Dr. Nicholas Dixon will be presenting live from the SoG Library - join us in London or watch online.

Book one or both talks.

Clerical Roots: The Place of the Anglican Clergy in English Genealogy 
In 1548, the English Parliament passed an act to ‘take away all positive laws against marriage of priests’. This brought about a massive social change, since an influential section of English society who had previously been prohibited from having legitimate children could now marry and raise families. In succeeding centuries, clerical marriage became the norm in the Church of England, so clergymen (and more recently, female clergy) are found in many family trees. This talk will discuss the resources available for tracing the clergy from the 16th to the 20th centuries. For example, the Clergy of the Church of England Database, an online project to record all clergymen from 1540 to 1835, includes entries for some 130,000 men. Thankfully for researchers, the clerical profession is among the best documented in English genealogy. 

Beyond Parish Registers: Tracing Your Anglican Ancestors
The majority of the population of England were members (at least nominally) of the Church of England from the Reformation until recent times. However, discussions of the religious aspects of family history tend to focus on ancestral membership of smaller nonconformist denominations. Hence genealogists can overlook the many ways in which ancestors might have participated in Anglican activity beyond the basic facts of being baptised, married or buried according to Anglican rites. This talk will discuss in detail the varieties of Anglican commitment over the centuries, including confirmation, receiving communion, Anglican schooling, Anglican societies and parochial offices. It will also offer advice about finding records of such activities in county and diocesan record offices as well as online resources. 

• Gold Members: Included in Membership. Book a spot to watch live. No pre-booking required to view the recording, which will be available in your video library.

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• Non and Standard Members: Recording available for one month when you pre-book.

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