BEST WEBSITES: NONCONFORMISTS
As WDYTYA? sees Sophie Raworth uncover nonconformist forebears, Jonathan Scott hunts for online resources for researching dissenters
Jonathan Scott finds nonconformist records covering Quakers, Methodists, Baptists and other denominations
Nonconformity is the blanket term given to all non-Anglican Protestant denominations, such as Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians and Quakers. And if your ancestor was a nonconformist, there are a host of sources available. You could have two bites of the cherry, as nonconformists may be recorded in parish church registers as well as in records created by their own denominations.
Lots of nonconformist birth, marriage and death registers (BMD) have been digitised and are available through subscription and pay-per-view sites. For example, TNA series RG6 comprising Quaker BMD records can be explored via the website chosen by this month’s expert. There are also collections on Ancestry and Findmypast. And while many nonconformist collections survive within local county collections, the National Archives research guide makes a good starting point ( nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/research-guides/nonconformists.htm).