Cheshire Non-Conformist & Roman Catholic Registers (Baptism) 17th Century-1910
Discover if your Cheshire ancestors were baptised in another denomination in the Cheshire Non-Conformist and Roman Catholic baptism records. Search 122,444 records of baptisms in Non-conformist protestant congregations and Roman Catholic records.
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Discover if your Cheshire ancestors were baptised in another denomination in the Cheshire Non-Conformist and Roman Catholic baptism records. Search 122,444 records of baptisms in Non-conformist protestant congregations and Roman Catholic records.
Learn about these records
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
- Father’s name
- Father’s occupation
- Mother’s name
- Mother’s maiden name
- Date of birth
- Hour of birth
- Place of birth
- Witness to birth
- Date of baptism
- Parish or denomination
- Parent’s connection to the church
- Officiating minister
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 36,069 Methodist records in the collection covering 56 chapels, circuits and churches at the following locations:
Alderly Wesleyan Chapel
Bathomley, Sandbach and Alsager Wesleyan Circuit
Bebington, Bebington Road Wesleyan Chapel
Bebington, Freehold Wesleyan
Bebington, Old Chester Road Wesleyan Chapel
Bebington, Walker Street Wesleyan Chapel
Birkenhead, Brunswick Wesleyan Chapel
Birkenhead, Claughton Road United Methodist Chapel
Davenham, Bethesda Primitive Chapel
Davenham, Central Primitive Chapel
Davenham, New Connexion Church
Davenham, St Paul’s United Free Chapel
Eastham, Trinity Wesleyan Chapel
Ellesmere Port, Ellesmere Port Primitive Circuit
Frodsham United Free Circuit
Frodsham Wesleyan Circuit
Frodsham, Kingsley Primitive Circuit
Frodsham Wesleyan Church
Great Broughton New Connexion Church
Great Budworth, London Road Wesleyan Chapel
Great Budworth Wesleyan Church
Heswall Hill Wesleyan Chapel
Heswall Wesleyan Church
Knutsford Wesleyan Church
Macclesfield, Church Street West Wesleyan Chapel
Macclesfield, Mount Tabor New Connexion Chapel
Macclesfield Park Green United Free Chapel
Macclesfield Park Street New Connexion Chapel
Macclesfield Trinity Wesleyan Chapel
Middlewich Central Wesleyan Chapel
Middlewich, Chester Road United Free Chapel
Monks-Coppenhall, Mill Street Primitive Chapel
Monks-Coppenhall, Oxford Street Wesleyan Chapel
Monks-Coppenhall, Trinity Chapel, Mill Street Wesleyan Church
Monks-Coppenhall, Wedgewood Chapel, Primitive Circuit
Nantwich, Princess Street Wesleyan Chapel
Over, High Street Wesleyan Chapel
Prestbury, Brunswick Wesleyan Chapel
Prestbury, Grimshaw Lane New Connexion Chapel
Prestbury, Poynton United Free Church
Prestbury, Waterloo Street New Connexion Chapel
Prestbury, Wellington Road Wesleyan Chapel
Runcorn, Camden Wesleyan Chapel
Runcorn, Ellesmere United Free Chapel
Runcorn, Halton Road Wesleyan Chapel
Runcorn Primitave Circuit
Runcorn Wesleyan Church
Sandbach, Knutsford Road Wesleyan Chapel
Sandbach, Providence Wesleyan Chapel
Sandbach Primitive Chapel
Tarporley Wesleyan Circuit
Tarporley Wesleyan Church
Tarvin New Connexion Church
Tarvin Zion Primitive Chapel
West Kirby, St Luke’s Wesleyan Chapel
Woodchurch, Palm Grove Wesleyan Chapel
Wynbury Wesleyan Church
There are almost 13,000 Roman Catholic baptism records covering the following 11 Cheshire Churches.
Ashton Upon Mersey, St Joseph’s Church
Chester, St Francis of Assissi Church
Chester, St Werburgh’s Church
Eastham, Hooten Hall Chapel
Great Budworth, St Wilfred’s Church
Nantwich, St Anne’s Church
Neston, St Winifrede’s Church
Prestbury, St Alban’s Church
Staleybridge, St Peter’s Church
Stockport, St Paul’s Church
Wallasey, St Alban’s Church
Please note that the original Roman Catholic records are written in Latin
Great Budworth, Frandley Society of Friends
Sandbach United Reformed Church
Dean Row
St Oswald
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.
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.