Genealogy Chat

I have a baptism/christening certificate (original) for an ancestor in London 1861 which was done in a Catholic Church by a C of E Reverend...they sometimes had to compromise

Excuse me if I'm misunderstanding you, fifi, but are you under the impression that "christening" is RC and "baptism" is Protestant? Because that isn't the case: the two terms are interchangeable.

"As the Church of England is the established state church, most people have been baptised, married and buried by it.

There are, however, exceptions:

Baptisms were never compulsory and some people were never baptised. Protestant nonconformists and Roman Catholics baptised their children in their own chapels.

Marriages - until 1837 a marriage was only legal if it took place in the Church of England, so most people, even if not Anglicans, went through the ceremony. Some Roman Catholics and nonconformists refused to do so. Jews and Quakers could conduct their own ceremonies.

Burials - until the 19th century the parish churchyard was usually the only official place of burial, but ministers could refuse to allow non-Anglican burials."

- from

http://tinyurl.com/6lheqk

Got marriages from parish records and baptisms of offspring where family mainly lived. IGI gave details of dates of births, christenings and parents names.

What makes you think they were christened in a Catholic church? Does it actually say so on the IGI?

Please can anyone help. Ancestors married in Church of England. However, I have found christenngs on the IGI for a family whose names and dates of births match census returns. Is it likely that they would be christened Catholic and then married in Church of England, and if this is the case would they have had to change their religion and been baptised Cof E? Years in question are - Christenings 1809 - 1824 and marriages 1838 - 1840. Any help would be greatly appreciated.