Did Folk use different churches in 1700s?

[Seelife]

Hi Folks, it has been a long time, but I am back hunting for Wind families in County Durham of the 1700s.  I have a few families in the Chester-Le-Street, Lamesley and Gateshead area. Some I can work out. But there is one, a William Wind marrying an Ann Watson at CLS, St Cuthberts Church. Now I have a William Wind in Lamesley that does not appear to have any recorded marriane, but has five kids in Cow Close and registered at St Andrews, Anglican.
So, my question is, did folk change or use churches of convenience, or were they more bound to one religious grouping but changed churches as the needed or moved but stayed Anglical, Catholic or whatever in the earlier 1700´s?
Thanks

[Zaphod99]

I think having a girlfriend who went to a different church could be quite significant. You're likely to get married in her church at the very least.

Zaph

[Pennines]

Zaphod is correct - it was custom and practice to marry in the bride's church.

[Tickettyboo]

Yes as people moved they would also be likely to attend the nearest church of their chosen denomination. CLS to Lamesley, at a rough estimate is about 4-5 miles.That's quite a walk or cart ride (if they owned one) especially in the winter.

Though unless you have evidence that shows if it was 'his' home parish or that of his bride its possible they married in her parish and then set up home in his.
Boo

[Pheno]

Also some churches had 'offers' to attract people - a particular one in London offered a fresh loaf of bread to all couples who married there which attracted non-locals as well as those living nearby.

Other small churches may also have offered incentives meaning that some events took place outside of their local area.

Pheno

[HughC]

Few people owned a horse, still less a carriage, so they would go to a church in walking distance from home, usually the nearest.

[teragram31510]

As regards baptisms of their children people often walked to the neighbouring village if that is where the vicar was officiating that day rather than necessarily waiting till the vicar was in their own village church.
Lots of "absentee" rectors/vicars too, who had been given the living but didn't do much !

Agree that most couples married in the bride's church.

Don't think people actually changed denomination easily, unless an Anglican man was marrying a Catholic woman or vice versa. Frought with difficulties in the 1700s.

[David Nicoll]

As others have said customer would be to get married in the bride’s church. However I would not be to focussed on ruling people out because it seems to far or they have changed from Catholic to Anglican.
  I think we can allow one conversion in a lifetime!
There was also a lot of religious turmoil going on in some areas of the country, the growth of the various dissenting churches etc and people would think of nothing travelling a few miles to go to a preacher they approved of.
I have evidence of some of my family travelling about 20 miles to go to church.

[Andy J2022]

On a wider point, the 1700s saw the rise of several nonconformist movements, such as Methodism (in its several flavours) and so a person might well have been won over to a different faith by a charismatic visiting preacher and begin attending another place of worship.