If you have Welsh roots, a key issue which will have had a major influence on their lives and the records they left behind is whether they were ‘church’ or ‘chapel’ – a distinction which remains in many Welsh communities to this day.

The Church of England was the established Church in Wales until its disestablishment in 1920 to create the Church in Wales. Many Welsh people, however, embraced Nonconformism in its many forms, reflected in the common sight of numerous chapels in most Welsh communities.

It is very likely that most people searching for ancestors in Wales will at some point come across some chapel goers in their family – the Religious Census of 1851 showed that the majority of worshippers in Wales attended Nonconformist establishments rather than Anglican churches.

In either case, the records they left should not be forgotten when searching for information before the censuses and civil registration began – and indeed afterwards, as religious records are often much more accessible than information from certificates.

Thomas Cromwell first ordered parish registers to be kept as far back as 1538; these are the records of all baptisms, marriages and burials within a parish of the established Church. Only one Welsh parish, that of Gwaunysgor, Flintshire has entries dating that far back. In contrast, the earliest Nonconformist register is that of the Baptists of Ilston in Gower, dating from 1649. The registers of the Church were kept in an orderly fashion, with copies being sent to the Bishop at the end of each year (bishops’ transcripts). As in England, from 1754 for marriages and 1813 for baptisms and burials, printed forms in bound volumes have been used. Unfortunately, the Nonconformists were not so organised: there was no guidance from a central body or authority on how and what information to record. As a result tracing Nonconformist records offline can be difficult as they are stored in various locations including the National Library of Wales (NLW, www.llgc.org.uk), Aberystwyth; The National Archives (TNA, www.nationalarchives.gov.uk), Kew; in county archive offices; and some are still in possession of ministers or in private hands.

Nonconformism began to gather pace in Wales during the 17th century after the English Civil War, despite the Restoration of the Monarchy Act of 1660 attempting to enforce conformity to the state Church. For many years the newly labelled ‘Nonconformists’ met in secret places – sometimes in the open air, in farm buildings or private houses. A few chapels were built during this time of persecution, but there are very few records from this early period of Nonconformism in Wales.

Following the Toleration Act of 1689, Nonconformist meeting houses and ministers were allowed after registration at Quarter Sessions or bishops’ courts. But their registers were not considered to be legal like those of the established Church; therefore, the Registrar General in 1840 invited Nonconformist chapels to submit their pre-1837 registers for authentication. These registers are now held at TNA; microfilm copies are available to view at NLW (free of charge) or via www.bmdregisters.org.uk – see the box below for more about the site.

After toleration, the different denominations gradually grew within Wales during the early 18th century, with the keeping of records becoming more usual from the middle of the century. These causes increased their popularity under influential ministers and religious revivals were numerous during the 18th century. Industrialisation helped the growth of Nonconformism, especially in the more populous areas of Wales. Many of the already established parish churches were located too far from the populated areas, especially in the industrial areas of south Wales – so the Nonconformists built chapels where the people actually lived.

The Church in Wales deposited its original registers at NLW in the 1950s – these have since been distributed to the appropriate county archive office. All surviving bishops’ transcripts are housed at NLW, along with other records of the Church in Wales. There are microfilm copies for over 500 parishes held at NLW along with facsimile copies and transcripts of many more. When trying to establish which registers are held where and their surviving dates, you are well advised to consult a copy of Cofrestri Plwyf Cymru/Parish Registers of Wales eds. C J Williams and J Watts-Williams (NLW, Aberystwyth 2000). It lists all parishes in Wales according to county with surviving dates for each register as well as dates for bishops’ transcripts, other available copies and their location, be it at NLW, TNA, county archive offices or the Society of Genealogists library in London.

A similar volume has been published for Nonconformist registers – Cofrestri Anghydffurfiol Cymru/Nonconformist Registers of Wales ed. Dafydd Ifans (NLW, Aberystwyth, 1994). It is out of print at the moment, but shows the name of the chapel, denomination, parish, OS map reference, surviving dates of registers and their location. All deposits of Nonconformist registers have been completed voluntarily. NLW is the central archive for the Presbyterian Church in Wales, previously known as Welsh Calvinistic Methodists. The Welsh Methodist (or Wesleyan) Archive is also on deposit at the Library. Many Nonconformist records are also housed in county archive offices and their individual catalogues should be checked for availability, along with that of Archives Wales (www.archiveswales.org.uk).

One thing to keep in mind when tracing your Nonconformist ancestors is that following Hardwicke’s Marriage Act of 1753, all marriages between 1754 and 1837 (except for those of Quakers and Jews) had to take place within the established Church – even if the couple were of Nonconformist denomination. After the Civil Registration Act from 1 July 1837, marriages were allowed to take place in a Nonconformist chapel as long as a civil registrar was present and therefore there will be separate marriage registers after this date.

Not all chapels have burial grounds: very often there is only one graveyard within a whole parish, therefore Nonconformists as well as churchgoers would be buried there and recorded in the parish burial register. I have also found that very often when a Nonconformist chapel does have its own burial ground, no register is kept. In this instance any memorial inscriptions transcribed by family history societies can become invaluable for those not able to visit in person. From early in the 20th century baptisms, marriages and burials are very often recorded in the printed annual reports of chapels.

There are numerous publications that should be consulted for a wider knowledge of Nonconformism and the established Church in Wales. Many denominations have written their own histories as well as individual churches and chapels. Search the catalogues at individual county archive offices as well as the National Library of Wales.