Religion
********
1. a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when
considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and
ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.
2. a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of
persons or sects: the Christian religion; the Buddhist religion.
3. the body of persons adhering to a particular set of beliefs and practices: a world council
of religions.
4. the life or state of a monk, nun, etc.: to enter religion.
5. the practice of religious beliefs; ritual observance of faith.
Baptists
********
The English Baptist movement was founded in 1611 in Amsterdam by John Smith [Smyth], an English puritan
in exile who had fled the persecution of dissenters during the reign of Elizabeth I. One of his followers
came to London in 1612 and formed the first Baptist church in England. That was the origin of the General
Baptist denomination; in 1633 a church of Independents broke away and formed the first Calvinistic or
Particular Baptist church in London. In the 18c many Baptist churches became Unitarian in theology.
Baptists were sometimes referred to as Anabaptist although Baptists didn't tend to use it themselves.
There were two main groupings of Baptists, those who believed in general salvation [Arminianism] and
thus called General Baptists, and those who believed in the Calvinist doctrine, usually known as Particular
Baptists but also as just Calvinistic Baptists. Yet a third group known as Strict Baptists [or Strict
and Particular Baptists] only allowed communion to those accepted into membership.
The central creed of the Baptist faith was that they believed that only those who had made a personal
commitment and decided for themselves, should be baptised. They considered sprinkling water on babies,
who knew nothing of what was happening, to be absurd. However, beliefs often degenerate when put into
practice and what actually happened was that baptism became almost as automatic for teenagers as it
was for infants of other churches. A whole Sunday School class would be prepared and it would take a
lot of courage to stand out from the rest by refusing.
"The ceremony of baptism was an emotionally charged occasion and the large chapels provided a great
background. The floor in front of the pulpit was lifted to reveal a tiled pool and a tiled passage
leading under the pulpit. Each candidate for baptism, in a white dress or white shirt and dark trousers
would be led, through the dim watery passageway, out into the main pool under the full glare of chapel
lights and the intense silent scrutiny of up to 1000 people. The minister would hold them by the nape
of the neck and their clasped hands and plunge them backwards into the water saying "I baptise you my
brother/sister in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen." As they were
lifted out of the water, the silence was dramatically broken as the great organ and congregation thundered
out "Hallelujah. Glory to Him forever." After all the prepared candidates had been baptised the minister
issued an invitation for anyone else who wanted to come forward. An expectant, almost fearful hush
followed. Sometimes, those who had been moved by the drama and emotion of the occasion, walked forward
to receive immediate immersion."
1612
The first Baptist church met in Spitalfields, London. Thomas Helwys, a known founder of the Baptist
denomination, published A short declaration of the mystery of iniquity, one of the first books to
call for religious liberty. In the 17th century Baptists refused to conform and be members of the
Church of England, arguing that Christ, and not the King (or Queen) was head of the church and were
persecuted for their beliefs.
1689
Act of Toleration passed allowing freedom of worship.
1792
Baptist Missionary Society founded by William Carey. It is now known as BMS World Mission.
1812
A group meet in Dr Rippon's Vestry, London to discuss the forming of a Baptist Union.
1813
The first Baptist Assembly held in London.
1832
The formation of the Baptist Union was completed.
1837
The Revd George Cousens was the first reported West Indian minister to hold a pastorate in Britain,
becoming pastor of Four Ways Baptist Church in Cradley Heath, Staffordshire.
1854
CH Spurgeon, one of the most famous Baptist preachers, began his ministry.
1855
The Freeman, now The Baptist Times, first appeared.
1891
General Baptists (who believed that when Christ died on the cross he died for everyone in general)
and Particular Baptists (who believed that Christ died for the elect, IE a particular group of people)
came together to form the present Baptist Union of Great Britain.
1905
The Baptist World Alliance (BWA) was formed and held its first Baptist World Congress in London.
Records:
The non baptism of children as such is obviously a problem area for researchers, especially in the 17c
and 18c, but by the early 19c many Baptist congregations had started to keep birth registers. You can't
access a comprehensive archive of Baptist church books, there isn't one, each chapel is responsible for
its own records. You can't look at an index of Baptist births, marriages and deaths, such a thing just
doesn't exist.
Congregationalists
******************
The Congregationalist non-conformist denomination was not founded by a single person and did not form
a single church. Its followers were at first called Separatists or Brownists, then Independents and
finally Congregationalists.
The movement to which the name came to be applied began in the 16c and 17c in England in a revolt
against the Established Church. Robert Browne published in 1582 the first theoretical exposition of
Congregational principles and expressed the position of some of those separatists. Churches established
on such lines were started very early in the 17c in Gainsborough and Scrooby, but government opposition
drove them into exile, and in 1608 Browne's followers emigrated for a time to Amsterdam to escape
persecution.
The Separatist ethic is well explained by Browne's conviction that "a Christian had no need of a Bishop's
consent to preach the gospel". Congregationalists believed in the free association of the godly into
independent groups which had their own minister and were run by deacons or elders appointed by the
congregation; but without higher authority. These separate congregations held to no particular religious
theory, the service being a balance between the minister's and the congregation's beliefs.
In 1620 the church provided the London contingent of the passengers of the Mayflower when she sailed
for America. Although the Pilgrim Fathers are associated with Plymouth in Devon, the main party had
been drawn from exiles in the Netherlands.
Not until the Protectorate did the Congregationalists make much progress. About that time the name
Independents was first introduced, a term long common in Great Britain (it is still used in Wales)
but seldom used in America. When the monarchy was restored after the Commonwealth, the 1662 Act of
Uniformity placed legal disabilities upon the sect, as it did upon other nonconformists. This was the
period of the "Great Ejectment", almost 2000 dissenting congregations and their ministers were forced
to leave the parish churches and reform in cottages and barns, requiring discretion and not a little
secrecy. In 1658, when the Savoy Synod met in London, over 100 churches were represented. With the
Restoration came repression for the Independents, partly relieved by the Toleration Act of 1689.
In the 17c and 18c the terms Congregationalists and Independents were interchangeable, in fact some
Presbyterian churches were also described as 'independent' by virtue of being so from the Church of
England. In the 19c Congregationalists became a more defined denomination, still a voluntary association
of independent churches.
1644
The earliest registers of baptisms and burials began but few are extant earlier than the late 18c.
Sundry records and histories of individual churches are kept at the Congregational Library, London.
1742/3
A register of births for the Three Denominations [Congregationalists, Presbyterians and Baptists] was
started by Dr Williams's Library.
1753
The Hardwicke Act declared that only marriages conducted in Anglican churches were to be legal.
1832
Saw the Union of Congregationalist Churches inaugurated, and five years later, when civil registration
began, marriages were allowed by Congregationalist ministers as long as a Registrar was present too, that
latter restriction not being lifted until 1898.
1840
Nearly all known registers were lodged with the Registrar General, then at the PRO (now National
Archives).
1858
Other records were added, and the Three Denominations registers too. Some of the undeposited registers
have since been published.
It should be noted that the nonconformist ethic was anti authoritarianism by definition and so many
Independent/Congregational chapels expressed their independence only too well by discontinuing the
practice of keeping registers altogether. The end result is only too well known to the frustrated
researcher.
Methodists
**********
Numerically, the most important branch of non-conformity.
Thee Methodist branch of Protestant religion traces its roots back to 1739 where it developed in England
as a result of the teachings of John Wesley. While studying at Oxford, Wesley, his brother Charles, and
several other students formed a group devoted to study, prayer and helping the underprivileged. They
were labelled "Methodist" by their fellow students because of the way they used "rule" and "method" to
go about their religious affairs.
The beginning of Methodism as a popular movement began in 1738, when both of the Wesley brothers,
influenced by contact with the Moravians, undertook evangelistic preaching with an emphasis on conversion
and holiness. Though both Wesley brothers were ordained ministers of the Church of England, they were
barred from speaking in most of its pulpits because of their evangelistic methods. They preached in
homes, farm houses, barns, open fields, and wherever they found an audience. Their aim was to persuade
Anglican churchgoers to live their religion, not just attend services.
At first they preached to church congregations and religious societies, then their followers formed
themselves into "societies" and met at members' houses. The Wesleys and George Whitefield began to
preach in the open air, they accepted the nickname "Methodist", and although remaining members of the
established Anglican church , built preaching houses and tabernacles which became grouped into Circuits.
Methodism had no particular theological claim to non-conformity, the phrase 'evangelical Anglicanism'
fitting quite well. One feature of this denomination is the circuit, with ministers preaching in different
places; another the requirement for ministers to move on to another circuit often.
In 1741 they split into two groups, Calvinist with George Whitefield, and Arminian with John Wesley,
although both continued to be called Methodists.
Wesley's following grew greatly, by 1784 Methodist clergy were being barred from Anglican churches so
they invoked the Toleration Act and became, officially, Dissenters. After the deaths of the Wesley
brothers late in the century, a succession of sub-denominations developed and the movement continued
to divide throughout the early 19c.
The names of the different groups include;
The Methodist New Connexion,
Primitive Methodists,
Bible Christians,
Protestant Methodists,
Wesleyan Methodist Association,
United Methodist Free Church,
Wesleyan Reform Union.
In Wales, the 2 main groups were;
Calvinistic Methodism called the Presbyterian Church of Wales.
There was also Wesleyan Methodism.
The title "Wesleyan Methodist Church" remained in use until the Methodist Union of 1932, when the
church re-united with the Primitive Methodist Church and the United Methodist Church to form the
current Methodist Church of Great Britain.
Records:
In 1837 Methodists obeyed the call to deposit their registers with the General Registrar, the oldest
being 1738; a proportion escaped deposit although some of those have since gone into county Record
Offices.
The largest holding of registers is at the National Archives.
The Methodist Archives and Research Centre in Manchester has non-deposited registers as well as those
of defunct societies.
The Superintendent Ministers of Circuits still have a number of registers and some 18c membership rolls.
Each of the 31 Methodist administrative areas has an archivist.
Presbyterians
*************
English nonconformity began as a Puritan movement within the Church of England, to bring ritual and
organisation nearer to Lutheran and Calvinistic forms by abolishing bishops, archdeacons, deans and
chancellors. The Presbyterians grew in influence beginning around 1630, and formed the majority in
Charles I's early parliaments dominating the Parliamentary side in the Civil War (1647 to 1650).
Even before the English Civil War started there were differences of opinion among the Parliamentarians.
The collapse of the regime raised the question of how the Church of England should be governed. After
the Civil War The system of Church Discipline that had enforced social conformity and religious
orthodoxy ceased to function in much of the country. Although there were great risings of Baptists,
Calvanists and general Non-Conformists, Presbyterians held on to a belief in the enforcement of religious
uniformity through a hierarchical state church.
Parliamentary politics came to be seen as a struggle between Presbyterians and Independents. Because
the Scots were the 'enemies of social and religious radicalism', the Members of Parliament who were
willing to settle with the King in order to prevent further disorder became known as Presbyterians
(even if they had no particular religious affinity). The trade and commerce of London had been severely
disrupted by the war, so it became a stronghold of parliamentary Presbyterians.
The roots of the Presbyterian Church itself trace back to John Calvin, a 16th-century French reformer.
Calvin trained for the Catholic priesthood, but later converted to the Reformation Movement and became
a theologian and minister.
Presbyterianism became the established church of the country under the Commonwealth but was overthrown
at the Restoration of the monarchy when many Anglican ministers were ejected from their livings and
subsequently formed the backbone of nonconformist congregations. After a generation of persecution
Presbyterians in common with other dissenters accepted toleration and exclusion from power.
Second in importance to John Calvin in the history of Presbyterianism is John Knox. He lived in Scotland
in the mid 1500's. He led the Reformation in Scotland following Calvinistic principles, protesting
against the Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots, and Catholic practises. His ideas set the moral tone for
the Church of Scotland and also shaped its democratic form of government. The Presbyterian form of
church government and Reformed theology were formally adopted as the national Church of Scotland in
1690. The Church of Scotland remains Presbyterian today.
1662
Under the Act of Uniformity, Presbyterian clergy who refused to conform were ejected from their livings.
1665
The Five Mile Act forbade dissenting clergy from coming within five miles of corporate towns which was
where dissent was strongest.
1689
The Toleration Act gave rise to the building of over one thousand meeting houses over the next 20 years
and as still forbidden to have any central or regional links they were Independent in organisation.
This brought the Presbyterians and Independents closer together.
1691
In London they combined under the name of the United Brethren, although this union collapsed in 1694.
1695
The Church of England incumbents were ordered to register the births, not baptisms, of dissenters
in their parish, so the word "born" in a parish register may give a clue to dissenting parents. The
baptism of dissenters' children at home became common place and lasted for 100 years.
1702
The Presbyterians, Independents and Baptists united under a combined banner of The Three Denominations
and the practice of keeping registers became more general though far from universal.
1719
The Three Denominations split up, Presbyterians fell under the influence of Unitarianism and by the
end of the 18c most groups of Presbyterians were actually Unitarians.
1742
A body of Protestant Dissenting Deputies set up a general Register of Births for the children of
dissenters all over the country, this became known as Dr Williams's Library. Before 1754 fewer marriages
were performed in Presbyterian meeting houses than in other sects, their religious ceremony was not
recognised in law but the contracting of the two parties before witnesses was.
1768
The general register at Dr Williams's Library began to record baptisms as well as births.
1837
The registers of all dissenting sects were called in to the GRO, some slipped through the net. The
National Archives has the great majority of pre 1837 registers.
Presbyterian registers sometimes give more information, EG wives or mother's maiden names or even
parents names.
Puritanism
**********
The history of the Puritans can be traced back to the first Vestments Controversy in the reign of
Edward VI, the formation of an identifiable Puritan movement in the 1560s and ends in a decline in
the mid-18th century. It is a complex evolution, with the situation of the Puritans as a religious
group in England changing almost decade by decade, as a consequence both of political shifts in their
relationship to the state and the Church of England, and of changing views of Puritans, both clergy
and laity.
It can not easily summarised, since the dramatic events of the 1640s, sometimes called the Puritan
Revolution, have complex roots, any more than the term "Puritan" can be given a useful and precise
definition outside the particular historical context. The Puritan's main purpose was to purify the
Church of England and to make England a more religious country.
It began as unco-ordinated movements within the Church of England, beginning in the reign of Henry VIII
and aiming to purify some aspects of its worship. Although all Puritans were against Catholic rites
and all believed in the bible as their sole authority, they interpreted it in many different ways.
Many groups held meetings of their own to expound the scriptures, known as conventicles.
1558 to 1642
Most Puritans remained within the Church of England and tried to create change from within. A small
number chose to go to Holland, a much greater number followed the Pilgrim Fathers in 1620 and settled
in New England, North America.
1643
From this date people who disagreed with the priest could withdraw from the Anglican church.
1649 to 1660
Puritans in England were allied to the state power held by the military regime, headed by Oliver Cromwell
until his death in 1658. They broke into numerous sects, of which the Presbyterian group comprised most
of the clergy, but was deficient in political power since Cromwell's sympathies were with the Independents.
During this period the term "Puritan" becomes largely moot, therefore, in British terms, though the
situation in New England was very different.
1662
After the English Restoration the Savoy Conference and Uniformity Act 1662 drove most of the Puritan
ministers from the Church of England, and the outlines of the Puritan movement changed over a few decades
into the collections of Presbyterian and Congregational churches, operating as they could as Dissenters
under changing regimes.
1660 to 1688
In this period they were persecuted for their beliefs and split into the various religions of descent.
Quakers
*******
In 1652 George Fox, standing on high Pendle Hill in England, had a vision which was the beginning of
the Religious Society of Friends. Its members are commonly called Quakers.
A magistrate first used this name in Derby in 1650, when Fox was on trial for his beliefs. His followers
trembled during religious excitement, and Fox bade the judge to "tremble at the word of the Lord."
George Fox believed, as the Puritans did, that the formal practises of the Church of England violated
the spirit of Christianity. He taught that people can worship God directly without help from clergy.
His followers refused to attend the services of the Church of England or to pay tithes for its support.
They refused to take oaths on the ground that an oath recognises a double standard of truth. They were
frugal and plain in dress and speech. They rejected church buildings [steeple-houses].
The authorities persecuted them with fines, confiscation of property, and imprisonment.
Nevertheless the sect flourished.
In 1689 the Toleration Act ended the persecution.
Meanwhile, Quakers could settle freely in America on a large grant of land given to the Quaker
William Penn in 1681. The Hicksites separated from the orthodox Quakers in 1827, and there were other
divisions.
Quakers still reflect the teachings of Fox. They do not sanction taking part in war because they feel
that war causes spiritual damage through hatred. Most Quakers therefore refuse to give military service,
but individuals follow their own convictions.
The Friends (Quakers) have no ritual, sacraments, or ordained clergy.
They appoint elders and overseers to serve at each meeting.
Men and women who have received a "gift" are called recorded ministers.
The meeting for worship is held "on the basis of silence."
Members speak in prayer or testimony as the "Inward Light" moves them.
After an hour the meeting ends with the members shaking hands.
Congregations generally hold a meeting for business every month with recorded minutes.
In the 19c Quakers in the United States founded a number of colleges and universities with
an emphasis on science. Because Friends were trusted and extended credit, they became active in
banking and insurance. Quakers are also active in welfare work and social reform. The American Friends
Service Committee, founded during World War I, organises relief and service projects not only in the
United States but throughout the world.
Although many Quaker records have not survived, the survival rate for their records is much better
than for Independents, Baptists and Presbyterians. Formal record keeping commenced in 1669.
The Quaker registers of births [not baptisms], marriages and deaths/burials were handed over to the
National Archives (PRO that was ) with other nonconformist registers [RG6].
Roman Catholics
***************
From 1559, the history of English Catholics became a subject separate from that of their compatriots,
as a result of the Act of Supremacy and The Acts of Uniformity. The latter made non-attendance at
services of the Church of England a fine-able offence, called recusancy.
In 1569 many Catholic nobles took part in the "Rising of the North" in favour of Mary Queen of Scots,
which led to the persecution of their coreligionists. In 1581 fines were increased substantially and
the offence of attending a Catholic Mass risked imprisonment. Three years later it became high treason
for a layman to receive the ministrations of Catholic priests. The missionary priests were concealed
by wealthy coreligionists in hiding holes in their country houses.
Although no registers were kept, Catholics were baptised and even married by their missionary priests
but usually went through a Church of England marriage too, to avoid a fine, to obtain legal registration
and to avoid any doubt about the legitimacy of their children. Burials were usually only possible in
parish churches.
Catholicism survived mainly in the North. At the end of the 17c so many Catholics were not having their
children baptised by the parish priest that they were obliged by law to inform him of the births of
their children, or fined. Anti Catholic feelings grew sharper as the danger of a Catholic heir to the
throne became imminent. Papists were forbidden to buy or inherit land.
In 1701, the Act of Settlement barred Catholics from the throne of England. At the accession of George I,
an Act was passed compelling all persons over age 18 to take an Oath of Allegiance, in the wording of
which they renounced the Catholic Church. Lists exist of people of property who refused to take this
oath. Papists were compelled to register the value of their lands with the Clerk of the Peace. Some
papists forfeited their land, all were liable to special taxes.
From 1754 only marriages in the C of E churches were legal. In 1778 a Papists Act was passed " to
relieve upon conditions and under restrictions, persons professing the Popish religion". It is from
now that a number of Catholic registers begin. The Catholic Relief Act of 1791 enabled Catholics to
worship at their own registered churches under registered priests, and many churches were built.
Several thousand priests fled from the French Revolution to England and gathered congregations here.
In 1829 the Roman Catholic Relief Act enabled Catholics to vote, sit in Parliament and hold property
unconditionally.
In 1850 the law permitted the creation of a Roman Catholic hierarchy in Britain. Immigration from Ireland
as a result of famine increased the number of Catholics here.
In 1837 the Catholic Church, like the nonconformist churches was asked to deposit registers of bapts
and burials with the Registrar General, now at the National Archives.
Unitarians
**********
Not to believe in the Trinity was an offence which carried the death penalty in the 16c and 17c, and
Unitarians do not believe in it.
The word Unitarian first appeared in Britain in 1673. Protest against the Trinity arose as soon as
this view of the Christian God became a creed in the early centuries of the Church. However it was the
upheaval created by the Reformation which made Unitarian thinking into a movement in Italy, Poland and
Transylvania (modern Romania and Hungary). Apart from Transylvania it went under the name of Socinianism,
after one of its early leaders, Faustus Socinus, a 16th century Italian. Many who insisted on maintaining
radical religious views suffered persecution and even death, like Michael Servetus, a Spanish doctor,
burnt at the stake in 1553.
The Unitarian approach to looking at God as one became widespread in the Church of England in the 17c.
John Biddle, a Gloucester school-master often called the father of English Unitarianism, wrote and spoke
extensively on his views and died in prison in 1662. Samuel Clarke, Rector of St James' Piccadilly,
came under severe censure when his book, The Scripture Doctrine of the Trinity, appeared in 1712 in
which he argued that supreme honour should be given only to God, the Father.
An attempt in 1719 to make the belief in the Holy Trinity [Father, Son & Holy Spirit] the official
Presbyterian doctrine failed and congregations all over the country became divided on the issue.
Unitarians circumvented the law by calling their groups societies.
it wasn't until the Trinity Act of 1813 that it became legal for a congregation to call itself Unitarian.
Some English Presbyterians, whose churches were amongst the oldest in dissent, adopted Unitarianism
in the second half of the 18c, to be followed by the old General Baptists, whose Assembly had been
formed in 1653.
Not that it was called Unitarianism, as this belief was specifically proscribed by the Toleration Act
of 1689; Unitarianism did not become legal until 1813. The term applied to Unitarians at this time was
Rational Dissenters.
When Nonconformist registers were deposited in 1837 at the GRO [then PRO & now National Archives] most
of the Unitarian records dating from 1762 were classed as Presbyterian.
Non-conformists
***************
'Non-conformist' is a term used to describe religious denominations which are outside the established
Church of England, otherwise referred to as the Anglican church, [or, in Wales, the Church in Wales].
The term Dissenters is sometimes thought to be synonymous with Non-conformists but should correctly
be more narrowly defined - Dissenters were Non-conformists who did not agree with various aspects of
Anglicanism, such as the rigid authority structure with the monarch at its head and were identified
as such in the Act of Toleration 1689 .
It was from the Puritan movement that the first dissenting sects developed after being forced outside
the Anglican Church in the 1660 to 1688 period when they were persecuted for their beliefs. They had
to accept exclusion from power as the price of toleration and from this point the gentry became Anglican.
Although declining initially, during the 18c, under the influence of men such as John Wesley, non-conformism's
presence increased greatly and in the 19c certainly influenced the new 'Victorian morality'.
There follows a list of the main non-conformist denominations which largely corresponds to those separately
detailed in the book Tracing Nonconformist Ancestors, PRO 2001. The latter book in fact deals with
Protestant non-conformists in England and therefore does not cover Catholicism which I have not listed
below with regard to any accuracy of definition of the term non-conformist.
Baptists
Congregationalists [aka Independents]
Methodists
Presbyterians (aka Calvinistic Methodists)
Quakers
Unitarians
Huguenots
Moravians - see http://www.moravian.org.uk/
Muggletonians - see http://www.exlibris.org/nonconform/engdis/muggleton.html
Bible Christians
United Reformed Church - see http://www.urc.org.uk/
LDS [The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons)]
See also Puritanism
Records:
A high proportion of non-conformist registers existing as at 1837 were handed in to the PRO by 1857
and can be viewed on microfilm at the National Archives, Kew. They are also widely available at county
ROs and the SOG. Unfortunately many chapels did not keep the type of records we genealogists crave,
and many records simply did not survive anyway. Worth noting that non-conformist marriages and burials
may well appear in Anglican registers and that not all non-conformists baptised babies as such.
Bible Christians
****************
The Bible Christian Church was a Methodist denomination founded by William O’Bryan, a Wesleyan Methodist
local preacher, on 18 October 1815 in North Cornwall, with the first society, just 22 members, meeting
at Lake Farm in Shebbear, Devon.
Primarily concentrated in Cornwall and Devon, the church sent missionaries all over England. By 1820,
missions had been established in the Channel Islands and in Kent. They were also strong in the Isle of
Wight amongst farm labourers, largely due to the inspirational teachings of Mary Toms of Tintagel,
Cornwall. The vicar of Brighstone, Samuel Wilberforce, urged that their influence be countered by having
their adherents sacked from their jobs and turned out from their cottages, resulting in their sometimes
meeting in a chalk pit. There are several chapels in rural areas of the Island which have the title
"Bible Christian Chapel" over the doorway (e.g. Apse Heath, Arreton).
By 1831, ministers were being sent to Prince Edward Island and Ontario, and a mission was established
in Canada in 1845. Many of the emigrants from Devon and Cornwall to Canada and the United States in
the 1830s were 'Bible Christians'. Other missions were established in Australia, New Zealand and
China.
Members of the Bible Christian Church were sometimes known as Bryanites after their founder. The
church made extensive use of female preachers.
In 1907 his Methodist church was amalgamated with the United Methodist Free Churches and the Methodist
New Connexion, to form the United Methodist Church, then in 1932 merged into the Methodist Church.
Jews
****
Although Jewish merchants could be found here before the Commonwealth period, the Jewish community has
only existed officially in Britain since 1656 when Oliver Cromwell gave permission for Jews to live
here. Although tracing Jewish ancestry has similar problems to any FH research, there is a wealth of
extant records available.
1066
Establishment of first recorded Jewish settlement in Britain.
1144
The Blood Libel. Jews are blamed for the murder of a boy called William in Norwich, although there is
no evidence, and the sheriff does not think the accusation even justifies a trial. William is hailed
as a martyr by the monks of Norwich cathedral, and the story incites attacks against Jewish communities.
1215
Wearing of the tabula imposed. After the Lateran Council of 1215, English Jews are forced to wear a
distinguishing mark called a tabula - a white piece of cloth shaped like the Ten Commandments. They
are encouraged to convert to Christianity.
1290
Edict of Expulsion issued. Edward I has taxed the Jewish community so heavily, and restricted their
trading so much, that they have become economically helpless. They are no longer a useful source of
revenue for him, and he issues an Edict of Expulsion ordering all Jews to leave the country.
1655
Menasseh ben Israel comes to England. A rabbi from Amsterdam, Menasseh ben Israel visits England to
petition Oliver Cromwell to allow Jews to return to England so that the Messianic age can come.
1656
Readmission of Jews to England. After lengthy discussion in Cromwell’s Parliament, it is agreed that
the 1290 Edict of Expulsion applied only to Jews living in England at that time, and that therefore
Jewish communities may re-establish themselves in this country.
1657
First post-readmission synagogue founded. Antonio Fernandes Carvajal, a Portuguese wine merchant and
long-time resident of London, establishes a small synagogue in Creechurch Lane, Aldgate, for the
community of Spanish and Portuguese Jews. A burial ground is also leased. Records were kept.
1752
The Hardwicke Act allows marriage in a synogogue.
1753
Naturalisation Act passed. A law is passed allowing Jewish people born outside England to be naturalised
as full citizens without having to take the Sacrament according to the Church of England. There is a
popular outcry, and the Act is repealed; the naturalisation of Jews will not be allowed until 1835.
1795
Norwood orphanage founded. The organisation later known as Norwood is founded as The Jews’ Hospital.
The Hospital will eventually amalgamate with the Jews’ Orphan Asylum, another East London charity.
By 1860, 100 boys and 40 girls live there. The orphanage moves to West Norwood, South London, in 1861.
1841
Jewish Chronicle established. The Jewish Chronicle is a weekly newspaper which deals with all aspects
of Jewish life in Britain and overseas. It is still published in the 21st century.
1905
Aliens Act passed. This act is the first legislation restricting immigration to Britain in peacetime,
and is aimed primarily at curbing Jewish immigration from Eastern Europe.
1910
The number of Jews settled in London's East End was c125,000, initially wanting to live there
amongst fellow Jews but in time moving out to suburbs such as Golders Green and Stanmore. At this time
there were also flourishing Jewish communities in other UK cities such as Manchester, Leeds and Glasgow.
In research terms, the Jewish family historian comes up against similar problems to those struggling
with patronymics such as Smith or Jones, and a small stock of common surnames.
Noteworthy and Unusual Religious Practices of the Medieval World:
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Puss-Drinking and Scab-Eating
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The general populace scorned lepers for their appearance and disease. As an act of humility and caring,
many female saints such as St. Catherine would care for these "untouchables" by licking away the puss
in their wounds then eating the scabs. People considered these saints especially holy.
Flagellants
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Either as a masochistic form of penance for fleshly sins or as a symbolic gesture of subduing the flesh,
flagellants would whip themselves until they bled. Often they would form lines and parade in the hundreds
as they whipped themselves and marched from town to town singing hymns or calling upon other sinners to
join them. The first recorded outbreak of this social phenomenon took place in 1260. Like flagellation,
wearing a hairshirt was a method of penance or symbolic chastisement of the body. Beneath outer clothes,
one would wear a shirt with rough, scratchy hair on the inside in order to rub the skin raw. It served
as a reminder not to become too comfortable with the flesh.
Stylite Monks
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(technically hermits rather than monks) were continental rather than British. These men would take a
ladder, climb up to the top of a ruined Roman column, sit down, and then kick away the ladder, vowing
to remain there contemplating God until they died. There are accounts of stylite monks who survived
as long as twenty years, relying upon handouts from strangers who would pass food and water up to them
using a rope and basket.
Sailing Monks
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Similarly, Irish Sailing Monks were a phenomenon more common in Ireland than in England. Technically
hermits rather than monks, these men would board a coracle (a small boat) and put themselves to sea
without any provisions, trusting that, if it were God's will to spare them, the sea would carry them
to an isolated island where they would build a hut and live out their days in isolation. Numerous
monasteries on remote Irish islands originated from a single hermit undertaking such a voyage.
The Anchorhold
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Anchorites and anchoresses would take funeral rites, wash themselves with holy water, and allow
themselves to be sealed away in a walled enclosure attached to a church. Like stylite monks, they
would rely on God to provide them with food and water through the kindness of passers-by. The mystic
Julian of Norwich is one of the most famous anchoresses.
Selling Indulgences
*******************
In the middle ages a few greedy Bishops decided to make some extra cash by selling indulgences. These
Indulgences are special prayers which remit part, or all, of the punishment owed for serious sins;
indulgences have no effect if the person has not confessed his sins. This selling of indulgences
(which invalidated them, in fact) went on for quite some time before the Pope got wind of it and
banned it. Indulgences have not been sold since, but the scandalous behavior of those Bishops has
them a very well known practice from the Middle Ages. The Catholic Church still practices the use of
indulgences, with all modern Popes introducing new ones during their reigns.
Sources:
web.cn.edu/kwheeler
www.baptist.org.uk/
www.victorianweb.org/religion/larsen5.html
www.methodist.org.uk/
www.religionfacts.com
www.hearthtax.org.uk/
dictionary.reference.com
www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ukwales2/hicks3.html
www.british-history.ac.uk/
familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/England_Taxation
www.encyclopedia.com/
www.longparish.org.uk
www.projectbook.co.uk/