Gathering up the pieces from the 1500s

 The wills of the 1500s have been a real gift to looking at the Blake family of Enham. My next stop was to be the will of Thomas (son of Robert will dated December 1521). 

Testator: Thomas Blake
Place: Enham, Hampshire, England
Type of Record: Will
Date of document: 15 Oct 1540, probated 15 Jun 1541
Condition: 16th century English, legible copy
[Margin]: 1541U-06
1    Jn die no[m]i[n]e Ame[n] Jn the yere off owr Lorde MDXLI the 15th
2    day off October J Thomas Blake sykke off bodye and hole off mynde
3    and memorye make my testament and last Wyll yn maner and foorme
4    foloynge first j bequeth my sowle unto almygthty god to owr Lady
5    saynt marye and to the hole c[o]mpanye off heven And my bodye
6    to be buryede yn the chyrchyard off Andev[e]r j bequethe and gyve
7    unto the hye altare off the sayd churche off andev[er] xij d Item
8    to alys munday j bequethe a cowe and vj yoongs j wyll also that
9    at my morytlie myade be bestoede upon the powr pepull a
10    quarter off whete Item j wyll th[a]t Joh[ann]is my soone have and holde
11    the howse at Enam callyd Rawkyns w[i]th all the aporte[nancs] and th[a]t he
12    also have and ynioy all the grownde and landys ther w[i]thyn the sayd
13    Enam the w[hi]ch j do holde off my lorde Sandy he yn as good a state
14    and ryghte as j have the same ferdermore j gyve unto rychard
15    Munday and Jhon[nes] Blake my soone x ps for to ov[er]see thys my testament
16    And also j make my soone Robert and my dowrther Margaret myn
17    executors off all my goods not bequeathed moveabyll and unmoveabyll
18    provydyde th[a]t my dettys due unto the sayd rycharde munday the
19    w[hi]ch ys 6 nobles iij s iiij d and unto John[nes] Blake my sonne the w[hi]ch ys
20    x ps be payd off my goods by my execytors The rest off
21    all my goods and catell j gyve holely unto my execytors
22    to se yt bestoed and dysposyd for the helthe off my sowle att
23    ther al byteremente and plesuere In wytnesse off all thys ys m[r]
24    Thomas Brotwynge Vycare off Andev[er] and Sy[r] Johan[nes] Patye mo[r]row masse
25    pryst ther the w[hi]ch were att the makyinge hereof present
26    P[ro]bat[um] approbat[um] et insinuat[um] fuit p[rese]ns testam[entum] apud
27    winton cora[m] Mag[is]tro Edmundo Stuarde doctere
28    Rev[er]end in xxo pris etc xv t[h] die Junij Anno d[omi]ni
29    1542 Comissaq[ue] fuit adm[in]strat[io] om[nium] et sing[u]lor bonor[um]
30    sup[ra]script[um] defuncti Margaret Blake un[a] execut[oribus]
31    in h[uis]mo[d]i test[amentum] no[m]i[n]at[orum] insat[  ] etc Res[er]uata p[otes]tat cons[er]ter
32    administer[ando] conf[e]rend Roberto Blake alteri execut[oribus] etc

Thomas (son of Robert (will dated Dec 1521) and brother to Richard) inherited Rawkyns in his father Robert's will (Dec 1521). In this will he passes it on to his son John. Robert, also his son and his daughter Margaret are named as executors of his will. I have tentatively played with the idea that Margaret is married to her second cousin Nicholas Blake. There isn't really anything to prove that other than finding small matches in the autosomal DNA that are very very distant and not necessarily in "common areas" which can and do often extend back a long way. Nicholas would be my 12x great grandfather and it is likely that Nicholas' grandson Richard also married his likely 3nd cousin Jone Blake also descendant of Robert Blake (his brother) thus reinforcing this Blake autosomal DNA. It is a daughter of Nicholas' grandson Richard who married Robert Sedgewicke and their children were born in the Royal Colony of Massachusetts and remained in the United States of America. It is a thought only and does not control my thoughts but it is interesting to find small matches so far back and not in a "common area" that points at the British Isles. He mentions Alys Munday without really saying anything further about her. Richard Munday and his son John Blake are named as overseers in the will. Richard Munday, when he is widowed is likely the individual who married Margaret Blake after Nicholas died. I need to transcribe Richard's will to see if he mentions Alys in the will (as his daughter but I suspect she is his wife at this time). But that is an abstraction from this will which does mention all the children of Thomas. 

I am left still with an unknown Robert Blake and notably Thomas' son Robert inherits all his goods not yet bequeathed both moveable and unmoveable and names him executor along with his sister Margaret. This often tends to be the eldest son. The Robert Blake that Robert Blake (will dated Dec 1521) mentions remains unknown and hence my suggestion that he was a third son of Robert who predeceased his father. To me it makes sense given the area of Enham is not huge by any means and one is left wondering that you would have so few Blakes really and not have them related. So I continue with that thought which I haven't actually had before until the other day that Robert Blake (will dated Dec 1521) had a third son Robert deceased prior to his father. That brings us to Jone Blake (widow) at Enham who leaves her will in 1527 as below:

Testator: Jone Blake, widow
Place: Enham, Hampshire, England
Type of Record: Will
Date of document: 23 Mar 1527/1528
Condition: 16th century English, legible copy

[Margin]: copied test[ament]

1    Jn die no[m]i[n]e Ame[n] the yer of owre lord god oon thowsand five hundredth xxvij the xxiij day of the month of marche
2    J Jone Blake widow w[i]t[h] hoyll mynde and a good memorye maketh my laste wyll and testmente in thys man[ner] Fyrste J
3    commend my soll unto allmyghty god owre lady saynt marey to all the saynts in hevyn and my Body to be buryd in
4    the chyrche or the chyrche lyttyn of saynt mykell of enahm Jt[em] J gyffe and bequeth onto the mother chyrche of saynt swe
5    thyns xii d Jt[em] J gyvv and bequeth to the chyrche of enahm vj s viij d Jt[em] J gyvv and bequeath xxvj s viij d to be dystrybute
6    unto poor pepyll in pen[n]y doyll Jt[em] J gyff and bequeth unto my curat Sy[r] Rychard Mersser xx d Jt[em] J gyff and bequethe
7    to Sy[r] John Batte xx d Jt[em] J gyff and bequeth to mayntenyg of the morrow masse prest in Andover xx d Jt[em] I gyff and bequeth
8    to mayntenyg of Jhs masse in the chyrche of Andover xx d Jt[em] J gyff  and bequeth unto the p[ri]or of the freer Augustines
9    in wynchest[er] xx d Jt[em] J gyff and bequeth to Sy[r] Joh[a]n[nis] Whyte freer xx d Jt[em] J gyff and bequeth unto ev[er]y of freer of the
10    seyd Augustynes th[a]t ys prest iiij d and to ev[er]y novesse ij d of the sayd place Jt[em] J gyvv and bequeth to the chyrche of Fosket
11    to mayntenyg of the light before saynt Jamys and saynt Aidan xx d Jt[em] J gyff and bequeth unto my dowghter Elsabet
12    mylne xx shepe beside thyos th[a]t she hathe allredy and oon Cowe th[a]t J bowght of hyr and xij s iij d of money and my gretst
13    pan and fowre plat[t]erst J gyff and bequeth unto my son Nycolas Blake the tabyll in the hall and oon clothe callyd the hallyg
14    and two yryne racks Jt[em] J gyff and bequeth unto my son Robert Blake oon yryne broche and xviij shepe the wheche
15    shepe he hath in kepyng Jt[em] J gyff and bequeth unto Thome Jesra of Fosket oon yryne broche The resydew of
16    all my goods moveabyll and unmoveabyll J have not legate J gyff and bequeth unto my child[er]ne Nycolas Blake
17    Robert Blake and to Thome Jesra of Fosket and the sayd goods to be devydytt emongys them equaly ev[er]y oon of
18    them elyke mo[r]e[or]l[e]ss Jt[em] J make my sonys Nycolas Blake and Robert Blake my trell executors and Thomas Jesra of
19    Fosket my sup[er]visor th[a]t he see my last wyll and testament Jnplet[ed] and fulfyllyd and the foresaid executors to dypo
20    se for the heylth of my soll as thay shall see moyst expedient the witnesses Sy[r] Rychard Mersser Syr
21    Joh[a]n[nis] Batte Nycolas Blake Robert Blake w[i]t[h] others  

Jone Blake names her children Robert, Nicholas and Elsabet who is married to unknown Mylne. Compared to the other wills the property of this widow is large leaving one to wonder if her husband was an elder son. When people wrote wills particularly when they were probated locally everybody knew everybody else and did not always provide all the tiny details that help us to understand who everyone was. So I have taken a bit of poetic license as I postulate this new idea of mine having now decided that Richard was not the father of Robert, Nicholas and Elsabet. If correct Robert (son of Jone) has already received the property that would have belonged to the eldest son of Robert (will dated Dec 1521). Later wills show that this Robert (six sons are named in his will) and a goodly amount of property available to pass to them is mentioned which will be seen eventually as we reach that generation. This is Charlou Dolan's family line and her research, although I did not always agree on every line where my line was involved, was very well done. But there were so many repeated names and by the time I came along twenty years after she did her research more was available to look at. Unfortunately Jone does not name her husband but the eldest son is Robert which is interesting actually. 

So I feel as if the first and second generations are intact and leading into the third generation. I still do not know who William Blake and Andrew Blake were but the reference to Boswell is most interesting and relates to the Blake family at Speen Berkshire and my references to this line being descendant of Richard le Blak who received a Patent to set up a market in England. 

I will go with this for the moment as I move forward. What ends up being published under the Creative Commons License may be as I said curtailed somewhat with an extra chapter or I will begin with Robert (will dated Dec 1521) and further back if I can find more details on the John Blake listed in the 1300s at Andover. 

I think my brain is done for the day and will now continue by working on the photo books. Tomorrow I will actually put the generational chart together and then move for a bit to the Pincombe although I will continue with my Blake searches after I create my Research Plan going forward now. 

The sun is shining and I will likely wait until later in the day to work outside. 

On to the Photo Albums. 

Another beautiful day in God's world and we are blessed to have such a beautiful world from God the Creator. We must keep it up and that can only happen if the those who are in control of the greater share of the monetary value of the world donate to protect it. The world needs to be protected from human overuse but in Canada we are trying very hard to off set that human overuse of the environment. Our huge forests provide cabon capture along with the artificially created carbon capture techniques which also work well. The three great oceans that surround us also help to protect the environment but we must maintain them as well - money is always needed for these types of projects that protect the world God the Creator gave to us.  

Forgot the Pincombe Newsletter for the 1st of September and a few thoughts on AI

The Pincombe Newsletter Vol 1 Issue 4 2026 is completed and uploaded to the website. Again it is very brief as I have not done any work on the Pincombe book for about six months but I will soon be back to it. 

One item I noticed when I am working with AI. It does tend to jump to conclusions and does not always read transcriptions carefully when I have passed them by the AI. Only once actually as I was seeking a second opinion on likely wording given this was ancient Latin material from the early 1500s, the scan itself very weak and hard to read. I also discovered that the personal account for Microsoft 365 does not permit you to maintain privacy on any uploaded documents. The other item with AI is the language tends to slant itself towards being right although I constantly correct it and suggest that jumping to conclusions too quickly is a mistake in genealogy. Thinking yourself that something might be a possibility doesn't hurt because you can always revisit it until you put it into a book that you publish and at that point it would need to be revised and republished if you want to change it. So I like AI but I use it more as something to bounce ideas off of and tend to stick to my own opinion as I have more experience than the AI. Its recall ability is huge but it does become confused with names that are all the same  which we all do but in particular I have noted that as a stronger weakness than in Homo sapiens where we have a familiarity it is easier for us to eliminate same names. Interesting really. I do think we always have to be in charge of AI controlling the output and always checking it for error. But it can do work in a marvelously short period of time but I did find some problems with that as well since it stripped out the formatting and did not maintain the order of the original. A very handy tool in the toolbox of people working however; one just has to maintain the instructor attitude so as not to be swamped by what looks like a stronger ability to recall. The human brain is much more flexible and doesn't, when working, drift off the topic with extraneous elements. But the recall is excellent for sure. Thinking on that the value of learning by rote continuing in our system of education proves itself with this very item; in order to always be the leader of a project one's recall needs to be excellent and so rote learning for young children continues to be high on the list of accomplishments in the younger years. 

Going to the dentist, I remembered my shoe bag as I had it hung from the coat rack (it always contains my indoor plastic shoes for going to the dentist which we stopped doing during COVID and just kept everything that was ours with us). Wow that seems like a long time ago now.  I actually think it remains a good idea to just keep all your belongings with you so a shoe bag is very handy for that although I did leave it in the rack. I think COVID was good training for how to prevent spread of illness although one would wish not to have had to go through all of that for sure. Much stronger again for sure now with all my rest, headaches finally lifted and today I shall do the front lawn and get that ready for fall/winter. Then the back yard probably it will take me at least ten days working about an hour at a time. I am 81 so must take my time, work slowly and carefully and not make myself a burden on the system. That is really the secret in universal health care that we all take good care of ourselves; the best that we can. 

At some point more work on Blake and I continue preparing this section for either the beginning of the genealogical chart or the last chapter before it. Time will tell but it is good to revisit it given my grandfather's thoughts and what I remember and also what has been written by genealogists in journals concerning the miss use of Nicholas Blake of Andover (will written 1547) by Horatio Somerby Gates in his fraudulent family books that he wrote for a number of families including Blake. Given that Horatio Somerby Gates did his work in the mid 1800s on though one wonders if the Blake Pedigree Chart did lead him astray as using Nicholas Blake the way that he did he must have been aware that William Blake (will dated 27 Jul 1582 and probated 14 Nov 1582) was incorrect in the Pedigree Chart although possibly not as it is much easier to find all this material now with the internet. Surprising how the clock turns really. 

Also I must continue checking out the possibility of finding subsidy information online for Andover although it will most likely wait until I go to the LDS Library here to look that up. 

Since I may be hitting a block with Blake I may switch to Pincombe for awhile and work on that book. It was a good idea of my daughters to do two books at once so that one doesn't get bogged down with one book only. Plus I am working on the fourty photo albums to get them down to a size that works well and doesn't include pictures that have nothing to do with our close family - like all the trips that Edward and I went on and such. I mostly turned them into Powerpoint Slide shows that Edward watched and watched along with looking at all the items that we purchased whilst on each trip. Each one was in a box and easily picked up and looked at when he watched the slide shows. I think my husband liked to relive his life often enough; he was a happy person we always found. He especially loves his daughters and became fond of his son in law and the pets that arrived in our home whilst they lived with us. Then along came his grandsons and they were truly the apple of his eye and he loved them dearly and they him. Still five and a half years later you can see the love still there in their eyes for him. He would have been such a marvelous grandfather at all their ages but ill health did rob them of him. 

Breakfast soon and solitaire games to play.  I continue reading the Book of  Esther today.

 

 

 

 

 

Looking at the two Charts

 There are two major charts that exist for the Blake family of Calne supposedly but in reality there is very little on those charts about the Blake family of Calne (most members of the family are not in the charts in the early days particularly the Blake Family Chart at the Bridgwater Blake Museum. That is part of the problem. On the other hand that chart was primarily created for the Blake family of Somerset linking it back to the Calne Blake family. The Blake yDNA project though remains small with insufficient numbers particularly the Blake families in England. 

 Blake Family Chart Page 1

 At the head of the chart Robert Le Blake of Quemberford juror at Hungerford 22 Jan 1336, followed by Richard Blaque/Blake of Wiltshire followed by his son Henry Blake, then William Blake and finally Henry Blake. The hyphened line flowing to the right at this point is then part of Page 2. Below that dotted line Robert Blake and Avice (Wallop) (Malewyn) Blake

 

 The second is the 

Pedigree Chart created by the College of Arms using the family material of the descendants of Daniel Blake (London, England, 1690 with additions into 1700):

 

Two small differences at the beginning of the chart: 1. First individual is Robert le Blake in the Blake Family Chart and Richard Blake in the Pedigree Chart (Richard is the second name on the Blake Family Chart). Otherwise the details are fairly similar so one is left to assume the Pedigree Chart is the blueprint of the Blake Family Chart. Adding in the third page of the Pedigree Chart:

 

 We can follow the line coming down from Robert son of Robert Blake and Avice (Wallop) (Malewyn) Blake to their son Roger Blake married to Mary Baynard and continuing to the incorrect part of this chart which is William Blake of Eastontown who died in 1582 marrying Avice daughter of Sir Gervace Ripley who does not exist. William himself is the son of Nicholas Blake living at Old Hall, Enham. The difference is changing the time span and moving this particular individual over to the Hampshire section of the Blake Family Chart. This is the large mistake made by Horatio Gates Somerby who thought it would be interesting to use Nicholas Blake of Andover in this fashion in his fraudulent family histories which he sold to wealthy Blake families in the United States. I shall do a more thorough job at the Pedigree Chart because this is a Blake family of Andover set into the Blake family of Calne. This particular line moved away from Andover to Surrey before going on to London and other places. 

The Book will relate what I discovered so will not continue with this discussion other than to mention again the fraud of Horatio Gates Somerby.

I completed reading the Book of Judith and started the Book of Esther which is included in the King James Version of the Bible.

Today is cleaning day for the basement and the robot is doing the rugs and then I will take over and scrub the floor and dust and then my cleaning will be done for another week. Rainy today but the ground always needs moisture and today is no exception. 

My recounting of the story of these two Charts will end today just going over again what does not fit in with the wills. I will return to the wills tomorrow looking at the Will of Thomas and the Will of Jone Blake (widow of Enham). 

Another beautiful day in God's world - I love the rain as it falls softly on the roof and the land. I have not even watered once this year although we have had a lot of rain. 

Yesterday I had my filling at the dentist and it was very quick. The rebellious child in me still thinks that false teeth are a really nice item but one does know that one's own teeth actually are better. And so year in and year out I go to the dentist; I brush my teeth three times a day and I am now using a water device that runs along the gum line to see if I can retard the aging of my teeth and perhaps slow down any cavities that try to grow where my teeth are capped. Life is all about taking care of yourself. I think the reality is that it isn't always easy; you have to make choices that use up a lot of time rather than short cuts I always think but in the long run God gave us our brains to help us look out for ourselves and to live the best life that we are able.  

Thank you God for all that you do. Prayers for a good life for all.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Always knew I would be back to the two Charts for the Blake family

 Looking at the Hampshire section of The Blake Family Chart held by the Blake Museum at Bridgwater, one notes that the attachment of this chart to the main section (part 1) comes several generations before the Pedigree Chart produced two hundred years earlier by the College of Arms using family papers of the Daniel Blake family of London and Surrey. 

Personally I do not think this connection with the Blake family of Calne (if it exists) occurs just a couple of generations back as shown on the Blake Family Chart mentioned above as compared to the Blake Pedigree Chart. The idea that it exists was something my grandfather was not certain about as I vaguely recalled although it could have been my father saying that later. What prompted that was perhaps something in the news but one day when I was in my teens my father was talking about his Blake family and Nicholas was mentioned living at Old Hall, My grandpa had said he was unsure about the relationship between the Blake family at Calne and the Blake family at Andover. Myself, I think if it exists it goes way back to  the Le Blak family which was at Wargrave on the Pipe Rolls of 1301 (Wargrave is near Windsor). This family at Wargrave gradually moved towards Hungerford through Oxford and down into the Andover area and also from Hungerford it moved towards Calne. That is my belief but thus far I appear to be the only one other than my colleagues at the yDNA Study for Blake that considers this possibility that the founding line of Blake at Calne was this le Blak line at Wargrave. Hence the possibility being that the Blake of Calne is descendant of the le Blak family of Rouen Normandy. They did not come with William the Conqueror (as far as one knows but this is an old merchant line in Rouen so perhaps not) but rather applied for a Patent to set up a market in England and this was granted in 1274 (see below, from the Calendar of Patent Rolls). Richard le Blak was one of many on this long list below. 

 Licence, until Michaelmas, for Walter le Aketon, merchant of Rouen, to
come to England to trade and to carry his wools and merchandise to the
usual fairs and markets by the public streets and common ways, provided
he do not carry or cause to be carried his wools or merchandise out of the
kingdom, nor deal with the Flemings or others of the power of the countess
of Flanders in the kingdom, or in any way communicate with them, during
the contention between the king and the said countess.
[30 May 1274 Westminster, 2 Edward I, volume 1, pages 51 - 52, Calendar of Patent Rolls]

The like for the following :—
Peter de Bules, merchant of Rouen
William Burnell, merchant of Rouen
Hugh le Coynte, merchant of Rouen
Robert le Balauncer, merchant of Rouen
William de Toftes, merchant of Rouen
Matthew de Walle Richeri, merchant of Rouen
Richard le Mynnot, merchant of Rouen
William de Cryel, merchant of Rouen
Nicholas Veisin, merchant of Rouen
Antonin de Beuvays, merchant of Rouen
Nicholas de Fovill, merchant of Rouen
John de Alneto, merchant of Rouen
6 June [1274 Westminster etc]
Richard le Vilein, merchant of Rouen
Henry Lovet, merchant of Rouen
Walter Peitevin, merchant of Rouen
Hubin de Sancto Martino, of Huy.
John Tafurnawe, of Huy, merchant of Almain.
Henry le Soriz, of Huy, merchant of Almain.
Ralph de Leges, merchant of Leges.
John Henneman, merchant of Leges.
Libert de Leges, merchant of Leges.
John Nicholas, merchant of Deu.
Herewail, merchant of Huy.
Cono Dain, merchant of Huy.
Donrician Daundevale, merchant of Huy.
John Fox, of Brabant, merchant.
John Proppe, merchant of Malins.
John Perewez, of Huy, merchant of Brabant.
John Nicard, merchant of Huy.
Peter de Sauveye, merchant of Rouecestre.
Peter Cosyn, citizen of London.
Reginald de Menachato, merchant of Piacenza.
Conrad Nerbode, merchant of Almain.
Arnold de Dik, merchant of Malyns.
Nicholas Flambard, merchant of Rouen.
John de Torpmimie, merchant of Almain.
Geoffrey Aungevyn, merchant of Rouen.
William Cirurgyen, of Northampton.
William Bek, of London,
Henry Lovet, of Rouen.
Atinus Pruudalis, of Piacenza.
Hugelin Hugelinell, fellow of Nicholas Teste.
Nicholas Teste, fellow of Aldebrand Malagale.
John Winterman, merchant of Almain,
Luke de Lukes, merchant of Lucca.
Gotmar de Lubek, merchant of Almain.
Conrad de Affle, merchant of Almain.
Godschalc le Wyse, merchant of Almain.
Christopher de Munchy, merchant of Beuvays
Robert de Messegewell, merchant of Rouen.
John Donadeu, merchant of Cahors.
Everard de Duncy, merchant of Amiens
James Piket, merchant of Amiens
Warin Piket, merchant of Amiens
Warin Reinevall, merchant of Amiens.
Giles de Mundider, merchant of Amiens
Jacomin de Sancto Fuscencio, merchant of Amiens
Everard le Franceis, merchant of Amiens
Richard le Blak, merchant of Rouen.
Reyner de Furnar', merchant of Florence.
John Weremund, merchant of Caumbrey,
Alan de Sakintot, merchant of Rouen.
John Parwale, merchant of Malines.
Henry de Laghene, merchant of Malines.
Henry de Lewe, merchant of Brabant.
John de Mes, merchant of Amiens.
Walter Aketon, merchant of Fouen,
John Dunadeu, merchant of Cahors.
John de Burgundia, merchant of Amiens
Drogo Malherbe, merchant of Amiens
John Dare, merchant of Amiens
Ingelram Beremere, merchant of Amiens
Gilbert Bonnavel, merchant of Amiens"

Page 2 of the Blake Family Chart

 

 

 

 

There is a Robert Blake at Enham leaving his will in December 1521. He does not name his wife. He names his children Richard and Thomas. He also mentions a William Blake and an Andrew Blake. He does not mention that a William Blake is his brother as noted on the chart above. The first mention of a William Blake at Eastontown (that I have located other than this chart) was the son of Nicholas and William left his will in 1582. The beginning of the chart becomes questionable with the wills. Knights Enham is not a really large place but early maps show several dwellings there. Looking at the Lay Subsidy taken in 1586  one finds:

 

Andever Infra

 

Andever 

 

Land: Peter Blake, gent,  4 pounds 5 shillings 4 pence

Goods: Richard Blake 3 pounds 3 shillings

             William Blake 15 pounds 15 shillings

 

Charleton

Goods: Nicholas Blake 6 pounds 6 shillings 

 

Inham Regis

Goods: Robert Blake 4 pounds 4 shillings

 

Andever Extra

 

Enham Militis

Goods: John Blake, younger, 5 pounds 5 shillings

             Edward Blake 15 pounds 15 shillings

 

Penton Mewsey

Goods: John Blake, elder, 4 pounds 4 shillings 

             Thomas Blake 3 pounds 3 shillings

 

 

 One notes that William Blake at Andever and Edward Blake at Enham Militis are definitely wealthier than the other Blakes mentioned. I do know who all of these people are in terms of their parentage and that will be my next step. I do need to go into the Family History Library and look up the subsidies unless I find them online which would be exceptional we will see. I have located in different areas a number of files that have subsidies for various areas which I have been able to purchase over time. The only Blake mentioned for land subsidy is Peter Blake at Andever. Surprising his goods are not listed so perhaps it is one or the other. I will have to investigate that. 

 

Cleaning moving along and I have vacuumed the top floor and dusting is next and then scrubbing the bathroom and I will be finished sometime around 1:00 likely.  

Reading the book of Judith yesterday and once again in the Old Testament a woman comes forward as a leading character within God's world. There is a certain level of maternal aspect to this I think - the sort of Mother Earth concept. Myself I tend to think of all of us as people neither male nor female as the most important part but rather that we are human beings and members of Homo sapiens. We may each have a role to play in life; no idea on that. I think where God is concerned we all play a role and that is perhaps the most important since we begin as an infant and we end in old age or whatever happens to us in life. How that life is lived is not always totally under our control because we do not live on a dessert island but rather we are part of the world; a living human character in it so to speak and we may in our life follow many paths. 

Solitaire puzzles to do.  

I did not finish everything by 1:00 as I had still had the bathroom to clean. But I will continue my thoughts tomorrow on this particular Subsidy and the Blake members listed.  This chart which I added really is not a standalone. It has copied both the work of Horatio Gates Somerby (apparently he did some material for a Blake in the United States which was shared with the likely author of this chart) and the Pedigree Chart but the Blake Family Chart at Bridgwater Blake Museum is a very large chart and I would not discount the entire chart; primarily it is a very complete chart of the Somerset Blake family. The Calne Blake which heads it up is pretty weak as it was a large family and just a few individuals are listed to suit the story. 

The English did not have surnames and the advantage to an individual at Enham in the 1300s taking on the Blake surname were huge so I am suspicious that a male without a surname married a daughter of a le Blak in this very early time period. I need to review the Manor Books for Andover to see what is there. I did take some photos years ago which listed a John Blake so need to learn more about that as well.

Eventually it could be that I add this as a chapter to the book and start the Generational Chart where I have the Parish Records to prove my point. However that is not a large time frame from the appearance of Blake at Andover (late 1400s) and the Parish Registers for Andover go back to the 1580s. But it would be exciting to use these wills and prove the line back to at least Robert and perhaps even John but I will be laying the traces.  

Did Robert Blake have a third son?

 Finishing up Richard Blayke's will, I do not see any mention of a son in this will, he does mention a daughter, his wife and his mother. Although I did sort of stick with the thought from a couple of years ago that this was the husband of Jone Blake (widow) who left her will in 1527 at Enham I think having gone through  this will very thoroughly that Richard was not her husband. There are a few thoughts on just who may have been her husband. A William Blake and an Andrew Blake are mentioned in Robert's will although he does not mention any kinship and he did mention that Thomas and Richard were his sons. But he does leave everything moveable and immoveable to a Robert Blake. There are a couple of Robert Blake living in Enham at this time - a son of Thomas is Robert and a son of Jone Blake is Robert. Both Robert and Richard have mentioned a Robert Blake in their will.  Robert was the first person on the indenture for the land. Could this possible third son be the husband of Jone Blake (widow) probably not living at the time of the writing of Robert's will but the Robert Blake mentioned in the will could be his grandson? The eldest son of Jone Blake is Robert Blake. Richard asks that his wife have a lifetime interest and occupation in the dwelling they occupied. Enham has several farms in this time frame as far as I can tell. A Subsidy might help me with this and is perhaps the place I should next pay attention to. 

Jone's will is next I think although I am also debating doing Thomas next. I will think about it for a bit. 

Nearly time for Church.  A busy service and the chorister filled the Church with music and it was lovely. I must have been sleepy as I feel asleep during the sermon - I am getting old for sure. The hymns were lovely. It is time with Edward as he is buried in the Columbarium at the Church. Will I ever go back to Church; I do not think so. I find Church online to be beautiful. 

Another beautiful day on God's earth; my personal diary really although I am always somewhat surprised to see people reading it and I do not mind. I have done a lot of transcription for the Blake Study which people use. The problem with my mind putting down on paper my thoughts which sometimes perhaps should not reach past my thoughts. I apologize for any thoughts that people find difficult as I think I am just 81 now and the thoughts spill out on occasion. 

I believe it will be the will of Thomas next and I shall check and see if I have a will for William Blake or Andrew Blake out of curiosity or another Robert (although I do not think so). I have probably though still about five hundred Blake wills to transcribe. 

Woke up in the night and as usual wanted to empty my brain of some of my thoughts. I did review Thomas' will but it did not add anything to my thoughts above other than it was a short will in 1541 which doesn't add anything significant except perhaps the reference to property called Rawkyns which his father (Robert 1521 will dated) passed to him and he passed it on to his son John and does mention his son Robert who was executor of the will and his daughter Margaret. He does not mention any other family member. 

 An interesting chart held by the Bridgwater Museum for the Blake family refers to the Andover Blake family:

  

 This chart was produced much later (mid 1800s perhaps) than the Pedigree Chart (late 1600s into the 1700s) that was created by the College of Arms using documents from the descendants of Daniel Blake of London which also appears to have a discrepancy but solved more readily by the will of William Blake at Eastontown in 1582. This chart produced later has always perked my interest but none of it can be readily proven by wills. The reference to Boswell is particularly interesting. But it has picked up some of the thoughts of the Pedigree Chart mentioned above but moved the linkage with the main chart (must put that into my thinking tomorrow) back several generations from the linkage as shown in the Pedigree Chart as the will of William Blake 1582 definitely proved that Pedigree Chart to be inaccurate. I always knew at some point I would have all of these charts in front of me as I attempt to create a chart that utilizes all of the wills produced by this family in the 1500s  and me trying to put it all together remembering the thoughts of my grandfather with regard to Nicholas. Amazing really to be in this position. What I really need is to have all the subsidies in front of me and must consider how to acquire those for this study. I can move on just another couple of generations or less and feel on very concrete ground with the records that exist and are in my collection. But I will struggle a bit with these early records to see what I can come up with for a beginning of the genealogical table. 

The Blake family is certainly an interesting one at Andover and tomorrow I must again review The Hampshire Lay Subsidy Rolls 1586 produced by the Hampshire County Council in 1981 which I managed to acquire on one of our trips to Andover, Hampshire, England. There are a number of Blake families likely related in the Andover area. There is the red herring thrown in to all of this by the Emigrants Database 1330-1550 which I mentioned a day or so ago and has a Richard Blake arriving at Salisbury, Dorset in the 1400s. That along with my brother's yDNA match with someone from Dublin in 2008 has proven to be a most interesting detail. And of course his surname was also Blake!

Back to sleep as the mind is now empty once again prepared for another day and it is Labour Day in Canada and also cleaning day and I will do the top floor. 

Thank you God for all that you do for the world. I was always glad that Edward and I started our travels to the British Isles and Europe in 2008 because his appetite to travel back and forth to Europe grew by leaps and bounds over the next decade and he got to see everything he ever really wanted to see except for the trips to Germany and The Netherlands which were pretty much cancelled by COVID.  It was truly amazing how much we did see and I remain amazed at the distances in Europe/British Isles compared to the northern Western Hemisphere which is so much larger and greater distances. One can understand why the overflow from Europe in the 1500s on led to so much immigration by northern European/British Isles to the Western Hemisphere. The explosion of people coming north now from the African Continent is an expression perhaps of the land becoming less usable and the people too many to be supported by it. But the people per square kilometre in Europe is so much greater than the same here in North America. But Canada is less appealing because of the northern weather which of course has always kept the Scandinavian Peninsula much less populated than Europe itself and the British Isles. 

Enough thinking in the night and back to bed. Goodnight world.