The number of Wood families in Essex is sufficient to cause confusion, making it hard to match individuals
with their family. Religious affiliation can prove or disprove relationships among branches of the Wood tree, enabling the construction of family grouped sheets.
A basic knowledge of Potestantism and the laws of England that governed religious observance before 1800 provides context and guardrails that guide the placement
of individuals into households. Never forget that 30% of the Wood families of Essex were Nonconformists and that on Sundays they sat in pews.
The establishment of a state religion mandated marriages to be performed in the presence of a clergyman of the Church of England. To avoid this requirement, nonconformists married in secret. The Marriage Act of 1753 added an additional requirement that all legal marriages had to be performed in an Anglican parish church, except for Jews and Quakers. Until the Marriage Act of 1836, which made it legal for Nonconformist and Papists to marry in their own place of worship, London destination weddings were popular among nonconformists, particularly among Catholics. In London, a couple could marry in a foreign embassy in secret, and then attend an Anglican ceremony to make the marriage legal.
(The Village Wedding, Thomas Falcon Marshall)
Prior to the Act of Supremacy, England was a Catholic nation. The establishment of the Church of England as the state religion, created conflict between England and Catholicism. In the sense that the Church of England rejected the Pope in Rome, it can be described as a Protestant church. Perhaps a more accurate description is that the Church of England is the English version of Catholicism modified by the Book of Common Prayer. The Reformation culminated in a second wave of conflict in England, as Protestants dissented from both the Church of England and Catholicism. Between 1650 and 1800, the term “nonconformist” had two meanings, one broad and another narrow. The term could mean anyone who dissented from the Church of England. In the alternative, it could mean all dissenters except Catholics. Catholics were called Papists, Recusants, or Nonjurors, plus described as Popish or Romish. The Act of Tolerance in 1689 did not extend religious freedom to Catholics and Unitarians, the two remaining prohibited.
The Establishment of State Religion - King Henry VIII asserts supremacy over the Church of England.
Perscution of Protestants and Catholics - Both Nonconformist and Papists were persecuted. The Statistics of Chruch Attendance - On Sundays the Wood families of Essex before 1850 sat in pews. Meet the Nonconformists of Essex - Dissenting voices served others and prospered in their faith.
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