A trip to the Lincolnshire Archives – part 2: a brief guide to researching English Quakers

[updated 30 Jul 2024] In this four-part series, I will share stories about researching genealogy in Lincolnshire by exploring my husband’s paternal lineage, the Maws of Wainfleet St Mary and Gainsborough (ca. 18th-19th cent). In my last post, I described how the research started and the discovery that my husband’s Ontario Anglican family had Quaker roots. In this post I’ll discuss why researching Quakers changes the game completely.

Why researching Quakers changes everything

Researching Quakers was like going back to school. It didn’t matter how good I might have been at what I do. As soon as I stepped away from Canadian records, I was in a whole new world of English archives, history, law, newspapers, and religion. In addition, the important records for this group are Quaker, not Anglican.

In the next sections, I’ll share my guide for researching the Quakers in England.

Researching the English Quakers

In Research Like a Pro, Diana Elder and Nicole Elder Dyer recommend building locality guides.¹ Here is my guide to researching the Quakers of northwest England (ca. 1650s to mid-19th cent).

A short history of the Religious Society of Friends, aka the Quakers (1647-present)

For this section I am indebted to the FamilySearch wikis.²

• Founded 1647-52 in northwest England by leaders including George Fox
• There were no Quakers on the Mayflower (she sailed 6 Sep 1620, or twenty-seven years before the Society of Friends began)
• Founded meeting houses and schools
• Each district was called a “Monthly Meeting,” and local meetings called “Preparative” or “Particular”
• The local chapters would elect members to the county-level “Quarterly Meetings,” and from there members were elected to the “Yearly Meetings” held in London
• Basic religious tenets: no baptisms, no oath taking, no tithing, informal religious services, no churches per se, equality of treatment towards men and women, no violence (including military service), God’s word was given to each person individually, Bible considered a non-binding work, no marriages to outsiders, simple speech using thou and thee, plain clothing, no art, no music
• Devoted to social causes and education

The main differences in Quaker records

A summary of the main differences in Quaker records:³

• Keywords: “Religious Society of Friends,” or “Friends,” or “Quakers”
• Keywords: MM means “Monthly Meetings,” YM means “Yearly Meetings”
• Quaker Meeting records are a rich resource of genealogical detail
• No baptisms, therefore no baptismal records
• Because they were often at odds with the prevailing legal environment, unusual resources exist for researching Quakers, i.e., The Great Book of Sufferings, Recusant Rolls, Oath Rolls, Affirmation Rolls
• Date recording – Quakers opposed the references to gods and goddesses that are the basis for January, February, March, April, May, June, and July. Date forms used numbers or numerals, I.e., 2nd day of fifth month of 1788,” or “2.v.1788.”
• Julian dates before 1752 – Be very careful when transcribing dates around 1751-52 as that is when Great Britain changed from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian.⁴

What are Non-Conformist records?

Quaker records are called “non-conformist.” British nonconformists did not accept the dominant church: Catholic before 1534, or Church of England (Anglican) after Henry VIII broke from the Pope. For researchers, “nonconformists” include Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, and Quakers. Could also include Congregationalists, Inghamites, Unitarians, and Salvation Army.⁵

• All nonconformist records are also non-parochial (parochial is the parish record structure).⁶
• Many nonconformist records were collected by the General Register Office (1837) and can be found at the National Archives, London⁷
• Nonconformist records post 1837 might be found in local records offices. Look for the Index of Parish Registers. Also try the local burial grounds and chapels who may keep their own records.⁸
• Look for Recusant Rolls (1592-1691) at the National Archives, London
• Look for Oath or Affirmation Rolls for London, Hampshire, Colchester Quakers, Cumberland, London Baptists, Quaker attorneys, etc., at the National Archives, London

What laws affected the Quakers?

From their beginning until abt. the mid-19th century, Quakers suffered moderate to severe persecution. In a period of reform and lawmaking, it was a harsh environment for a belief system opposed to the taking of oaths. Quakers refused to swear (for reasons too complex to explain in this summary). This put them continually at odds with the plethora of laws (see below) enacted to secure the royal successions, support the monarchs, and tithe to the Church of England. Some laws required oaths to do business, e.g., import / export goods, manage debt and land titles, manufacture goods, or prove wills. There were oaths required for public service, e.g., to join the electoral rolls or serve in public office. A different category of laws was designed to inhibit worship outside the Anglican faith.

Pacifist Quakers were frequently penalized by the forced seizure of their goods – the term they used is “distraint.”

Summary of laws

I like to get an idea of the prevailing legal landscape. Here is what I found affecting Quakers. (Although they were founded 1647-52, several preexisting laws affected them):⁹

• The Act of Persuasions (1581) made refusing to attend the Church of England and/or swear and Oath of Allegiance a crime punishable by indictment and fines. Non-attendance at the Anglican parish church was recorded.
• The Act(s) of Uniformity (beg. 1559) – a series of laws mandating worship in the Church of England 
• The Oath(s) of Allegiance
• The Oath of Supremacy
• The Act for Burying – governing burials
• Burial in Woolens Act – required people to be buried in wool products
• Corporation Act (1661)- allegiance and supremacy
• Conventicles Act (1664) – preventing worship in locations other than the CofE
• The Quakers Act (1695)

Imprisonment

For their beliefs, Quakers were subjected to fines, imprisonment, and property seizures. In the North and Midlands they were jailed at:

• The “common jail at Lancaster” (1661)
• Lincoln Castle, Lincoln, Lincolnshire
• Lancaster Castle, Lancashire
• County jail, Wigan
• Manchester
• Swarthmore

The Quakers kept meticulous records of these and other events. See the archives at Friends House, London.¹⁰

Map of Friends House, 173-77 Euston Road, London

Key Terms

There are a few terms that will be of use in your research. (This section is based on my work and questions posed to ChatGPT.)

• Baptized – when used in context with Quakers, this could mean the Quaker was born into the Anglican faith but later converted to Quakerism. To be clear, Quakers did not baptize or keep baptismal records.
• Cert. or Certificate – When Quakers moved from one district to another, they received a Letter of Transfer certifying their status as Quakers in good standing
• Disowned – The Meeting disowned members deemed to have acted against Quaker principles, i.e., marrying out, military service, oath-taking
• Distraint – the seizure of property as a penalty for refusing to tithe, take oaths, and hold meetings
• Married Out – when a Quaker married a non-Quaker; usually followed by the term “disowned”
• Meeting Minutes – Quakers met regularly in events called “Monthly Meetings.” Each meeting was attended by a recording secretary, who kept detailed minutes. Quaker Monthly Meeting Minutes are a wealth of knowledge about the group’s lives, from births, burials, and marriages, to reasons for disowning.
• Resigned – When a Quaker voluntarily withdraws from the Religious Society of Friends

Maps and location details

In the final part of my guide, I’ll assemble some geographic information about my three places of interest: Gainsborough (also spelled Gainsburgh and Gainsboro), Wainfleet St Mary, and Lincoln. Gainsborough and Wainfleet St Mary are fifty-nine miles (95 kms) apart. The Lincolnshire Archives are located in the City of Lincoln.

Map of Gainsborough, Lincoln, and Wainfleet St Mary, Lincolnshire

Gainsborough, Lincolnshire

• est. abt. 1013¹¹
• market town and port on the River Trent
• historically could be spelled Gainsboro and Gainsburgh
• Parish: Gainsborough
• District: West Lindsey, formerly in the sub-district of the Spilsby Registration District
• Shire: Lincolnshire
• Region: East Midlands
• Exact location: 53.4016°N 0.7732°W
• Pop (1841): 634
• The Friends [Quaker] Meeting House is located at 22 Market Street, Gainsborough, DN21 2BE¹²

Map of Friends House, 22 Market Street, Gainsborough

Lincoln, UK

• The Lincolnshire Archives are located at St Rumbold Street, Lincoln, LN2 5AB, Telephone: 01522 782040, Email: lincolnshire.archives@lincolnshire.gov.uk¹³
• Lincoln Central train station (LCN) is managed by East Midlands Railway (EMR)

Map of the Railway Station, Bus Station, and Lincolnshire Archives, Lincoln

Wainfleet St Mary, Lincolnshire

• a village, est. abt. 1378, Wainfleet St Mary was in the Priory of Stixwould¹⁴
• Not the same as Wainfleet, or Wainfleet All Saints
• Bordered by the parishes of Wainfleet All Saints and Croft
• Civil parish: Wainfleet St Mary
• District: East Lindsey
• Shire: Lincolnshire
• Region: East Midlands
• Exact location: 53.109278°N 0.193211°E
• Pop (1841): 731
• The Friends [Quaker] Meeting House at Wainfleet St Mary was sold in 1949, but the burial ground may still be there¹⁵

Next week: Research at the Lincolnshire Archives in Lincoln, UK

About the cover photo

We did not make it to any Society of Friends Meeting Houses in Lincolnshire but almost by accident, we walked past the Meeting House in Edinburgh.

Afterword

Building a research guide may seem daunting but it rewards the effort. In retrospect I could have asked ChatGPT to build it for me but like anything, I learn better when I do the work. Now that I have a better understanding of the zeitgeist, I have a new appreciation of what the Quakers suffered to practise their faith.

I’m even more curious now why the Maws converted to Anglicanism.

Thank yous

I am indebted to Hilary Mantel for her brilliant Wolf Hall Trilogy, in which she details the life of Thomas Cromwell (1485-1540). I have read this series multiple times and each time come away with fresh insights. In this series, when Cromwell is imagining the Reformation, drafting statutes, and guiding legislation through Parliament, I can see the world as it was when the Quakers began.

References

¹Diana Elder and Nicole Elder Dyer, “RLP 18: How to Create a Locality Guide,” 18 Nov 2018, podcast, Research Like a Pro, accessed 22 Jul 2024.

²International Institute of Genealogical Studies, “England Quaker History – International Institute,” last edited on 27 April 2023, wiki, FamilySearch.org, accessed 22 July 2024.

³International Institute of Genealogical Studies, “England Quaker Records – International Institute,” last edited on 27 April 2023, wiki, FamilySearch.org, accessed 22 July 2024.

⁴UK, University of Nottingham, “Julian/Gregorian Calendars,” undated, university website, Manuscripts and Special Collections, University of Nottingham, accessed 22 Jul 2024.

⁵UK, The National Archives, “How to look for records of…Nonconformists,” undated, museums and archives, The National Archives, accessed 22 Jul 2024.

⁶But not all non-parochial records, such as hospital records, are nonconformist. See the National Archives (1567-1970).

⁷For more see FamilySearch, “England Nonconformist Church Records,” last edited on 18 April 2024, wiki, FamilySearch.org, accessed 22 Jul 2024; UK, “Non-Conformist Records,” undated, website, TheGenealogist.co.uk, accessed 22 Jul 2024.

⁸UK, The National Archives, “How to look for records of…Nonconformists,” undated, museums and archives, The National Archives, accessed 22 Jul 2024.

⁹See also Morgan Nicholas J., “Lancashire Quakers and the Oath, 1660-1722,” The Journal of the Friends’ Historical Society 54, no. 5 (1980): 235–54, UK, The National Archives, “How to look for records of…Nonconformists,” undated, museums and archives, The National Archives, accessed 22 Jul 2024; Edward H Milligan and Malcom J Thomas, My Ancestors were Quakers: how can I find out more about them? 2005, digital book online, Internet Archive, accessed 22 Jul 2024.

¹⁰UK, Quakers in Britain, Library of the Society of Friends, undated, online catalogue, Quakers in Britain, accessed 22 Jul 2024.

¹¹Louis R. Mills, “Gainsborough,” last updated 9 Aug 2023, wiki, GENUKI, accessed 22 Jul 2024; Wikipedia, “Gainsborough, Lincolnshire,” last updated 27 May 2024, wiki, Wikipedia, accessed 22 Jul 2024.

¹²UK, Gainsborough Quaker Meeting, 2024, website, Quaker Meetings Network, accessed 22 Jul 2024.

¹³UK, Lincolnshire County Council, “About the Lincolnshire Archives,” 2024, museums and archives, Lincolnshire County Council, accessed 22 Jul 2024.

¹⁴Louis R. Mills, “Wainfleet St Mary,” last updated 9 Aug 2023, wiki, GENUKI, accessed 22 Jul 2024; Wikipedia, “Wainfleet St Mary,” last updated 10 Dec 2023, wiki, Wikipedia, acccessed 22 Jul 2024.

¹⁵UK, Lincolnshire County Council, “Monument record MLI90650 – Friends Meeting House and Burial Ground, Wainfleet St Mary,” 2024, website, Lincolnshire Heritage Explorer, accessed 22 Jul 2024.

ChatGPT Resources

New to my blogging style, I’m going to be sharing the resources provided by ChatGPT. Here are the resources for the Terminology section, above.

George Fox: “Journal of George Fox” (1694) – Details early Quaker practices and theological beliefs, including the rejection of traditional sacraments.

Howard Brinton: “Friends for 300 Years” (1952) – Provides an overview of Quaker beliefs and practices, including their approach to record-keeping.

John Punshon: “Portrait in Grey: A Short History of the Quakers” (1984) – Discusses Quaker theological developments and community practices, including record-keeping.

Hugh Barbour and J. William Frost: “The Quakers” (1988) – Comprehensive history of the Quakers, including their beliefs regarding baptism and their approach to community records.

Quakers in Canada

[30 Jul 2024] Thank you to Bennett McCardle for offering these links to researching more about Quakers in Canada.

Archives of Ontario, “Society of Friends (Quakers) fonds,” undated, museums and archives, Archives of Ontario, accessed 30 Jul 2024; finding aid for sixty reels of microfilm, films held at LAC.

Phelps Bell, “Quakers in Ontario,” undated, blog, Our Ancestors and Their Times, accessed 30 Jul 2024.

Pickering College, “Quakers Archives,” undated, “Our Collection,” museums and archives, Arthur Garrett Dorland Reference Library, Pickering College, accessed 30 Jul 2024; also see “History.”

York University, “Quaker Archives and Library of Canada,” undated, blog, The Public History Directory, Department of History, York University, accessed 30 Jul 2024.