Friday, September 28, 2012

Will of Nicholas Blake - National Archives, PROB 11/31/549, probated 20 Jun 1547

The will of Nic[h]olas Blake was written 31 May 1547 and probated 20 Jun 1547. I had forgotten that Nicholas mentions Robert Boswell and again this links with the will of William Blake of Speen in 1552 as Robert Boswell is his father in law whom he makes executor of his will. Now is this the same Robert Boswell? Always that question comes first to mind. He would appear to be the tenant of Nicholas and as I read through William's will I am seeing now that William Blake does hold the lease of the tenements that William Blake of Speen occupies but it appears that William also tills that piece of land. A mite confusing as you look at it and again the will of William Blake at Speen in 1552:

http://kippeeb.blogspot.ca/2012/05/will-of-william-blake-yeoman-of-speen.html

I still wonder if they are related but is this perhaps the answer to the mystery? No, the children of William Blake of Speen do not match the children on the Blake Pedigree Chart. William Blake at Speen's siblings however are Richard and John with no mention of a sister in his will (on the chart the children of William Blake married to Avis Ripley are John, William and Peter with a sister Agnes married to Roger Hyde). So this is not that family either. The children of William Blake of Speen are Anthony and others unnamed (perhaps only one other) and his wife was Ellyne. The date of William Blake of Speen's will is 1552 not 1582 as in the Pedigree Chart.

Nicholas names his wife Margaret and as of this date I have no ideas on her surname. He names his children as William Blake eldest, Edmund Blake under 21 years of age, Alice Goodwyn (married daughter) and Elizabeth unmarried. William is married and they have children as the inheritance of his daughters if they die before inheriting is to be divided up amongst the children of William. We can see the property in this will which has passed to William and mentioned in William's will of yesterday. William has added greatly to his holdings and again Lord Sandy is the Lord of the Manor. The holdings are all in Andover, Knights Enham and Kings Enham in Nicholas' will. William Blake is the first to state that he lives at Eastontown.

Working backwards from Peter Blake's will to William Blake's will to Nicholas Blake's will and then tomorrow to Jone Blake's will is an interesting trip through time. I am beginning to wonder about Peter Blake's will and whether I am dealing with these two William Blake lines with his will and then the other three (Jone-Nicholas-William) that fit together. On the other hand Peter Blake in his will does not mention any of the properties that the Jone Blake-Nicholas Blake-William Blake family hold. What he does mention is his kinsmen William Hinxman of Hatherden, Mr. Nicholas Blake of Gavelacre and Mr. Richard Blake his brother and their sister Mrs. Jone Blake. I need to think about these three people and exactly who they are and how they fit into the Blake family at Andover. It could be the clue that I have been struggling to find to solve the mystery of the two William Blakes at Eastontown (or one married twice).

One thing I do know and that is the William Blake who dies in 1642 leaving his will (married to Dorothy Madgwick) is in financial trouble and this trouble becomes even more evident in Dorothy's will. Then we see their now eldest son William (his brother Richard died in 1648) selling off property in particular to Mr. Nicholas Blake of Gavelacre. No relationship is stated in that particular indenture although we know that that William Blake is the grandson of Richard Blake the lynen draper as the indenture states that. Tying that family together from Richard Blake to William Blake to William Blake has been fairly straightforward. The question is, to my mind, is Charlou Dolan right in saying that Richard is the son of William Blake and Anne Tutt? This would then bring them into the Pedigree Chart and definitely William Blake is the son of Nicholas not Roger Blake and Mary Baynard. The marriage between William Blake (Charlou has this William as a son of the son of William Blake) and Anne Tutt is on the Pedigree Chart and does perhaps help to define these two families as being separate William Blake lines at Eastontown. The timing is simply not right for Richard Blake lynen draper who died in 1622 to be a son of William Blake and Anne Tutt as their grandfather on the chart (Roger Blake married Mary Baynard). Plus the will of the son of William (of Eastontown) does list the properties from his father's will that he inherited and he married Margaret Hibberd). It was the son of this William that was to have married Anne Tutt! It is perhaps time to revisit some of these Wiltshire wills that I have not yet transcribed but probably that is going to wait for the alphabetical walk through the wills and I am only at Hampshire.

The will of Jone Blake tomorrow will complete the cycle back and I will move on to the next will in line which is for the Blake family at Christchurch.

Transcriber: Elizabeth Kipp
Recorded: 6th May 2009
Source: The National Archives, PROB 11/31/549
Name of Testator: Nic[h]olas Blake
Place: Enham (near Andover), Hampshire, England
Type of Record: Will
Dated: 31 May 1547, probated 20 Jun 1547
Read: Electronic copy
Condition: scan, old English writing good, contrast excellent

[Left hand corner] Test[at]or Nicho[las] Blake

1    In the name of God amen In the yere of our Lord god a Thousand fyve hundred
2    Fourtie and sevyn and the last day of May I Nicolas Blake of the p[ar]ishe of Enh[a]m in the Dioc[ese] of Wynchest[e]r
3    being sicke of body but of good and p[er]fite remembrance make and ordeyn this my last will and testament
4    in maner and fourme folowing First I Bequith my soule to almightie god to oure Blessed Lady and to all the
5    Blessed company of heaven. And my body to be buried w[i]t[h]in the Church of Saint Michaell Th[e ]archangell Item
6    I geve to the Trinite Church of Wynchester vj d Item I geve to the church of Andever oon quarter of whete
7    It[e]m I give to Enh[a]m Church a quarter of wheat Item I geve and bequeth to Will[ia]m Blake my eldest sonne
8    the halfe of the Farme of Andever of my Lord Sandys holding which Robert Boswell occupyeth Also I geve
9    and bequeth to the said Will[ia]m the Tenement in Kings Enham of my Lord Sandys holding w[i]t[h] all the La[m]mes
10    lande lying in Andever feld that the said William nowe occupieth and holdith Also I geve to the said Will[ia]m
11    Blake my sonne my Leasse of the Tenement of the Lord Sandys called the olde hall w[i]t[h] all the app[ur]ten[an]cs ther unto
12    belonginge or lying in Knyghts Enh[a]m Also I geve to the said William Blake my free holde in Knyights Enh[a]m w[i]t[h] all
13    the appurten[an]cs there unto belonging Item I geve and bequeth to Edmund Blake my sonne the Leasse of the
14    Farme of Andever called Semers Farme w[i]t[h] all the appurten[an]cs ther[e ]unto belonging and walworth of my
15    Lord Sandys holding And a leasse of a Tenement in Kyngs Enh[a]m which is John Catts gentilman holde w[i]t[h]
16    all the appurten[an]cs ther[e ]unto belonging Also I geve to the said Edmund my sonne my freeholde in Andever
17    with seven acres and a half of arable land that Thomas Wescombe now holdeth with all the rest of myn[e]
18    erable lands grains pastures and com[m]ons of pastures of what nature kynde name and degre soever they be
19    which I do holde and kepe of any man[ner] at the making of this my last wille and testament Also I wille that
20    the forsaid Thomas Wescombe shal[l ]have the forsaid house that he dwelleth in for the terms of thurtie yeres
21    next folowing paying yerely therfor and to agree w[i]t[h] Margaret Blake my wife and Edmund Blake my son[ne]
22    Item I geve to Elizabeth Blake my daughter one hundreth of shepe and Twentie poundes of money at the day of
23    her mariage and her apparill. Item I give and bequeth to Alice my daughter twentie shepe and fyve quarters of
24    barley to be delivered at Michelmas next commyng Item I give to Sir Thomas Upton my curate to pray for my soule
25    and all Christ[ai]n soules x s. Also yf that it fortune Edmund Blake my sonne to dye before he be of lawfull age Then I wille
26    that my freholde w[i]t[h] all the other leases geven and bequethed by me to the said Edmond to remayn to William Blake
27    my sonne his heires and assignes And the goods to remayne to Alice Goodwyn and Elizabeth Blake my daughters equally
28    to be devided betwixt them And if it fortune the said Alice and Elizabeth to dye Then I will the said goodes to be devided
29    betwene the children of William Blake my son Provided also I will that Margaret Blake my wife shall have and
30    kepe all my free landes tenements holds leases with all th[e ]appurtenancs to them belonging which I doe holde of any man[ne]r
31    of man[ner] at the making of this my last will and testament during the terme of her life The residue of my goods and
32    c[h]attalls not gevyn or bequethed I geve and bequeth to Margaret Blake my wife and Edmunde Blake my sonne
33    whom I make and ordeyn myn executors of this my last will and testament Also I make and ordeyn William
34    Hopkins and Willi[a]m Aldred my Overseers of this my last will and testament for to se it p[er]formed according to
35    my mynde above specified Witnesse to this Sir Thomas Upton Curate Stevyn Smyth Will[ia]m Blake w[i]t[h] other
36         Probatum fuit test[ament]um suprascripti defuncti h[ab]entis etc xxth die mensis Juinij Anno D[o]m[in]o Mill[es]imo quingen[tesimo]
37    xlvij [1547] Coram d[o]m[in]o apud London aucto[ritate] d[o]m[in]o n[ost]ri Regis etc Iurament[o] Margarete Relicte executoris in h[uius]mo[d]i test[ament]o no[m]i[n]at[i] In persona
38    Stephe[n] Smyth procur[atoris] sui in hac p[ar]te Ac approbatum et insinuatum Com[m]issa fuit admi[ni]stracio o[mn]i[u]m et singulorom bonorum Jurium
39    Et creditorum d[i]c[t]i defuncti prefat[o] executrici In p[er]sona die proc[urato]ris De b[e]n[e] et fidel[ite]r admi[ni]strando Ac de pleno et fideli In[venta]rio secondo die post
40    festum s[an]c[t]e Anne prox[imum] futur[um] exhibend[o] necnon de plano et vero compoto reddend[o] Ad s[an]c[t]a dei Ev[a]ngelia in debit iuris forma jurat
41    Reservata po[tes]tate Edmund Blake executori etiam in h[uius]mo[d]i test[ament]o no[m]i[n]at cum venerit etc

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