I
found a new UK genealogy magazine at Barnes and Noble, called “Discover Your
Ancestors". It is really an annual publication of TheGenealogist.co.uk. The good article that caught my eye was by Luke Mouland, a Dorset-based
genealogist. In “Preaching to the People,” Mouland puts the relationship of the
non-anglicans to the state-run church into historical context.
For
example in 1662, the Act of Uniformity was passed calling for all ministers to
be ordained in the COE. Over 2000 Puritan ministers broke away. The government
wanted to discourage any further dissent and imposed fines on anyone worshiping
anywhere other than a parish church so the 1670 Conventicles Act was enacted. (Mouland
defines a conventicle as “any religious assembly outside the Church of
England.”) The people who attended these services were fined between five and
ten shillings. A much greater fine of 20 or 40 shillings was levied on a person
who allowed their home to be used for a service.
Mouland’s
article is accompanied by a timeline with ten important dates from the time of
Henry the eighth’s founding of the COE and 1902 when some form of equality of
religions was agreed to in the country.
1662
– Act of Uniformity required ordination of clergy within the COE and 2000
minsters left the church, mostly to become Puritans. Laws to punish
non-conformists were enacted.
1672
– Declaration of Indulgence – an attempt by Charles II to give religious
freedom to dissenters.
1689
– Toleration Act – religious freedom given to those willing to take oaths of
allegiance.
1714
– Schism Act – People must be a member of the COE if they wanted to found a
public or private school or act as a tutor.
1753
– Marriage Act – marriages must be performed according to the rites of the
Church of England. See 1836.
1812
– Relief Act – repealed most of the 1670 Conventicle Act and generally made
concessions on dissenters’ places of worship
1828
– Prohibitions against holding political offices by non-Anglicans were removed.
1836
– Marriage Act – changed 1753 law and non-Anglican churches were given the
right to marry people; civil marriage allowed.
1868
– Abolished payment of church rates for non-members.
1902
- Education Act – parochial schools integrated into the government school
system and begin to be supported by taxes.
None
of the equality of religion we know in this country came easily in Britain. For
example, in the early 19th century, three acts gave different rights
to three separate religious groups: 1813, the Unitarian Relief Act; 1818, the
Wesleyan Methodist Metropolitan Registry Act; and 1829, the Catholic
Emancipation Act. I recommend consulting a lot of experts, if you need to
search in the early records of any non-conformist religion.
Resources:
Mouland,
Luke. Discover Your Ancestor, Issue
No. 2, “Preaching to the People” Tring, Herts: Discovery Media Group, 2013.
Christensen,
Dr. Penelope. Researching Non-Anglican
Records. Toronto: Heritage Productions, 2003. 