Doncaster Council

Non-Parochial Registers

Non-parochial registers is the name officially given to the registers of Nonconformist and Roman Catholic chapels which were deposited with the Registrar General from the late 1830s. Under an Act of Parliament in 1840, registers deposited with the General Register Office would be automatically acceptable in court as proof of a birth, baptism, marriage, death or burial.

This was an important innovation, as previously only the registers of the Church of England had been accepted without question by the courts. Since issues of legitimacy, inheritance and ownership depended upon the validity of evidence in registers, Nonconformists were potentially at a considerable disadvantage before the Act of 1840.

These registers are now held by the National Archives. Microform copies are available at the Family Records Centre. Copies of local non-parochial registers are available at Doncaster Archives.

Non-Parochial Registers on Microfilm