Post on 26-Jun-2015
Welsh Nonconformist RecordsBy Darris G. Williams, AG
Nonconformists
Nonconformity Nonconformity had the greatest influence on the
spiritual and social life of Wales By the mid nineteenth century 80% of the population
were nonconformists Before 1689 and the Toleration Act nonconformity
was illegal so few records were kept The church was unable to cater to the spiritual needs
and growth of the population Nonconformity offered religion in the Welsh
language
NonconformityHigh incidence of nonconformity
Growth of Welsh NonconformityYear 1716 1742 1775 1816 1861
Chapels 110 105 171 993 2927
Many records have not been deposited. About 5,500 chapels existed in Wales but less than thirty per cent of the registers have been deposited at a record office
Fate of Nonconformist RecordsNo record made Records may have been lost
The records may still be with the chapel
Families traveled a considerable distance to worship & may not appear where you expect!!!
NonconformityTypes of chapel records
1. Birth/baptismal register
2. Marriage register
3. Burial register
4. Membership lists
5. Accounts
6. Minute books
NonconformityMore chapel records
1. Transfer registers
2. Pew rent books
3. Sunday school records
4. Lists of society members, Band of Hope & Temperance League
5. Monumental inscriptions
NonconformityMore chapel records
1. Chapel histories
2. Personal accounts of the chapel’s early history
Strategies for SuccessIdentify the chapels in the area where your
ancestors lived using the 1851religious census and the six inch to one mile scale Ordnance Survey maps http://www.old-maps.co.uk/
Strategies for SuccessUtilize chapel records other than the registers of birth,
marriage, and death/burial
Request a search in Capeli Cymru for other chapel records when registers of birth marriage and death/burial are not available. National Library of Wales enquiries: holi@llgc.org.uk
Strategies for SuccessSearch the National Burial Index compact disc. This databaseincludes 265 thousand entries for Wales (Glamorganshire,Cardiganshire, Radnorshire, Monmouthshire, andMontgomeryshire)
Search for burials at the parish church. Nonconformist chapelsseldom had their own burial ground before 1800 Search monumental inscriptions
Strategies for SuccessSearch records within a fifteen mile radius of
where your ancestors lived.
Strategies for Success
Utilize histories about the: Chapel Area Denomination
Baran Chapel Monumental Inscriptions
Strategies for SuccessSearch the Historical Manuscripts Commission
National Register
of Archives web site for information on recently deposited
records. Do a “Place Name”search
http://www.nra.nationalarchives.gov.uk/nra/
IGI
The International Genealogical Index for WalesPre 1813 extractions are based on the assumptionthat everyone used patronymics. Post 1812 extractions are based on theassumption that no one used patronymics. A small percentage of church and chapel recordshave been extracted.
Analysis of Extracted Welsh Records There are about 1,200 parish churches in
Wales There were about 5,500 nonconformist
chapels in Wales There should be about 6,700 registers of
church/chapel records for Wales About 1,408 registers have been extracted for
Wales (based on findings for Glamorgan)
Analysis of Extracted Welsh Records
Conclusion
Less than 21% of the church and chapel records
for Wales have been extracted for the IGI
The International Genealogical Index for WalesStrategies for successSearch by given name for christenings before 1813
Search by surname for christenings after 1812 Use the IGI as a starting point but never expect it torepresent a high percentage of the population Always examine the original record