Monday, January 31, 2011

Robert Blake at Penton Mewsey

I gave more thought to the entries at Penton Mewsey for baptisms with father Robert Blake. The baptism of Thomas in July 1714 and then the baptism of John in February 1714. John is just two weeks old when he is baptized but no idea of the age of Thomas. The child next in age to Thomas is Edward baptized in 1711. Since Sacheverell is such an unusual name I rather think that we have the right Robert and the right John. With John being the John Blake at Abbotts Ann writing his will and remembering his nephew Sacheverell (amongst others)  and his sister Elizabeth married to Joseph Russell. The Russell family name is interesting as the mother of John was then Elizabeth Russell.

I heard from a Blake researcher that I had had conversation with about three years ago and she is getting set to retire and keen to follow her Blake ancestry. She mentioned finding reference to a marriage between Elizabeth Blake and Joseph Russell at Kings Somborne plus the baptism of a son Luke. I mentioned to my new Blake researchers to see if they would have a chance to pursue that lead since I do not have access to Kings Somborne parish registers. We will see if they are able to do that.

I continued with the Upper Clatford Parish Registers and completed the marriages with there being 170 up to 1724. I am now recording the burials and again the beginning of the register is excellent for transcribing.

I am trying to decide if I should begin transcribing the Blake wills now in between transcribing. I have so much information on the Blake family now in great lists and flat files that if there is a link that I can followup I will be able to do so. I will be transcribing the earliest wills working my way up to the 1700s and 1800s as I continue to transcribe the registers. I am now keen to begin Abbotts Ann registers as well. I will finish the Upper Clatford registers first though just to have them complete. It is after all my grandfather's parish.

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Horatio Henry Millin

A new cousin has been found when I transcribed the will of William Millin the husband of Elizabeth Beard (sister to my 3x great grandmother Mary Beard who was married to Christy Buller). Horatio was born 12 Oct 1810 and baptized 11 Nov 1810 at St Saviour, Bermondsey. He married Martha Wood 29 Jul 1832 at St Mary Magdalen, Bermondsey and thus far I have found seven children. The names of the daughters are interesting - Martha Mary and Emma. This is the second set in this generation using the names Martha and Emma. In my Buller family there is Martha Sarah and Emma Hemsley. The Hemsley is easy as that was the maiden name of Henry Beard (father of both Elizabeth and Mary (as well as Sarah))'s first wife Elizabeth Hemsley.

Looking at the early Beard families in St Mary Magdalen parish register the wifes have names Martha, Emma, Sarah and Ann. Is there a clue here to help us find the parents of Henry Beard? Will all of this searching on collateral lines lead to information on Christy Buller who was born around 1764 but no idea yet where or to whom. In William Millin's will he is being entrusted with executorship of a large sum of money. Actually Christy is buried in 1832 when Henry Horatio is just 22 years old so Horatio would have just obtained his majority when Christy died.

I need to try to find a burial for Elizabeth Millin and did find one in 1853 at Rotherhithe St Mary, Southwark, Surrey, England. I couldn't find a will though for her or for Horatio Henry Millin.

I spent some time trying to locate Christy (Christopher perhaps) Buller's baptism and marriage to Mary Beard but no luck yet.

I trranscribed the will of William Millin which proved to be rather interesting.
1    In the Name of God Amen I
2    William Millin of Three Hammer Alley Saint Edouard's Broadway in
3    the Borough of Southwark in the County of Surr[e]y Cooper being weak in
4    body but of sound mind memory and understanding blessed be God for the
5    same do make this my last Will and Testament in manner and form following
6    that is to say I commit my body to the Earth to be decently buried at the
7    discretion of my Executor hereinafter named and touching such worldly Estate as
8    it hath pleased Almighty God in his goodness to bestow upon me gave and
9    dispose thereof as follows I give and bequeath unto my dear Wife Elizabeth Millin
10    all my household furniture linen plate china wearing apparel ready money
11    Stock in trade debts and all other my Effects which shall be found in and upon
12    my dwellinghouse shop and premises situate in three Hammor alley aforesaid
13    at the time of my decease to and for her own absolute use and benefit  she
14    my said wife paying thereout all my just debts funeral expenses and the
15    charges of proving this my Will and Where there is now standing in my
16    name in the books of the Governor and Company of the bank of England
17    the sum of two hundred and fifty pounds three per cent consolidated bank
    [Page 2]
18    annuities  I do give devise and bequeath the same unto my friend Christy
19    Buller of Three Hammer Alley aforesaid Slop Cutter Upon __ue in the first place
20    to sell assign and transfer the sum of fifty pounds part thereof unto my said dear
21    Wife to and for her own absolute use and benefit And afterwards to pay to or
22    otherwise to permit and suffer my said dear Wife to receive the Interest and
23    dividends of the residue of the residue of the said sum of two hundred and
24    fifty pounds as and where the same shall become due and payable until my
25    son John Millin by my former Wife shall attain the age of twenty one years and
26    upon his attaining that age then to sell assign and transfer the further Sum of
27    one hundred pounds other part of the said Sum of two hundred and fifty pounds
28    three percent consolidated bank annuities unto my said Son John Millin to
29    and for his own absolute use and benefit and afterwards upon further trust to
30    permit and suffer my said dear Wife to receive the Interest and dividents of the
31    remaining __er of one hundred pounds three percent consolidated bank
32    annuities as the same shall become due and payable until my second son Horatio
33    Henry Millin by my said dear Wife Elizabeth shall attain his age of twenty one years
34    and then upon trust to sell assign and transfer the said remaining sum of one
35    hundred pounds being the residue of the said Sum of two hundred and fifty pounds
36    three per cent consolidated bank annuities unto my said Son Horatio Henry to
37    and for his own absolute use and benefit but in case my said Son John Millin should
38    happen to depart this life before he ataine the age of twenty one years then my
39    mind and will is and I hereby direct that the said one hundred pounds Stock
40    given and bequeathed to him as aforesaid shall go to and belong to my said Son
41    Horatio Henry raised in case unpaid heirs John Millin and Horatio Henry Millin shall die before they attain their respective ages of twenty
42    One years then my mind and will is and thereby direct the said Christy Buller
43    to pay assign and transfer the said two hundred pounds Stock unto my said dear
44    Wife to and for own absolute use and benefit and I hereby nominate constitute
45    and appoint my said dear friend the said Christy Buller sole Executor of this my
    will and I hereby revoke all former and other wills by me at any time heretofore
46    made and declare this only to be my last Will and Testament In witness whereof I
47    the said William Millin the Testator have re this my last Will and Testament
48    contained in two sheets of paper set my hand and seal that is to say to the first
49    sheet thereof my hand and to the second and last sheet thereof my hand and seal
50    this twenty sixth day of March in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred
51    and twelve Wm Millin (seal) Signed Sealed published and declared by the within
52    named William Millin the Testator as and for his last Will and Testament in
53    the presence of use who in his presence at his request and in the presence of each
54    other have hereunto subscribed our names as witnesses thereof  Jn: Rippon [signed]
55    att[orne]y at Law Southwark Isaac Foster [signed]
56    Proved at London 6th May 1812 before the w[ors]hipful John Daubery Doctor of Laws
57    and Surrogate by the Oath of Christy Buller the sole Ex[ecut]or to whom admon was
58    granted having been first sworn duly to administer.

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Beard family of St Mary Magdalen

My cousin who lives still in the Bermondsey area where St Mary Magdalen is located wrote to me by email today with a surprise. He had found a marriage of a Henry Beard and a Margaret Cope at St Mary Newington, Bermondsey in 1744. Ann Margaret Beard widow (80 years old) was buried in 1797 at St Mary Magdalen. She lived on Grange Road which is the same street that the Henry Beard/Elizabeth Hemsley family was living on when Elizabeth was buried in 1780 but Henry Beard was buried from Lion Court which is actually not very far away from Grange Road. She was a widow and her dob was approximately 1717 given her 80 years. She would be old enough to be the mother of Henry Beard married to Elizabeth Hemsley. He was approximately 54 when he was buried in 1795 making his dob 1741. One item that perplexes me about the Beard family at St Mary Magdalen is the number of families there in the early 1700s - William, Edward, John are all there with families and living near Five Foot Lane as well as closer to Long Lane. They were felt mongers and then tanners. William's son Henry was buried in 1716.

There was a Henry Beard born to Edward and Ann Beard in 1712 that is a possibility for the Henry Beard marrying Margaret Cope at St Mary Newington. But is the father of Henry Beard married to Elizabeth Hemsley "Henry"? It would be nice to determine that. Henry does not mention any sons in his will; Henry does not mention Margaret Beard and if his mother was still living I think I would have expected him to do so. I think the information is helpful in understanding the Beard family and one of my projects for the future is to extract all the Beard entries from the register at St Mary Magdalen. I looked through the years from 1740 to 1748 today extracting all the entries but no record of a Henry Beard son of Henry Beard baptized there.

There is a Henry Bard married to Elizabeth Clap at St Mary Newington in 21 Dec 1729 and sometimes this name has been confused with Beard although usually on the part of the transcriber. It is actually written as Bard in the register in this case.

The will of Henry Beard


Date: 11 Oct 2009
Document: Will
Source: The National Archives # 44
Date of document: 16 September 1795
Author: Henry Beard
Relationship: 4x great grandfather
Location: Bermondsey Street, Bermondsey, Southwark, London, England
Document quality: 18th century English, blotched but writing fairly legible

[In margin] Henry Beard
1    In the Name of God Amen
2    I Henry Beard of Bermondsey Street in the parish of
3    Saint Mary Magdalen Southwark in the County of Surr[e]y
4    Tanner being weak in body but of sound and disposing
5    Mind Memory and understanding do make publish and declare
6    this my last will and Testament in manner and form
7    following first I recommend my Soul into the hands of
8    Almighty God who gave it and my body I commit to the
9    earth to be decently and frugally interred at the discretion
10    of my Executors herein after named and to all my worldly
11    Estate whatsoever and where so ever where with it may
12    please God to bless me being all personal I give devise
13    and bequeath the same after payment of my funeral
14    expences the expence of proving this my will and all
15    my just debt as herein after is mentioned (that is to say)
16    I Give unto my Dear Wife Jane Beard the use of the
17    whole of my household Goods plate linen China furniture
18    and utensils what soever which shall be in my
19    dwelling house at the time of my death To hold use
20    occupy and possess the same during her life and from
21    and immediately after her death I direct that the
22    same be disposed of by my Executors herein after
23    named for the most money that can be reasonably
24    gotten for the same and that the produce thereof be
25    equally divided between my three daughters Mary
26    Buller the wife of Christy Buller Elizabeth Beard and
27    Sarah Beard share and share alike and in case any
28    one or more of my said Children shall die in the life
29    time of my said Wife Jane Beard then I direct
30    that the money arising from such disposal of my
31    said household Goods plate linen China furniture and
32    utensils be equally divided between such of them as
33    shall be living at the time of her decease to and
34    for their own sole and separate use and benefit and
35    I also Give and bequeath unto my said Wife Jane
36    Beard and to my said daughters Mary Buller the wife
37    of Christy Buller Elizabeth Beard and Sarah Beard the sum
38    of five Guineas each for mourning and I Give unto
39    Thomas Rippon of Bermondsey new road in the parish
40    of Saint Mary Magdalen in the County of Surrey afores[ai]d
41    Gentleman and Joseph Freeman of Grange Walk in the parish
42    of Saint Mary Magdalen in the County of Surrey aforesaid
43    Leather factors my Executors herein after named the sum of
44    ten pounds each for the trouble they may have in
45    the execution of this my will and in the performing the
    [Page 2]
46    Trusts hereby in them reposed and all the rest
47    residue and remainder of my Goods Chattells Stock in
48    Trade book _olts Estate and effects of what nature or kind
49    Soever not herein before given or bequeathed I give
50    and bequeath unto the said Thomas Rippon and
51    Joseph Freeman (To hold to them the said Thomas Rippon and Joseph Freeman) their Executors Administrators and assigns
52    upon this Special Trust and confidence nevertheless (that is to say)
53    that they said Thomas Rippon and Joseph Freeman these
54    Executors or Administrators do and shall as soon as
55    convenient after my death sell and dispose thereof and
56    call in and receive all such debts sum and sums of
57    money as shall be due and owing to me at the
58    time of my decease either from my partnership made
59    with George Cader of Bermondsey Street in the parish
60    of Saint Mary Magdalen in the County of Surrey
61    aforesaid Tanner or from any other person or persons
62    whom soever and place the monies arising by such
63    sale or disposal and the monies so to be called in
64    and received upon government or other good and
65    sufficient security in their own interest and in such
66    interests as they shall think proper and also with
67    Trust that they do and shall receive the Interest
68    and Dividends thereof from time to time as the
69    same shall become payable and pay the same unto
70    my said dear Wife Jane Beard for and during the
71    term of her natural life provided she does not
72    intermarry with any other husband after my decease
73    and from and immediately after the decease to pay
74    assign transfer and convey all and every such said
74    and sums of money so to be placed out and
76    invested by the said Thomas Rippon and Joseph
77    Freeman upon Government or other good security or
78    securities unto and amongst my said daughters Mary
79    Buller the wife of Christy Buller Elizabeth Beard
80    and Sarah Beard share and share alike to and for
81    their own use and benefit and in case any or
82    other of my said daughters shall depart this life
83    in the life time of my said wife Jane Beard
84    then in Trust to pay assign transfer and receive
85    the part or share of such deceased child or
86    children unto such other or others of my said children
87    as shall be living at the time of the decease
88    of my said wife Jane Beard in equal proportion
89    but that if my said Wife Jane Beard shall marry
90    any husband in future then the Trust to pay assign
91    transfer and convey one fourth part of the money
92    So to be placed out upon Government or other
93    Securities unto my said Wife Jane Beard to and
94    for her own sole use and benefit and also In
95    Trust to pay assign transfer and convey the remaining
96    three fourth parts or shares of the said moneys
    to be placed out as aforesaid unto and among
97    [Page 3]
98    My said three daughters Mary Buller the wife of Christy
99    Buller Elizabeth Beard and Sarah Beard in equal shares
100    and proportions to and for their own use and
101    benefit and in case any or other of my said dau[ghte]rs
102    shall happen to die in the life time of my said
103    wife Jane Beard leaving issue of her or their body
104    or bodies lawfully begotten then In Trust to pay
105    assign transfer and convey the part or share of
106    such deceased child or children unto such her and their
107    issue share and share alike (if more than one)
108    when and so soon as they shall severally and respectively
109    attain their several and respective ages of twenty
110    one years and to pay and apply the Interest dividends
111    and produce thereof in the mean time for and
112    towards their respective maintenance and education
113    but in case one or more of my said daughters
114    shall happen to die without leaving issue of her or
115    their bodies lawfully begotten then the Trust to pay
116    assign transfer and convey the part of share of such
117    deceased child or children unto such other child or
118    Children as shall be living at the time of the dece[ase]
119    of my said Wife Jane Beard and I do hereby
120    empower and direct my said Trustees to pay assign
121    transfer and convey the same accordingly and I do
122    authorize and empower my said Trustees from time to
123    time as often as they shall think proper to alter and
124    change the securities or which the said residue of
125    my Estate and effects shall hereafter be placed out
126    and from time to time as often as they shall
127    think fit again to place the same upon Government
128    or such other good and sufficient security or securities
129    as they shall think proper and I do thereby
130    authorize and empower my said Trustees to apply
131    the respective part or share of any or other of my
132    said Children who shall so happen to die in the life
133    time of my said wife Jane Beard leaving
134    issue lawfully begotten for putting any or other of them
135    out to Business or any suitable employ or for setting
136    him her or them up in Business or advancing him
137    her or them respectively in any employ or otherwise
138    or his heires their  administrators ______ advancement if this would by marriage otherwise
139    ^ how soever any thing in this my will contained to
140    the contrary thereof in any wise notwithstanding
141    and it is my Will and meaning that my said
142    Trustees or other of them shall not be liable to
143    answer or make good any loss of losses that shall
144    or may happen to the aforesaid residue of my
145    Estate and effects in placing out the trust monies
146    according to the directions in this my will or in the
147    transacting any money affairs or otherwise relating to
148    or concerning the execution of the Trusts mentioned
149    in this my will unless the same shall appear to
150    happen by or through their or other of their
    [Page 4]
151    wilful neglect or default nor shall either of them my
152    said Trustees be answerable or accountable for the
153    acts deeds receipts or disbursements of the other of them
154    but each of them shall be answerable only for his
155    own separate acts deeds receipts and disbursements and
156    I do hereby direct that my said Trustees shall and
157    may pay and reimburse themselves and himself out of
158    the aforesaid residue of my Estate and effects all
159    reasonable and necessary costs charges and expences
160    what soever that they or either of them shall or
161    may bear pay be put into or sustain in or about
162    the creation of this my Will or the trusts hereby in
163    them reposed and Lastly I do hereby nominate constitute
164    and appoint my said Trustees the said Thomas Rippon
165    and Joseph Freeman Executors of this my last Will and
166    Testament and do hereby revoke and make void all former
167    and other will and wills by me at any time hereto
168    fore made and do declare this to be my last will and
169    Testament In witness whereof I the said Henry Beard
170    the Testator have to this my last Will and Testament
171    contained in three sheets of paper set my mark and
172    Seal (that is to say) to the first two sheets thereof
173    my mark and to this third and last sheet my
174    mark and Seal this sixteenth day of September in
175    the year of our Lord One thousand seven hundred
176    and ninety five [The mark] + [of Henry Beard] [Seal] Signed
177    Sealed published and declared by the said Henry Beard
178    the Testator as and for his last Will and Testament in
179    the presence of us who in his presence at his
180    request and in the presence of each other have
181    there unto subscribed our marks as witnesses [signed] James
182    Hopton [signed] Jno Rippon
183    This Will was proved at London the twenty
184    Third day of January in the year of our Lord One
185    Thousand seven hundred and ninety six before the w[or]shipful
186    Thomas Champion Crespigny Doctor of Laws Surrogate of
187    the Right Hon[oura]ble Sir William Wynne Knight also Doctor of
188    Laws Master Keeper or Commissary of the Perogative Court
189    of Canterbury lawfully constituted by the oathes of Thomas
190    Rippon and Joseph Freeman the Executors named in the
191    said Will to whom Administration was Granted of all and
192    singular the Goods Chattels and Credits of the deceased
193    having been first Sworn duly to administer.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Carter family at Upper Clatford and Andover

The Carter family at Upper Clatford and Andover has interested me for awhile because I have at least one marriage and possibly two into this family. One of them is likely a daughter of the Carter family at Andover.

Thomas King married Mary Carter 10 Jan 1728 at Upper Clatford and I am not sure of Mary Carter's parents or where she was born. The marriage lines state that they are both of this parish. There are at least four Carter families at Upper Clatford in the early to mid 1660s - Thomas, Henery, Michaell and John. However by the late 1600s there is Thomas only but no daughter Mary in the IGI. The Register is becoming more difficult to read  by the 1670s and continues thus into the early 1700s. Perhaps I will find a Mary hidden away in there somewhere that was missed in the IGI. On the other hand there are at least half of a dozen Carter families at Andover and there are Marys the right age there. The wills of the Carter family might help me and I have collected all those as well. Gyles Carter in 1675 at Andover, Richard Carter in 1684 at Andover, Robert Carter in 1725 at Andover, John Carter in 1780 at Andover, and Mary Carter widow in 1828 at Andover. These were all at the National Archives in Kew. There are other wills for Carter family members at Upper Clatford namely John Carter in 1732 and Thomas Carter in 1732. Robert Carter in 1732 leaves a will at Andover and the last three are from the Hampshire Record office. I need to purchase the Carter wills at Upper Clatford.

Once I have transcribed all these registers then I will work on the wills. It is so much easier when I know the families through the baptisms to work on the wills I find. There is still a Carter family at Upper Clatford in the 1900s with a will for George Carter farmer. On the 1911 Census he is living at Eastbury House in Upper Clatford.

Continuing on with the Upper Clatford Parish Registers and as of the end of 1670 there are 688 baptisms. Considering I have all the baptisms up to 1970 this is going to be a very large file when complete. Although we drove around Upper Clatford somewhat it did not seem like that large a village but looking at the map we only skirted around the outside going to the Church and then continuing on the road to Goodworth Clatford. Looking at the village in Google Maps reveals a fairly large village surrounded by farmland except to the north where Andover is located on the other side of the highway which runs between the two. There was a copse of trees to the north of the village which blocked the highway and Andover from view. It was an extremely quiet village considering the main highway was so close.

I would like to visit Upper Clatford again one day and actually walk on some of the streets and climb Bury Hill if that is possible. My grandfather used to describe the village to me and the Bury Hill so I am keen to look at it more closely. The Church was most interesting and the centre of the community I think. It was very busy the day that we were there with a number of people inside. It was amazing being there actually. The next time we are there I shall miss my cousins very much as they were with us last time and Ivan passed away this past year. This time it will be my husband and myself.

Thinking of going to England we also want to go to Norfolk and visit Aylmerton, East Runton, Sherringham where his Abbs line originated. His Mary Abbs came to Canada in about 1832/33 with her parents William Abbs and Martha Chapman as a child of 13/14 years of age. Finding her last year was one of my husbands "great events" in that he had been searching for her for awhile - a Eureka moment!

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

New Style and Old Style

Interesting that the priests at Upper Clatford elected to use the New Style of Calendar 100 + years earlier. However the latest priest has decided to return to the Old Style. I think I will go through and use the normal old style dating in the entire file up to the change in 1752 otherwise it is confusing to look at.

The latest priest has mentioned at the top of his page that the new style was used but he is using old style. A few new families at Upper Clatford now but most of the older families remain. I have now reached 1657 with 566 baptisms to the end of 1656. The Hearth Tax Assessment list for 1665 is proving to be quite a bit of help with Upper Clatford and almost all of the names on the list are occurring in the baptismal register. This register is different in that the baptisms, marriages and burials are kept separate from the beginning. In general I have found that they were all mixed together in the earliest registers with the priest entering events as they occurred one after the other.

Thus far there has been one Blake baptisms and I had forgotten about the Carter family as my King ancestor married Mary Carter. They too are here in the Register now. Thomas Carter appears on the Hearth Tax Assessment list. We find Thomas Carter son of Thomas Carter baptized 21 May 1643 but there are two other Carter families there as well with Henery and Michael as heads of families. I must admit to not quite understanding the Hearth Tax as it lists people who pay and people who do not pay. I assume that some people do not have an "internal" hearth but rather have a cooking shed which doesn't qualify and so they are not listed in the Hearth Tax roll. Thus far in my abstraction of the Hearth Tax rolls I have for Carter:



Charlton 437
Carter Giles
Upper Clatford 442
Carter Thomas
Abbotts Ann 443
Carter widow
Penton Mewsey 446
Carter mister
East Dean 461
Carter widow  


As I continue to abstract the information I will have a wider picture of the Carter family. Giles Carter appears to be the wealthiest and I know that he has a Grocery/Linen Shop in Andover by his will. 

I have continued to read about the 23rd Regiment of Foot and have now reached the end of the American Revolution. George Lywood who served has still not yet been born but he is baptized in 1786 and by 1807 is in the 23rd Regiment of Foot which set sail for Halifax before going to the Peninsular Wars. It is quite fascinating to read the yearly accounts of the regiment as it traveled across England into Scotland and Ireland as well as its various travels in Europe and then America.It is pretty heavy with military details and assignments but I prefer non-fiction writing so suits me well.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Upper Clatford Priests

When we visited Upper Clatford in 2008 we took a picture of the list of priests and I have inserted the copy below.


Date of InstitutionSurnameForename
c1160-1173
Robert
1292SheppeyJohn
~of SherborneJohn
1340of StokeWilliam
1349of LeverWilliam
~PackerRichard
1394DavyRichard
1396RychemondWalter
~LudlowThomas
1459DeaconThomas
1462WarnerJohn
~NevilleJohn
1494
William
1511BrownsmithJohn
1524BarnackeRalph
~GriceRichard
1528FallowfieldJohn
1554TintonThomas
1564Gatenby (or Gatenbie)Anthony
1610SamborneJames
1627HookeWilliam
1632SamborneThomas
1652BarkerPhilip
1662Earbury (or Eastbury)Anthony
1669CroftsJoseph
1709TerryPeter
1727PrettyWilliam
1748RomanWilliam
1782Gibbs (or Gibbes)George
1783WillisThomas
1830FromdEdward
1863ChildThomas
1882ChildAlfred
1887BoydJohn William
1891AngelsmithFrancis Angel
1892NoakesArthur John
1913BenthamWalter Reid
1948In suspension
1949BridleReginald
1952In suspension
1954BrowneClement Innes
1959PigottJohn Hammond
1965RichardsonJack Cyril
1977GrahamAlan Robert
1985TristramMichael Anthony
1993GilksPeter Martin
1999BroadDavid Nicholas Anthony

Anthony Gatenbie (Rector from 1564 on) must have started the registers in 1571 and they were incredibly well kept up until the early 1600s by which time one would think he was quite elderly. He has however decided that the new year begins January 1 irreguardless of what the remainder of the country is doing. However James Samborne becomes Rector in 1610 and keeps the records not quite so well but details are there and readable until 1620 regularly and then sporadically to 1625. He goes with the old style of dating with Lady Day in March beginning the New Year (around March 25). The next Rector William Hooke in 1627 does not make a single entry and the entries do not begin again until 1632 when Thomas Samborne becomes Rector. Five years seems like a long time between events so one is left to surmise that he simply didn't keep any records or they are lost. Now in the 1630s the records are again quite legible and thus far appear to be well kept. Thomas has decided to go with January 1 as the beginning of the year. Neither Anthony Gatenbie nor Thomas Samborne mark the date as oldstyle/newstyle ie. 1616/1617 for January 1 to Lady Day (March 25 approximately). This is the first time that I have had the parish records thus kept being most familiar with the Old Style prior to 1752.

I have now reached 355 baptisms as of the end of 1634. There are no Blake entries thus far but I will encounter the first Blake entry in 1635 which is Annis Blake daughter John Blake baptized 28 Dec 1635. I know there is a will by Mary Blake in 1672 stating that she lived at Upper Clatford and had a daughter Dorothy married to Edward Walderne and a son William Blake. That is the sum of the knowledge about the Blake family at Upper Clatford prior to 1757 when my line is found there. However, I do recall that Peter Blake was left a farm at Upper Clatford although I must check that as it is coming from memory!

There are 78 images in total for these parish records commencing in 1570 and ending in 1724. I almost didn't purchase them as I knew my Blake line was at Andover until 1757 but there were only two fiche and it seemed silly not to have the complete set. I am very pleased now that I did do so because when I ordered them I didn't know that my King family existed and they are at Upper Clatford from the beginning of the Registers. Now are they my direct line? That is a good question and working through the fiche might help me with that. I also have the Beaver, Coleman and the Johnson family at Upper Clatford also discovered much later. I will always purchase all early fiche now when I do so as I neglected to do so at Kimpton and must order those earlier registers.

I have now decided to purchase Quarley, Longparish, Monxton and a couple of other parishes in the next couple of months. Likely I will also purchase Weyhill, Wherwell, Chilbolton, Fyfield, Tangley at some point in the future. Eventually I will probably have all of the parishes around Andover and will have captured all the Blake records in the area prior to 1700 (at least all the ones in the registers :) ).

















































































































































Monday, January 24, 2011

Penton Mewsey Transcription submitted to OPC Hampshire

I have now submitted the transcription for Penton Mewsey to the OPC Hampshire site. I will also put a link on my website to the excel file. I decided to deal with the secondary transcription by the priest in 1710 (of the record from 1673 to 1710) by adding in a second fiche reference with a short note detailing any changes from the original record. In some cases this information was quite helpful but will leave it with those using the information to determine whether rerecording the information 40 years later was helpful or not. In total the Penton Mewsey records include now 896 baptisms, 197 marriages, 618 burials, and 26 banns. The Penton Mewsey records are not on the IGI so may prove useful to researchers in this area. I also included a list of the people on the 1655 Hearth Tax Assessment at Penton Mewsey but do not know if that can be included on the site. One of the reasons for stepping down from Hampshire Genuki was not knowing UK copyright law with regard to "fair usage" and just how much is fair usage. I would not have liked to compromise the Genuki site by placing information on line that was not permitted there.

I will now continue with transcription of the Upper Clatford register. This one is my family's parish from 1757 on but I am curious about the earlier records and whether they might indicate any connection between John Blake malster at Abbotts Ann who leaves money to the church at Upper Clatford in his will. Why did he do that? The Upper Clatford parish registers begin in 1571 and the copy is fairly clear up to 1600 when a new priest begins and his handwriting is  not quite so clear but the process is moving along. I now have 267 baptisms by the end of 1606. The years 1607 and 1608 appear to be missing. This certainly gives evidence to the historical fact that most people lived in rural areas in England until the Industrial Revolution. Upper Clatford continues to be a small village south of Andover in Hampshire. The population in 1911 was 655. There were in 1665 63 heads of household on the Hearth Tax Summary (assuming five per household would yield a population of 315).

I also completed the powerpoint slides of our trip to Europe (523 slides in total) and it is ready to now show to our family. They have started to ask about it and we have been negligent in  not getting it together to show to them although the time has been extremely busy this past couple of months. The -30 degree celsius weather here is certainly conducive to working on such items. It looks beautiful out there but the temperature is quite deadly for any long length of time. The two dogs stayed with us for the weekend and the sheltie and I spent about twenty minutes at a time outside with my wrapping him up in a warm fleece when we came in and warming up his paws. He had a great time though charging all over the yard. You would have thought there was a herd of sheep out there the way that the snow is pounded down!

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Proofreading Penton Mewsey Parish Registers

The task of proofreading Penton Mewsey Parish Registers is almost complete. I have decided that I will enter any changes by the priest who subsequently rewrote part of the Register in 1710 as * notes. It is a second derivative copy since he copied it and then I copied his. Making a note of changes recognizes his work and since he did it less than 20 years later is a valuable addition to the Register.

I have decided to step back a little from the Blake results until I have completed all the Parish Registers. It will be a portrayal of what is there and I must mow purchase Longparish, Quarley and a few others since they are coming up constantly in the registers. I may yet find the marriage of John and Elizabeth Blake in 1684 or perhaps 1683. Her surname would be nice to have.

Other than that we have chosen all of the pictures to go in our European presentation. We managed to pare the five thousands pictures down to 500 that we really felt best depicted our trip from start to finish. I am busy putting them into Powerpoint in order to show them to our children. Usually we just show them the 5000 but really that is a lot of pictures and better to have 500 nicely labeled and spend a few  minutes on each one. It has been really easy as we already made up a list of the pictures (all named) so that I can just cut and paste.

My new Blake correspondents will be really nice to have. They are not searching my line at least not at the moment - one never knows as one reaches back in time. Our families come together in the will of John Blake in terms of his naming his heirs. Are they related? How are they related? Having the same surname Blake may not mean a direct relationship given that we now know there are at least five absolutely separate lines. There are probably more but only time will pull that information out of the woodwork.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Robert Blake at Penton Mewsey

An interesting find in the Penton Mewsey Register is the baptism of John Blake 22 Feb 1714 (born 14 Feb 1714) to Robert Blake and unfortunately the priest does not give the mother's maiden name which would have been most helpful in this case. This is the second child baptized to a Robert Blake at Penton Mewsey with the first having been Sacheverell. This puts an enormous hole in the thought that I had of the Robert Blake of Andover being the Robert Blake at Abbotts Ann. Not that he couldn't be but the Sacheverell name that passed into the Charles Blake family did not come from the Robert Blake and Elizabeth Russell family necessarily. There is another Robert Blake at Penton Mewsey but who is he?

Looking at the 1665 Hearth Tax at Penton Mewsey there are the following heads of household:


Surname Forename Status
Beare
widow
Blake John
Carter
mister
Cradock
widow
Crouch John
Crowch John
Crowch Thomas
Dalby Thomas
Fray David
Grace John
Grace Robert
Hellier John
Hellier John
Knowles Henry
Knowles John
Lancaster Thomas
Lewis John
Moncke John
Mundy Jasper
Mundy William
Noyes Richard
Osgood Stephen
Poynter
mister
Read Henry
Read
widow
Russell
mister
Smith William
Trewelove widow
Twine John

John Blake is the only Blake family listed at Penton Mewsey in 1665.His descendants baptized there are Joseph (b 1659) and Elizabeth (b 1651). Another John and Em Blake are baptizing children between 1693 and 1706 and these children are: John, Joseph, Sarah, Ann, Thomas and William. Joseph (b 1659) could be the father of John baptizing children later although it is a rather short generation. Once I have extracted all the Blake families from the various registers I might have an answer. But there isn't a Joseph Blake at Andover in this time period baptizing children.

Hence my hypothesis of a couple of days ago is partly flawed. However, the will of John Blake does appear to look at the Robert Blake/Elizabeth Russell family of Andover. I wonder why the name Sacheverell enters the Blake family?

Penton Mewsey Transcription Complete

Amazingly I have completed Penton Mewsey up to 1812 (I do not have the fiche for the later years). In total I only have five fiche for this parish. Baptisms 1064 but this includes a duplication as the priest in the early 1700s decided to rewrite the earlier register (good of him actually as his was easier to read but I did a new transcription to compare with the original since it became a secondary source automatically. The duplication is 157 although the priest captured a few that I could not read readily. We will see what the end tally is when I proofread and send the copy into the OPC Hampshire site. I will not include the duplication I do not think but rather a transcription that combines the two sets of data. Marriages 229 with 33 duplications but again I must check and see if he found material that wasn't in the original register. There is the occasional note that says items had been missed and they were inserted several years (or even 20) later. Burials 751 with 121 duplications to be checked against the original entries.

There were 29 heads of household on the Hearth Tax list of 1665. This is a parish in the lower division of the hundred of Andover and lies 3 miles north west of the town of Andover. The Church is Holy Trinity Penton Mewsey Parish. The area was rural and agricultural and continues to be that to this day. As I moved through the centuries, the original names continued in the village but I recognized names from Andover marrying into this village. There were, however, some entirely new names as well. Perhaps the local manor houses reflect the names that come from further away - London, etc.

According to Wikipedia, the village consists of about 110 dwellings and a population of 400 people. Working with 29 heads of household and a family size of 5 in 1665 one might expect the population to have been about 150. The census of 1841 lists 250 people at Penton Mewsey. The census of 1851 lists 211 people at Penton Mewsey. The census of 1861 lists 287 people at Penton Mewsey. The census of 1871 lists 344 people at Penton Mewsey. The census of 1881 lists 377 people at Penton Mewsey. The census of 1891 lists 280 people at Penton Mewsey. The census of 1901 lists 227 people at Penton Mewsey. I used the enumerator book and came up with only 100 people on the 1911 which doesn't seem quite right. I would need to determine if Foxcott, Weyhill and Hatherden were always included within Penton Mewsey in these census. They were separate places on the 1665 Hearth Tax Assessment. The 400 now listed perhaps reflects Penton Mewsey becoming a "commuter" town as Hampshire becomes the Technological Centre of England. Between 1665 and 1841 there appears to be an increase from about 150 to 250.

Penton Mewsey did not give me support for my hypothesis of a couple of days ago which was that Robert Blake and Elizabeth Russell Blake were baptizing children there in the absent years from Andover 1703 to 1710. The 1710 baptism of Sacheverell Blake as the son of Robert was very welcome news but the 1714 baptism of John is coincidental with the baptism of a child of theirs at Andover. Back to the thinking board but will not let the Robert Blake/Elizabeth Russell marriage slip away because the children fit nicely into the John Blake will that is my linchpin for all of the discussion on the Charles Blake family with respect to my own at Upper Clatford.

Who is the Robert Blake at Penton Mewsey? There is a large Blake family - John Blake and Sarah Towler who married at Quarley baptize all their children there and their sons continue to do so and even grandsons (possibly this is the Blake family that continues to live there to this day). I wish I could persuade them to test their yDNA to see if there was a mixture of Blake families at Andover. The name Blake occurs as Blague, Blaake, and Blake. It is always possible that indeed there was more than one grouping of people who ended up using the name Blake at Andover. The two Blake lines at Andover though intermarried and their descendant will one day sit on the throne of England (Prince William son of Diana, Princess of Wales). The Pedigree Chart at the Swindon and Wiltshire Record Office clearly shows this relationship although I am still puzzled by the marriage between William Blake and Avis Ripley and that this William is a son of Roger Blake and Mary Baynard. The extant visitation does not list him, the will of Roger Blake lists only his eldest son and youngest daughter but it was prepared by the College of Arms. I expect that we will see more information on Williams' line in the years to come.

Once I have proofread Penton Mewsey then I shall move on to Upper Clatford as being my next place to transcribe. I have only extracted my own family information from this parish back to Joseph Blake and Joanna King marrying in 1757 at Upper Clatford. I have glanced at the King family there to a certain extent trying to put the King families together there somewhat successfully. It is time now to look at the beginning of the registers as there was a Blake family there earlier and I think I need to know more about that family. They were there in the 1600s but had disappeared from Upper Clatford by the early 1700s or perhaps earlier.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Sacheverell as a forename

The forename Sacheverell occurs in the Charles Blake family. The earlier reference to this name is in the Robert Blake - Elizabeth Russell family. One of their sons carries this forename and I have found his baptism at Penton Mewsey in 1710. This is the time period where baptisms are missing for the Robert Blake - Elizabeth Russel family. There are children baptized up to 1702 and then from 1710 on but 1703 to 1709 does not show sny baptisms at Andover. This is the likely time period for the baptism of Charles Blake and possibly John Blake at Abbotts Ann. John is elderly when he writes his will in 1792 (probated in 1797). I do not have his marriage. I know that his wife had the forename Mary and that they had one child at least a daughter Mary.

Mary Blake is mentioned in Thomas King's will of 1762. That is one of the big mysteries of the will of John Blake and Thomas King. Why are they remembering each other's children in their respective wills? Why does John Blake give money to the Church at Upper Clatford?

The will is actually a tremendous find for the Charles Blake family as it links them to John Blake although he doesn't define the relationship but the language he uses leaves one thinking that he might be an uncle passing on his personal possession because he doesn't have a son. His daughter died in the early 1780s probably in childbirth and no other child of his own is mentioned. I assume there was just one child although need to check the register thoroughly for that to be for sure.

Of interest though he only mnentions the children of Charles first marriage to Jane Gilbert. That is a mystery as well if Charles was his nephew. Did one of his sisters marry a Gilbert? The marriage of Mary Blake to William Marshman is very interesting as he describes these as his close kin (his sister's children perhaps. This makes me think I am on the right track thinking that John is a son of Robert Blake and Elizabeth Russell.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Penton Mewsey CMBs and Briefs

The first fiche for Penton Mewsey (Parish Register 1) was only 21 pages with the first few pages being title pages. The last page was a list of briefs collected by the parish

Collected towards the relief of  those that
suffered by fire at Milton Abbot 22 December
2 s 3 d at Penton Mewsey February the 3rd 1668

Collected towards the relief of those that suffered  by fire
at Ilmister in Somerset the sum of 4 s at
Penton Mewsey March the 17th 1660

Collected towards the relief of the Towne of South Wouldalt
soulway in the County of Suffolk the summe of
three shillings and four pence at Penton Mewsey
June the 20th 1661

Collected at Penton Mewsey January 23rd 1661
towards those that suffered by fire in Topfield
in the parish of St Dunstans in London the
sum of three shillings halfpenny farthing

Collected towards the _____ suffered by
_______Oxford

Collected towards a fire at Hungerford two shillings
one pence

A little more work to do on the transcription but it is always amazing to see these small parishes contributing to places so far away from themselves although not out of country as was the case with Knights Enham. Their several pages of briefs were amazing and I want to write an article to submit to a journal transcribing those pages at some point in the future.

Thus far for Penton Mewsey with registers commencing in 1647 there are by the end of 1674 112 baptisms, 22 marriages and 70 burials. The location of people is sometimes added and Charleton and Wildhern are mentioned thus far. The 1665 Hearth Tax Assessment has the following individuals for Penton Mewsey:

Beare    widow
Blake    John   
Carter    mister
Cradock    widow
Crouch    John   
Crowch    John   
Crowch    Thomas   
Dalby    Thomas   
Fray    David   
Grace    John   
Grace    Robert   
Hellier    John   
Hellier    John   
Knowles    Henry   
Knowles    John   
Lancaster Thomas   
Lewis    John   
Moncke    John   
Mundy    Jasper   
Mundy    William   
Noyes    Richard   
Osgood    Stephen   
Poynter    mister
Read    Henry   
Read    widow
Russell    mister
Smith    William   
Trewelove widow
Twine    John   

I have put them into alphabetical order for ease in looking at them. These names are found at Andover as well. The The Hampshire Hearth Tax Assessment 1665 was published as part of The Hampshire Record Series and it is Volume 11 (editors Elizabeth Hughes and Philippa White). An excellent book to purchase as it provides a mini census for the different villages in Hampshire and in particular my interest in the Andover area is well covered by the book.

Blake family members in the book total 76 and from a number of different hundreds of Hampshire. By 1665 the Blake family can be found in many parts of Hampshire. Are they all one family? That is really the question. Is there a mixture of Blake members in the Andover area or are they all one family grouping? Are they related to the Wiltshire Blake family as published histories (and the Blake Pedigree Chart) show.

Is the John Blake at Penton Mewsey my ancestor? The baptism of John Blake son of William Blake and Ann Hellier was at Penton according to the Andover Parish Register. Why is he baptized at Andover instead of Penton? Does he live at Penton in the 1680s after his marriage to Elizabeth . Will I find his marriage in these Penton Mewsey registers? I actually haven't looked for it there yet.

One purchase I would like to make when we are in Winchester (in 2012 or 2013) is the purchase of a couple of the other Hampshire Record Series books. The Pipe Rolls would be an interesting one and several of the other ones. They capture a moment in time which is what genealogy is all about really. Capturing moments in time of our ancestors and reading books about these times especially very old ones are quite fascinating.

I am still working my way through the military records of the 23rd Regiment of Foot (now in time the Royal Welsh Fusiliers). At any time in England back in the 1700s there must have been troops of soldiers moving about through the countryside going north, south, east and west of London helping where help was needed, controlling where that was needed. The parish records of Andover in the mid 1700s had a number of soldiers marrying at Andover. I wondered why not earlier or perhaps the priest simply did not record that until the mid 1700s time period.

The article on Blake yDNA (http://www.kipp-blake-families.ca/ACR-RevealingBLAKEfamily-ADNAstudy.pdf) appears to be attracting a little attention with hits on my website. I am hoping that it might encourage people to test their yDNA if they are Blake descendants. However, I also realize it is an expensive endeavour ($149 US) and that it isn't in everyone's budget to take this on. But it will be interesting to see what emerges with the Blake families of Hampshire, Wiltshire and Somerset in that printed histories often link these families together and the Pedigree Chart at Swindon and Wiltshire Record Office also links the three families. But are they all the same Blake line? I just admit to having a great curiosity in that regard. Thus far the only semi match with my line is an individual tracing back to Ireland and we match 8/12 but the differences are quite quite interesting in themselves. One day perhaps the markers will be extended to 37 and then we would have a better view of whether or not there is a relationship in near time (i.e. the last 15 - 20 generations).

Friday, January 14, 2011

Moving on to Penton Mewsey

I have completed Andover Parish Registers up to 1757 yielding 11,785 baptisms, 3400 marriages, and 10,677 burials. I still need to proofread this entire file before submitting it to the OPC Hampshire site. I must allocate time to that after I complete Penton Mewsey. I am most anxious to see that particular parish.

I have also decided to prepare a flat file in excel of the Hearth Tax 1665 for Hampshire from the published book just for Andover Extra and Infra. The published book lacks an index for a portion of the alphabet and this will make it easier to sort and find my people. I will gradually add in the areas around Andover that interest me.

My two new Blake correspondents descend from the Charles Blake line at Abbotts Ann and have acquired a fair amount of information on their Robert Blake line (son of Charles Blake and Jane Gilbert). I had some information on that line (grandchildren of Robert) which I had extracted just to see if there was any overlap with Upper Clatford. They have a complete look at the family from Robert down. I am looking forward to working with them on the Blake family prior to Charles and my Thomas. I am convinced that Charles descends from Robert but more proof is always good. I note that Edward Blake (at Abbotts Ann) lived at Quarley so this is probably a good spot to look for other baptisms for the children of Robert Blake and Elizabeth Russell. An eight year gap in a marriage is unusual especially as they had several children before and several children after.

I have backed up the Andover file several times over just to be safe on that.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Thomas Blake at Upper Clatford

I have completed the baptisms at Andover up to the end of December 1756 and there are 11,785 baptisms from the beginning of the registers to this date at St Marys Andover. Next the burials and then the marriages and I will be ready to move on to Penton Mewsey parish registers. Having just discussed Charles Blake at Abbotts Ann I now move to remind myself of what I know about my own line at Upper Clatford going back to Andover.

My Blake line which runs back from my father who was born at Eastleigh HAM in 1904 to his father born at Upper Clatford HAM in 1875 (Samuel George Blake). Samuel's father was Edward Blake and his mother Maria Jane Knight. Edward was born at Upper Clatford in 1845 and Maria Jane Knight was born at Turnworth, DOR in 1849. Maria Jane Knight's family lines are fairly well defined back into the mid 1700s and I will speak about the Knight family in another blog.

Edward Blake's parents were John Blake (b 1799 Upper Clatford) and Ann Farmer (b 1804 Woodhouse, Little London, Andover). Again I have acquired some information on the Farmer line back into the mid 1700s and it too will be discussed in another blog.

John Blake's parents were Thomas Blake (b 1767 Upper Clatford) and Sarah Coleman (b 1773 Abbotts Ann HAM). The Coleman family dates back to Goodworth Clatford in the late 1600s and they were inn keepers there with more information to come on this line later.

Thomas Blake was born posthumously in Oct 1767 after the death of his father Joseph (b 1730 Andover) in May 1767 and his older brother Thomas also in May 1767. Thomas' mother was Joanna King b 1736 Upper Clatford. She was the only surviving child of Thomas King and Mary Carter who had married 10 Jan 1728. Both of them were older (Thomas King was likely b 1688 Upper Clatford and Mary Carter was likely b 1692 Andover) and only two children were baptized to this couple Elizabeth b 1735; d 1735 and Joanna b 1736. Thomas King in his will 1762 mentioned the daughter Mary of John Blake (malster at Abbotts Ann). Is it significant that he doesn't mention Mary the wife of John (her grave would indicate that she was still living)? I am looking for a connection between Thomas King and John Blake and why they mention each others children in their respective wills (written more than 30 years apart). The mother of Joseph Blake is still a mystery although signs point towards it being Ann Carter and the wife of Thomas King was Mary Carter. John Blake leaves money to the Church at Upper Clatford and what significance should I find there? All these little questions emerged from John's will. Nice to see Thomas Blake mentioned there but so many new questions emerged.

Joseph Blake's father is Thomas Blake and he was baptized in 1730 at Andover. This Thomas is the son of Thomas Blake and Mary Spring who married in 1708 at Andover. I am fairly quickly answering the question of which Thomas this was in that Thomas Blake (b 1671) does not appear on the Poll book in 1710 and as the nephew of Peter Blake one would have expected him to be there I think. More proof still needed. The other Thomas that is a candidate is the son of John Blake and Elizabeth and baptized 1685 at Andover. Although this John Blake appears to be the son of William Blake and Ann Hellier I am holding that in abeyance because the father of Thomas (b 1671) is John the brother of William Blake married to Ann Hellier. I need to resolve this issue before moving back to the father of William and John and he was William Blake married to Dorothy Madgwick.

The line continues back to Richard Blake married to Jone Blake. These two bring the two Blake lines at Andover together in that Richard and Jone are both great grandchildren of Mr. Blake and Jone Blake. Jone left a will in 1527 naming her children: Robert, Nicholas and Elizabeth (married to Mr. Mylne). Jone was descended from Robert (his grandaughter (her father was Robert)) and Richard was descended from Nicholas his grandson (his father was William). Although I still need to work out which Thomas married Mary Spring the ultimate way back is the same result - Nicholas and Robert Blake as my two Blake lines at Andover and they were brothers.