I have moved on to the Oxfordshire wills but discovered that this will of Alexander Blake was actually for the Chesham and Agmondesom (Amersham) area which is Buckinghamshire. Plus the will that I am transcribing for William Blake at Coggs, Oxfordshire is already at eight pages and still six pages to go. I hope to acquire more of the wills for the Blake family in Oxfordshire on our next trip to Kew.
From this will, Alexander Blake is married to Elizabeth and they have five children with the eldest being Samuel. For the moment Alexander is a mystery. He does not choose any Blakes to be his overseers and does not mention any siblings. At a time when religious statements are the norm in wills he makes none at all. This is coming to the end of the Elizabethean era in England and he doesn't mention the Queen either. No ideas on what can be taken from all of this but it is interesting to see his will written without a date and probated 5 Aug 1600.
This Alexander Blake does not appear on the Wiltshire Blake Pedigree Chart.
Buckinghamshire is bounded by Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Middlesex, Surrey and Oxfordshire.
Looking at Family Search there are five children born to Alexander Blake and his wife Elizabeth and baptized at Chesham: Samuel 17 Mar 1588 (died 8 Feb 1604), Joshua 10 May 1590, Thomas 12 Nov 1592, Mary 16 Nov 1595 and Martha 24 Dec 1598. Alexander Blake married Elizabeth Hick 17 May 1587 at Chesham.
This will is perhaps written in haste seeing the dates of baptism for the children. Alexander is probably a young man leaving behind five children aged Samuel 12 years, Joshua 10 years, Thomas 8 years, Mary 5 years and Martha 2 years.
Transcriber: Elizabeth Kipp
Recorded: 27 Apr 2012
Source: The National Archives PROB11/95, Image Reference 394/685 (images by me)
Name of testator: Alexander Blake
Place: Agmondesom, Buckinghamshire, England
Type of Record: Will
Dated: undated, probated 5 Aug 1600
Read: Electronic file
Condition: slanted writing, 16th century, bold copy
[In margin] T Alexandri
[In margin] Blake
1 Item I give to the poore of this Towne and p[ar]ish of Chesam fortye
2 shillings Item I give to the poore of Agmondesom Twenty shillings Item I
3 geve to Samuel my sonne my house and lande in Agmondesom with orchard
4 and garden and all thereto belonginge to him and to his heyres for ever Item I
5 geve to my fyve children to every of them a hundred pounds of good and lawfull
6 money and that my Executrix shall pay this fyve hundredth pounds into the hands of
7 my Overseers within one whole yeare next after my deathe and that they shall
8 enter into Bonde unto Mr Gled and Mr Harry Tredwaye to paye to the
9 portion or portions to every of my sonnes at the agge of one and twentye yeares
10 And if any of my children departe this lyfe before yt of one and twenty or
11 my daughters be eightene Then I will that his or her por[t]ion or por[t]ions to be
12 equally devyded betwixte them then lyvinge and that my overseers shall have
13 the bringinge of my children mainetayninge them w[i]thall necessaries and
14 placeinge them with maisters and trades as they are fitt for and that my
15 children should have the profitte of theire Stocks from fiftene yeares untill
16 the receyving of their whole stocke w[hi]ch for my sonnes shal[l ]be one and
17 twentye yeares and for daughters at eightene And further that they shal[l ]be
18 consailed and gowned by my Overseers as parents to them both for theire
19 trades as also for theire marryages And if they shall refuse so to be yt shal[l ]be
20 at the good discre[t]ion of said Overseers to abate of his or her por[t]ion or por[t]ions
21 and to distribute the same to the rest of the other that shal[l ]be then lyvinge That
22 shee shall keepe my house in repar[ati]on as it nowe is untill the ende of seaven
23 yeares Item I geve to Rychard Chace twenty shillings And to everye of my
24 Overseers twentye shillings Item all the res[idu]e of my goods Chattells moveables
25 and whatsoever unbequeathed after my debts payde and my bodye buryed
26 I geve to Elizabeth my wyfe whome I make my sole Executrix of this my Will
27 and testam[en]t And I doe make theis men undernamed to be my Overseers
28 William Carter Elias Porteris Thomas Corke John Partrige This I
29 make and geve as my acte and deede Signed w[i]th my [seale] in the presence of Will[ia]m
30 Carter Elias Porteris Thomas Corke Rychard Chace Alexander Blake
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