Quakers

[susan ault]

Hi all
Can I ask please would my ancestors have been Quakers if they baptised their children at the meeting house in Royston ?


Sue Ault   

[Little Nell]

Meeting house is generally the term used by the Quakers for their places of worship.  They are usually called the Friends' Meeting House, since the proper name for the Quakers is the Religious Society of Friends.

Nell

[LizzieW]

If you've got access to Ancestry, either a sub or via a library, they have lots of Quaker records on their website.  I've found details of many of my Quaker ancestors.

By the way the Quakers didn't believe in baptising their children, but the births would have been registered in their records. 

I found a few of my ancestors as far back as 1652 and a couple of them are interesting

Our son Joseph was born the 17th of the first month 1652 betwixt two and three in the morning and Benjamin the same day in the same year was born betwixt 10 and 11 that night they being twins, at Langton.   Poor mother    Another record shows they were born on 27th of the first month.

Later birth records are laid out more like parish records.

[BushInn1746]

Hi all
Can I ask please would my ancestors have been Quakers if they baptised their children at the meeting house in Royston ?


Sue Ault   

Hello Sue

House of Lords Journal Volume 63: 1830

Upon reading the Petition of the Protestant Dissenters of the Independent Denomination assembling respectively at the Old Meeting House and the New Meeting House in Royston, in the County of Cambridge, whose names are thereunto subscribed;

The Parliamentary Archives, may be able to supply a copy for a fee, as it says some of them have subscribed their names to the Petition, whether that was just the local Trustees, or some of their Meeting flock signing it, is unclear.

Unlikely to be Quakers for one reason already given - Quakers did not baptise, but recorded the Birth. Because you were usually entitled to be a Quaker by Birthright (Quaker parentage), unless the Quakers disowned you later for wrongdoing e.g. a 'Testimony of Denial" was issued. Although some Quakers really regretted their actions and were allowed back into their Quaker faith.

So it seems the Meeting House you mention practicing Baptism, were Independents and Dissenters, so Nonconformists (not conforming to the Church of England).

Some Independent Chapels later became Congregational and later still, were absorbed into the United Reformed Church.

Mark

[susan ault]

Hello Mark and all

It is a baptism and it is Royston old meeting house so from the information you lovely people
have given me, the baptisms are probably non conformists.


many many thanks


Sue Ault

[BushInn1746]

Hello Mark and all

It is a baptism and it is Royston old meeting house so from the information you lovely people
have given me, the baptisms are probably non conformists.


many many thanks


Sue Ault

Hi Sue

Pleased to have helped.

Definitely Nonconformists and Dissenters, known as Independents at that Royston Meeting House practicing baptism.

The RG (Registrar General) collected up surviving Nonconformist records in the late 1830s (about 1838 to 1840) and these were deposited by the RG in the Public Record Office renamed The National Archives, Kew.

Later Nonconformist Registers might still be with the Chapel, or their places of Deposit like County Archives & University Special Collections. The United Reformed Church HQ, I believe hold some more recent Registers of former Congregational Chapels, which later came under their umbrella, so as to speak.

The National Archives RG holdings for Royston ...
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/results/r?_ep=royston&_cr=RG&_dss=range&_sd=1700&_ed=1840&_ro=any&_st=adv

I know these RG Nonconformist records are on Ancestry for Yorkshire. If you can't access them at home, your local Library or County Archive may subscribe to those family history site/s who have them online. You should also be able to access each Volume / Register from the "Card Catalogue" on Ancestry if you are familiar.

Of course, to view any original file at our The National Archives, Kew, (where no microfilm/fiche, or image exists), you will need a "Readers Ticket" and to get one of those you will need formal official original proofs of:-
i) who you are and
ii) where you live currently.

See their "Visit Us" online pages before going and check what notice to produce the required documents are required.

Hopefully, those in the link will be online.

If anyone gets back with Dissenting ancestors before Registers survive, you may find documents at the Dr Williams Library, London, or references in old histories (many published in the 19th Century) and Church of England Visitations (who were keeping a general eye on Nonconformist (NC) activities 18th Century and earlier too, as NC were taking people away from the Church of England). Some NC were also reported and thrown into Prison for their beliefs.

The John Rylands University Library (Archives) is another, holding NC documents and there are other Universities and Archives too holding NC records.

Mark

[susan ault]

Again thank you all

Sue