The Baptists were founded by an English refugee, John Smyth, in Amstrerdam in 1609. Thomas Hewlys founded the first Baptist church in England in 1612, in Newgate Street, London. They believed in adult baptism. They split into various factions with differing beliefs - the General Baptists and the Particular (or Strict) Baptists formed in 1633. The General Baptists split into the New Connexion and Old Connexion, and the latter became Unitarians. A Baptist Union in 1813 attempted to bring about co-operation between the divisions. The Particular Baptists and the New Connexion united in 1891 to form the Baptist Union of Great Britain and Ireland.

Baptists recorded the births of children and the baptism of adults. Few Baptist records survive from before 1688. There are many registers of births, baptisms and burials, but very few marriages were recorded before 1754. After 1754 Baptists had to marry in Anglican churches and so should be recorded in their registers. Baptist marriages became legal again in 1837 if a civil registrar was in attendance.

As with other non-conformist registers, those of the Baptists up to 1837 were deposited with the Registrar General and are now in the PRO at the Family Records Centre. Some pre-1837 registers were not surrendered. These and post-1837 registers are held at County Records Offices, churches, archives of the Baptist associations and Baptist Theological Colleges, or at the following archives:

• Regent's Park College, Pusey Street, Oxford (including registers previously held at the Baptist Church House in Southampton Row, London).
• The Strict Baptist Historical Society's Library, Dunstable Baptist Chapel, St Mary's Gate, Dunstable, Bedfordshire.
• The Gospel Standard Baptist Library, 5 Hove Park Gardens, Hove, East Sussex.

The following is a list of those Baptist churches in the metropolitan district of London which had seats for 400 persons and upwards, with the dates of their foundation shown thus [nnnn].

Churches marked * are not connected with the Union. Places marked ** are subordinate stations, mostly with chapels.

Source: Dickens's Dictionary of London 1888

• Acton [1865] London Baptist Association.
• Balham, Ramsden Road [1874] London Baptist Association.
• Barking Road Tabernacle [1871] London Baptist Association.
• Battersea Chapel [1797] London Baptist Association.
• Battersea, Lammas Hall, Surrey Lane [1868] London Baptist Association.
• Battersea Park Chapel [1870] London Baptist Association.
• Belle Isle [1877] London Baptist Association.
• Bermondsey, Drummond Road [1866] London Baptist Association.
• Bermondsey, Lynton Road* [1813]
• Bermondsey, Abbey Street [1878]
• Blackheath, Shooter's Hill Road [1866]
• Bloomsbury Chapel [1849] London Baptist Association.
• Moor Street, St. Giles's** [1867]
• Bow, High Street [1785] London Baptist Association.
• Bow Common, Blackthorn Street [1867] London Baptist Association.
• Brentford, N., Park Chapel [1819] Surrey and Middlesex.
• Brixton Hill, Cornwall Road [1868] London Baptist Association.
• Brixton Hill, Barrington Road [1868] London Baptist Association.
• Brixton Hill, New Park Road [1840] London Baptist Association.
• Brockley [1867] London Baptist Association.
• Brockley, Creek Road [1877]
• Brompton, Onslow Chapel [1852] London Baptist Association.
• Bromley & Poplar Tabernacle [1856] London Baptist Association.
• Brondesbury [1879]
• Camberwell, Denmark Place [1823] London Baptist Association.
• Camberwell, Cottage Green [1854] London Baptist Association.
• Camberwell, Charles Street [1835] London Baptist Association.
• Camberwell Gate [1833] London Baptist Association.
• Camden Road [1857] London Baptist Association.
• Castle Street, Oxford Street [1859] London Baptist Association.
• Chalk Farm, Berkley Road [1866] London Baptist Association.
• Chelsea, Lower Sloane Street [1814] London Baptist Association.
• Child's Hill [1877] London Baptist Association.
• Clapham Common [1787] London Baptist Association.
• Clapton, Downs Chapel [1869] London Baptist Association.
• Clerkenwell, Chadwell Street* [1851] Metropolitan.
• Clerkenwell, Wilderness Row* [1865]
• Commercial Road [1653] General Baptist and London Baptist Association.
• Dalston, Queen's Road* [1852]
• Dalston Junction [1871] London Baptist Association.
• Deptford, Octavius Street [1863] London Baptist Association.
• Deptford, New Cross Road* [1842] Metropolitan.
• Dulwich, East [1871] London Baptist Association.
• Ealing Dean [1864] London Baptist Association.
• East London Tabernacle [1858] London Baptist Association.
• Edgware Road, Church Street [1831] General Baptist & London Baptist Association.
• Edgware Road, John Street [1800] London Baptist Association.
• Edgware Road, Shouldham Street [1870] Metropolitan.
• Enfield Highway*, Totteridge Road [1868] London Baptist Association.
• Finchley, North [1868] London Baptist Association.
• Finsbury*, Eldon Street [1823]
• Golden Lane and Hoxton [1864] London Baptist Association.
• Gower Street, Euston Square [1820]
• Greenwich, Lewisham Road [1838] London Baptist Association.
• Greenwich, South Street [1859] London Baptist Association.
• Gunnersbury*, Trinity [1874]
• Hackney, Mare Street [1798] London Baptist Association.
• Hackney, Lauriston Road [1825]
• Hampstead, Heath Street [1862] London Baptist Association.
• Hatcham, Lausanne Road [1871] London Baptist Association.
• Henrietta Street, Brunswick Square [1817] London Baptist Association.
• Highgate Road [1878] London Baptist Association.
• Highbury Hill [1871] London Baptist Association.
• Hill Street*, Dorset Square [1827] Metropolitan.
• Holloway, Upper [1868] London Baptist Association.
• Hornsey Rise, Sunnyside Road [1871] London Baptist Association.
• Ilford, High Street [1801]
• Islington, Cross Street [1840] London Baptist Association.
• Islington, Salters' Hall, Baxter Road [1821] London Baptist Association.
• John Street, Bedford Row [1818] London Baptist Association.
• Kennington Lane, Upper [1864] London Baptist Association.
• Kensington Tabernacle* [1870] London Baptist Association.
• Kensington, Addison Park [1848] Metropolitan.
• Keppel Street [1795] Metropolitan.
• Kilburn*, Canterbury Road [1865] London Baptist Association.
• King's Cross Road, Arthur Street [1646] London Baptist Association.
• King's Cross Road, Vernon Chapel [1860] London Baptist Association.
• Kingsgate Street, Hollborn [1735] London Baptist Association.
• Lambeth, Regent Street [1819]
• Lambeth, Upton Chapel [1783] London Baptist Association.
• Lee, High Road [1855] London Baptist Association.
• Leyton [1876] London Baptist Association.
• Leytonstone [1878] London Baptist Association.
• Leytonstone Road [1875] London Baptist Association.
• Little Wild Street, W.C. [1691] London Baptist Association.
• Metropolitan Tabernacle [1719] London Baptist Association.
• New North Road*, Wilton Square [1857]
• Norwood, Lower, Chatsworth Road [1878] London Baptist Association.
• Norwood, Lower, Gipsy Road, [1882] London Baptist Association.
• Norwood, Upper [1852] London Baptist Association.
• Notting Hill, Cornwall Road [1865] London Baptist Association.
• Notting Hill, West London Tabernacle [1864]
• Old Kent Road, Maze Pond Chapel* [1692]
• Oxford Street, Soho Chapel [1825] Metropolitan.
• Paddington, Westbourne Park [1877] General Baptist and London Baptist Association.
• Paddington, Praed Street [1834] General Baptist and London Baptist Association.
• Paddington, Bosworth Road** [1878]
• Peckham, Park Road [1854] London Baptist Association.
• Peckham, Rye Lane [1819] London Baptist Association.
• Penge, Maple Road [1866] London Baptist Association.
• Pimlico, Westbourne Street* [1830] Metropolitan.
• Poplar, Cotton Street [1811] London Baptist Association.
• Putney*, Ravenna Road [1859]
• Regent's Park Chapel [1855] London Baptist Association.
• Shepherd's Bush* [1868]
• Shoreditch Tabernacle [1835] London Baptist Association.
• Southwark, Borough Road [1674] London Baptist Association.
• Borough, Trinity Street* [1877]
• Spencer Place, Goswell Road [1815] London Baptist Association.
• Stepney*, Whitehorse Street [1824]
• Stockwell Chapel [1866] London Baptist Association.
• Stoke Newington Road [1638]
• Stratford, Carpenter's Road [1877] London Baptist Association.
• Stratford, The Grove [1854] London Baptist Association.
• Surrey Tabernacle
• Sydenham [1858] London Baptist Association.
• Tottenham, High Road [1827] London Baptist Association.
• Tottenham, West Green [1869] London Baptist Association.
• Victoria Docks* [1871] London Baptist Association.
• Victoria Park, Grove Road [1868] London Baptist Association.
• Victoria Park, Parnell Road [1858] London Baptist Association.
• Waltham Abbey, Paradise Row [1729] London Baptist Association & Essex.
• Walthamstow, Boundary Road [1876] London Baptist Association & Essex.
• Walthamstow, Wood Street [1851] London Baptist Association.
• Walworth, East Street [1791] Metropolitan.
• Walworth Road [1805] London Baptist Association.
• Wandsworth, East Hill [1859] London Baptist Association.
• Wandsworth Road [1873] London Baptist Association.
• Westbourne Green [1823] London Baptist Association.
• Westminster, Romney Street [1866] London Baptist Association.
• Whitechapel, Commercial Street [1633] London Baptist Association.
• Whitechapel, *Little Alie Street [1753]
• Whitechapel, Zoar Chapel [1865]
• Woodberry Down, Finsbury Park [1883]