Richard Blake Will of 23 Mar 1643

I completed the transcription of Richard Blake of Tower Ward London's will and I am still trying to resolve the belief of some researchers that Richard Blake lynnen draper is the son of William Blake and Ann Tutt rather than the son of William Blake and Elizabeth the family of whom I have him as a member. This William Blake (married to Elizabeth) is the son of Nicholas Blake and Margaret . One of the reasons for this being put forward is the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Visitation of 1686 by Peter Blake, High Sheriff of the County of Southampton (b c 1620). The Visitation is linear and I think that I and II refer to brothers perhaps just to denote the family to which this Blake belonged. Age wise it does not make sense and I will go into this in the blog today. William and his brother Richard (discussed below) are likely the second child and definitely the tenth child in the William and Elizabeth Blake family of Eastontown respectively. Richard was the youngest son in the family of ten children and William second eldest son. The age difference would be hard to determine accurately but is not likely greater than 16 years. William died in 1606 and Richard in 1622. William in his will of 1606 mentions: sons William (eldest [known to be married to Ann Tutt]), Peter, Nicholas and Thomas.

 http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=blake-andover&id=I250

This World Connect tree will be revised in the next little while with all the will transcriptions available online. I am nearly finished proofreading them. It is five generations of the Blake family at Andover descendant of the marriage of Blake and Jone (Jone leaving a will in 1527 naming her sons Robert and Nicholas and daughter Elizabeth Mylne). 

One of my problems with the William Blake and Ann Tutt marriage is the timing. Going back one generation the parents of the William Blake married to Anne Tutt are William Blake and Margaret Hibberd. Margaret (Hibberd) Blake was buried 12 Sep 1613 at Andover. Her husband William left a will dated 1 Aug 1606. I know that he is the son of William Blake and Elizabeth because of the lands mentioned in the will and I prepared a chart to assist me in that regard. Several distinct pieces of property pass from father to son to grandson. In each will the descendant is named as a son hence I feel that the line is correct from Nicholas and Margaret Blake to William and Margaret Blake and thence to William and Ann Blake. 

Nicholas left his will in 1547 (his mother Jone in 1527 and his brother Robert in 1542). Trying to give a lifespan to these three is helpful at this time. Both sons Nicholas and Robert are named as executors (of their mother Jone's will) and Jone's daughter Elizabeth is married (Mylne). In 1527 Nicholas and Robert are 21 years or greater. In Nicholas' will he mentions that his younger son Stephen is under 21 and his daughter Elizabeth is not yet married (she married Munday before 1558). However William his eldest son is executor so over 21. Working back Nicholas had to be around 20 or greater in 1526 so giving us a possible birth time period from 1500 to 1506.

Moving on to William and Elizabeth's eldest sons John (married to Margaret Blake likely)  and William (married to Margaret Hibberd) just to try and give a physical timeframe to this next generation. William left his will in 1582 and his wife was buried in 1589. They had ten children  one of whom Mary Blake was buried 1 Sep 1612 at Fareham having baptized her last child in 1596. She had ten children (Rigges) with the first recorded baptism Elizabeth Rigges in 1591 at Farnham and she was number 8 child. Giving roughly 2 years between children would take us back to the late 1570s for a marriage date and an approximate date of birth for Mary around 1550. Mary was child number 8 in her family (parents William Blake and Elizabeth ). Moving back from Mary to John (eldest) could give an approximate date of birth for him of the mid to late 1530s. His father then William Blake son of Nicholas would have an approximate date of birth around 1510 and hence Nicholas must have been born in the latter part of the 1400s (1480s to 1490s). This would make him between 40 and 50 when his mother left her will in 1527. 

We then move to the second son (William) of William and Elizabeth Blake and William was the second (or so) eldest so born in the mid to late 1530s. This William is known to have married Margaret Hibberd and it was their son William who married Ann Tutt. William could have married between 1555 and 1565 and their son William was their eldest son. He could have married between 1575 and 1585. Their children would hence be born in the 1570s or 1580s on. One of these children was a Richard Blake and some researchers have him married to Jone Blake (parents of the Richard Blake Tower Ward London - the will writer first mentioned yesterday and subject of today's blog again). However this Richard and Jone (parents of Richard Blake Tower Ward London) were baptizing children before 1589 and until at least 1604. The first baptism recorded at Andover for this couple was Elenor Blake baptized 23 May 1589 and she was child number five. Estimating two years between brings us back to the late 1570s or early 1580s. An estimated birth date for this Richard (married to Jone Blake) would be mid 1550s to late 1550s. Since Richard is not named as a minor in his father's will of 1582 (William Blake married to Elizabeth ) he must be at least 21 and hence born by 1561. It is simply not possible for this Richard (married to Jone Blake) to be the son of William Blake and Ann Tutt and for them to be grandparents of the Richard Blake of Tower Ward London.

As I work through these Blake families though I realize more and more that it is a complex family and that there could be several different Blake lines at Andover or they could all be descendant of the Wiltshire Blake family arriving at Andover in different generations possibly by inter marriage between the Wiltshire and the Hampshire Blake families in the 1500s.

The next step is to place all of the people named in Richard's will as relatives in their family groupings to see if I can figure out the family of his mother Jone Blake. Initially I had thought it was Robert Blake but I am moving away from that thought having now transcribed this will and looked at the Visitation. 

Will of Richard Blake Tower Ward dated 23 Mar 1643.


Transcriber: Elizabeth Kipp
Recorded: 24th October 2010, revised 2 November 2012
Source: The National Archives PROB 11/192/150
Testator: Richard Blake, gentleman
Place: Tower Ward, London, England
Type of Record: Will
Dated: 23 March 1643/44, probated 19 Dec 1644
Read: Electronic copy
Condition: scan, smudges, old English writing good, contrast medium

[Margin]: T[estator] Richardi
[Margin]: Blake

1    In the name of the eternall and
2    everliving god Father Sonne and holy ghost in whose name I was baptized in
3    whome only I hope and beleeve to be saved with a free heart and willing minde I
4    doe yeeld and render my soule into the hands of Father, sonne and holy ghost and I
5    beleeve that the lord will have mercy upon my soule for he first made me; soe this I
6    beleeve that whether I live or dye I am the lords, to whome be all honour and glory
7    power and dominion fore evermore Amen, As concerning my body I bequeath it to the
8    earth from whence it came I Richard Blake of London gent[leman] being sicke and weake in
9    bodye but of good and p[er]fect memory I thanke my god the giver and p[re]server thereof
10    doe make this my last will and testam[en]t as followeth The twentie third day of March
11    one thousand six hundred forty three, Item I give to my sister Joane Baylie twentie
12    pounds To my sister Dorothie Burmingham twenty pounds, To my sister Ellen Hinxman
13    twenty pounds, To my sister Margaret Savadge twenty pounds, To my cozen Richard
14    Blake th[e ]elder twenty pounds; Item I give to my godchildren to whome I gave nothing
15    at their baptizing, To my godson Richard Blake twenty shillings, To my goddaught[e]r
16    Ellen Hinxman twentie shillings, To my godson William Poore twenty shillings, To my
17    godsonne Richard Blake at long parrish twenty shillings, Item I give to Mr. John
18    Barker and his wife each of them an enamild Ring valued twelve shillings six pence
19    To Mr. Jn[o] Glascock, To Mr Laurence Newman, To Mr Jn[o] Gatley, To Mr. Richard
20    Pettingall to each of them to each of them an enameld Ring of twelve shillings six
21    pence price To Mr. Will[ia]m Irat an enameld Ring of twenty two shillings, To Mr.
22    Samuell Edoll one enameld Ring of twenty two shillings Item I give to Mr Laurence
23    Newman my watch and doe desire him to assist my executor on his business at London.
24    Item I give to my brother Peter ten pounds and to his five children my cosens viz[ a vi]z
25    my Richard fyftie pounds To my cozen Dorothie, my cozen Jane, my cozen Mary,
26    and my cozen Joane Blake twenty five pounds apeece, To my old landlady Millicent
27    Price tenn pounds Item I give to my cozen Joseph Hinxman the younger five
28    pounds To my cozen Jone Noyes five pounds To my cozen Alice Hinxman twenty
29    shillings Item I give to my cozen Dorothie Smith forty shillings; And to each her children
30    each of them being fouer twenty shillings a peece Item I give to mjy sister Hinxman a
31    fayre diamond ring Item I give to my said sister Hinxman one faire damask table-
32    cloth a dozen diaper napkins two plane table cloths and a dozen of napkins being
33    at Mrs Prices Item I give to my sister Deborah Blake of Galligar my looking
34    glasse Item I give to my cozen Richard Blake's wife a new Beaker being at
35    Mrs. Price's Item I give to Mrs Price my bed and furniture table and stowler w[i]th
36    the great chest behind the chamber dore Item I doe make and ordaine my
37    brother Nicholas Blake of Galligar my executor and doe give him by way of
38    legacie one hundred pounds There is some residue more of my estate about two
39    or three hundred pounds where if it be gott in bee devided the one half to my
40    executor and his brother Peter Blake, the other half to my four Sisters viz[ a vi]t
41    Joane and Dorothie, Elline and Margaret, And yf any of my legatees doe
42    contend w[i]th my legacie to trouble my executor before the money can be gott
43    in to loose his part More I give to my cozen Alice Hinxman one large bible
44    bound in blue leather and guilded, and my silke grogram cloke and to her
45    brother William my rapier And I desire my cozen Richard Blake to be assistant
46    as an overseer to see the children of my brother Peter not wronged as farr as in
47    him lyeth Item I give my sister Dorothie six poundes which shee owed by debt
48    Item I give to my Executor one Fayre Turke Belt w[i]th greene leather and
49    gould wyer In witness whereof I have hereunto sett my hand and seale the
50    day and yeare above written Richard Blake [signed] Witnesses Richard Blake John
51    Elton