Question about Non-Conformist Faith

[Melbell]

Sorry - I've somehow got my reply muddled up with Andy's quote.

Apologies for the confusion.

Melbell.

[smudwhisk]

I have found various ancestors in London, and particularly in the area around the East End, had their children baptised in a CofE church but buried them in a non-conformist burial ground.  I don't think this necessarily had anything to do with religious beliefs, it's quite possible that the burial fees were lower than for CofE burials and thus were used for this reason. 

I also have some families that intermittently used non-conformist chapels to baptise children when the previous and subsequent child was baptised in the local CofE, this could be for financial reasons if the fees were lower of simply they couldn't get them baptised in the CofE church when they wanted to.

It's quite likely these burials are yours but you would need to check the possibilty they related to other families of the same name.  Unfortunately many non-conformist burial grounds in that area did not list ages on burials even after 1813 when the CofE parishes were following the change in style of registers.

[Lydart]

There should be NO charge whatsoever for baptism !!    Not in the C of E anyway !

[Valda]

Hi

The up keep of non-conformist burial grounds in central London in the early C19th were beyond the resources of many of their chapels and they could be sold to private speculators who used them as money making cemeteries, others fell into disrepair.
One of the burial grounds bought by a private speculator was Spa Fields which was acquired as a private cemetery and where it is estimated 80,000 burials took place (40 a day)

A description of Spa Fields.

http://www.burial.magic-nation.co.uk/bgclerkenwell.htm

One of the burials you list was at this burial ground.

With land for burials at a premium in London it wasn't just private speculators who cashed in, the scandal of the Enon Baptist chapel forced the passing of the Burial Act in 1852 which began the closure of most central London churchyards and burial grounds as they had increasingly become health hazards. Burials switched to the new large civic cemeteries.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enon_Chapel

Survival rates for the records of these non-conformist/privately owned burial grounds is much poorer. Not all non-conformist burial grounds were open to burials from the surrounding local population who were not part of the church congregation.
The website London Burial Grounds gives further information on the churchyards and burial grounds in each area of central London.

http://www.londonburials.co.uk/


Regards

Valda

[smudwhisk]

There should be NO charge whatsoever for baptism !!    Not in the C of E anyway !

It would be that many did prior to the 1872 Act of Parliament - see http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1872/36/pdfs/ukpga_18720036_en.pdf

[Lydart]

Well I never knew that !    Thanks for that document.

[Captain2]

From the 'Order for Funerals at Gibraltar Row Protestant Dissenters Burial Ground'
Sarah Sylvester [sic]
Date of burial - 19 November 1819
Place of burial - Bethnal Green
Age - 16 months

From the 'Register of Burials at the Countess of Huntingdon's Chapel in the Parish of St James Clerkenwell, Spa Fields'
Charles Selvester [sic]
Date of burial 5 January 1825
Parish of Abode - St Andrews Holborn
Age 26 years

[ian-nz]

Thank you all for the information you have found me. It was very interesting reading about all the horrible things that went on in the 1800's. I am glad I wasn't around then.

Thank you also Captain2 for the info on Sarah Silvester. The age of 16 months is what I was after. My little Sarah was born on the 29 July 1818 baptised on the 28th February 1819 and buried of the 19 November 1819 so she would have been almost 16 months old when she died so I am pretty sure I have the correct one.

Charles Selvester's age is not right so I shall continue my search for him.

Thank you all once again for your help. You are amazing.

Pauline

[Melbell]

Further to my comments about RC and Non-Conformist marriages - please note: 'Appointed Persons' should read 'Authorized Persons'.

Melbell.