Cheshire Non-Conformist & Roman Catholic Registers (Burials) 17th Century-1910

The Cheshire Non-Conformist and Roman Catholic baptism records include those for Baptists, Congregationalists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Society of Friends (Quakers), Unitarians and Roman Catholics.

Each record contains an image and a transcript of the original document. The amount of information varies a great deal but they may contain some or all of the following information about your ancestor:

• Name

• Sex

• Year

• Date of birth

• Age

• Date of death

• Date of burial

• Denomination or parish

• Residence

Further information about the individual denominations including locations is available below

The Methodist movement grew in Cheshire from the 1740s. Breakaway groups included Primitive Methodists, New Connexion, Independents and Wesleyan Methodists. Records were created by districts, circuits and chapels. There are 3068 Methodist records in the collection covering chapels, circuits and churches at the following locations:

MacClesfield Park Street New Connexion Chapel

Prestbury, Brunswick Wesleyan Chapel

Runcorn, Englesea Brook Chapel

There are 11,858 Roman Catholic baptism records covering the following Cheshire Churches.

Ashton Under Lyne, St Peter’s Church

Bowden, St Vincent de Paul Church

Chester, St Francis of Assissi Church

Chester, St Werburgh’s Church

Eastham, Hooten Hall Chapel

Nantwich, St Anne’s Church

Neston, St Winifrede’s Church

Prestbury, St Alban’s Church

Stockport, St Michael’s Church

Stockport, St Paul’s Church

Wallasey, St Alban’s Church

Wallasey, St Joseph’s Church

Wilmslow, Sacred Heart and St Theresa Church

Please note that the original Roman Catholic records are written in Latin

Great Budworth, Frandley Society of Friends

Macclesfield Society of Friends

Stockport Society of Friends

Sandbach United Reformed Church

Non-conformist is a very broad term covering churches of widely differing beliefs that did not follow the teachings of the Church of England. The term can be used to describe Roman Catholics, Jews, Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists, members of the Society of Friends etc.

Members of English Protestant denominations who did not follow the teachings of the Church of England were known as non-conformists. Before 1837, regardless of religious beliefs, most people were baptised, married and buried in the local Church of England Parish. Despite differences in belief and even after the Toleration Act of 1689 which granted freedom to worship, many non-conformists continued to use their local parish church for registration purposes.

However, some non-conformists did keep their own registers, particularly baptism and burial registers, in the period between 1689 and 1837. Between 1754 and 1837 is was illegal to marry anywhere except in a Church of England parish Church unless you were a member of the Society of Friends (Quakers) or Jewish. In both cases members were exempt from the Act and allowed to keep their own records.

After 1837, while people were now allowed to marry in the church of their choice, some organisations still did not keep their own records.

Cheshire is situated in the North West of England. On the west it borders Flintshire and Wrexham in Wales with Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east and Shropshire and Staffordshire to the south.

Copyright images reproduced by courtesy of the Cheshire Archives and Local Studies Service, Chester, England.

The Cheshire Archives and Local Studies Service gives no warranty as to the accuracy, completeness or fitness for the purpose of the information provided.

Images may be used only for purposes of research, private study or education. Applications for any other use should be made to Cheshire Archives and Local Studies Service, Cheshire Record Office, Duke Street, Chester CH1 1RL. Infringement of the above condition may result in legal action.