Genealogy Chat

My grandmother was married in a 'Free Church' in Amersham on the Hill in 1916 'according to the Rites & Ceremonies of the Protestant Christians'. What does this mean and why would she have married there? My father told us he was raised as a Baptist (and had to go to church 3 times on Sundays). I would like to check for my father's Christening record in Amersham but don't really know where to begin as he was born 4 years before the wedding which was not to his birth father.

These were/are generally Christian Churches but not tied tightly or at all to any one denomination such as Baptist, Methodist etc. Hence they were FREE churches to make their own decisions, raise their own finances. Very popular in some parts of Scotland but widespread in England. That is a brief description. Google it and you will find as much detail as you will need. Kind regards, Roger

If they were Baptists, there won't be any christening records because they practise baptism of believers only, ie adult baptism by immersion. Janice

Baptist parents bring their children for a service of dedication, in which both parents and church dedicate themselves to bringing the child up in the knowledge and love of God. Many churches kept a Cradle Roll on which the names of such children were entered and the date of the service. Individual churches/ministers may have kept other records, which may be in the local archives. ON the matter of 'Free Churches', The Encyclopaedia Britannica has this entry: generally, any Protestant religious body that exists in or originates in a land having a state church but that is itself free of governmental or external ecclesiastical control. Examples of such free churches are the Baptists in Scotland, where the established church is Presbyterian; the Presbyterians in England, where the Anglican Church is established; the Waldensian Church in Italy, where the Roman Catholic Church is established; and the Mission Covenant Church in Sweden, where the established church is Lutheran. So in England, the 'free churches' are all those Protestant churches that are not Church of England. Both Anglican (C o fE) and free churches are considered Protestant (they protested against the rule of Rome). Jan

Thanks for info on the Free Church and also the bit about the Baptists. I guess that leaves me about where I was before.....not much closer.!!!!! I had held a faint hope that christening record might give me some info on his birth father.....

The records of this church may be in the County Archives and will be catalogued under RG4, which is the usual classification for nonconformist registers. Have you tried googling? OC

I haven't tried Googling for those types of records but I will go give it ago. thanks for the tip!! Kerry from Oz

I googled and found they have website so have sent them an email to see if any records exist. Thanks for all the info provided it is much appreciated. I'll keep you posted if any anything turns up. Kerry from Oz

This is not directly relevant but may be of some interest. Only the Church of Scotland is the established church in Scotland - other Presbyterian denominations are also 'free' from state interference...for example, what was known from 1843 onwards as 'The Church of Scotland, Free' now known as the 'Free Church of Scotland' - and there are others. All presbyterian churches practice infant baptism - not christening as such. Kind regards, William