or print a copy of the image if you can.
 * Use the information which has been discovered to find more. For instance, use the estimated age given in a marriage or burial record to calculate an approximate year of birth, if that is yet undetermined.
 * Use the information which has been discovered to find the individual in other records. Particularly useful for research in nineteenth-century England are the England Census and the England Civil Registration records.
 * Continue to search the index to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives. Note that family members often appear on an individual's vital records, such as in the role of witnesses to a marriage.

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

 * When looking for an individual with a common name, look at all the search results before deciding which is the correct person. Use other information, such as place of birth, age, occupation, or names of parents, to help with this decision. If listed, a personal title may be a clue to property ownership or occupation, either of which might be noted in other records.
 * Try variations of given names and surnames. An individual might appear under a different name in a record for a variety of reasons:
 * - An individual might have been listed under a middle name, nickname, or 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.
 * - Some women returned to their maiden names after the death of their husbands.


 * 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 as well; 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.
 * Search the records of nearby locations. Many nonconformists had to travel a significant distance to attend church meetings, so the county where they worshiped might not be the same as the county where they lived. For this collection, bordering locations include the English counties of Yorkshire and Durham to the south, Cumberland to the west, or the Scottish counties of Berwickshire and Roxburghshire to the north.
 * The individual in question might not have records in a nonconformist denomination. It is possible that they either changed religions at some point in their life or that they undertook Anglican ordinances for whatever reason. See the Northumberland Parish Registers page for more information.

For additional help searching online collections see FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.

Citing this Collection
Citing sources correctly makes it easier to refer to information which has already been found, so proper citations are key to keeping track of research. Correct citations also allow others to check completed research by helping them find and examine records for themselves.

Below are the proper citations to use for this collection as well as for individual images within the collection:

Collection Citation:

Image Citation: