England, Cheshire Non-Conformist Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

This collection consists of vital records of nonconformist individuals from the county of Cheshire for the years 1601-1900.

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 This Collection?
This collection contains an index to baptismal, marriage, and burial records. The original records are held at the Cheshire Archives.

What Can These Records 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 the procedures for keeping church records varied considerably by time, location, and especially denomination.

Birth Registers Baptismal Records  Marriage Registers  Date and place of marriage  Death and Burial Records
 * Name of declarant (usu. father)
 * Age, occupation and residence of declarant
 * Name of child
 * Sex of child
 * Date and place of birth
 * Names of parents, including maiden name
 * Names, ages, and occupations of witnesses (usu. godparents)
 * Residence of parents
 * Date and place of baptism
 * Given name of child
 * Date and place of birth
 * Names of parents
 * Occupation of father
 * Legitimacy of child *Marital status of parents
 * Names of godparents
 * Names of bride and groom
 * Ages of bride and groom
 * Previous marital statuses of bride and groom
 * Occupations of bride and groom
 * Residences of bride and groom
 * Birthplaces of bride and groom
 * Names of parents, including maiden names
 * Date and place of burial
 * Date and place of death
 * Name of deceased
 * Age at death
 * Cause of death
 * Marital status of deceased
 * Name of spouse
 * Birthdate and place of deceased
 * Residence of deceased
 * Occupation of deceased
 * Surviving family members
 * Father of deceased, esp. if infant
 * Occupation of father, esp. if infant

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
 * Year of the record

Search the Index

 * 1) Go to the 
 * 2) Enter the requested information into the search box
 * 3) Click Search to return a list of possible matches

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.
 * 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.
 * If in the appropriate period, use the information which has been discovered to find the individual in civil 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 parishes. While it was uncommon for an individual in this period to move more than about 20 miles from their place of birth, smaller relocations were not uncommon. For this particular collection, this step may require finding records in the bordering English counties of Lancashire to the north, Derbyshire to the west, Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south, or the bordering Welsh counties of Denbighshire and Flintshire to the west. Note that marriages usually took place in the parish where the bride resided.
 * The individual in question may not have records in a nonconformist denomination. They might have either converted to the Church of England at some point or undertaken Anglican ordinances. See the Cheshire Parish Registers page for more information.

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.

Collection Citation

Record (or Index) Citation

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