Carrying on with the wills that I photographed at Kew when we were there in October 2010. The will of Thomas Blake at Wedmoore in 1581 is a treasure if you are interested in the names of the people who lived in the area around Wedmoore and in Wedmoore itself. Some of the nearby villages include Mark, Weare, Eastbrente, Southbrente, Glastonbury, Huntspill, Lympsham, Burnham, and Heath House. The greatest portion of the will is a list of the individuals who owe money to Thomas Blake. Is he perhaps a store keeper as well as a farmer? He describes himself as a yeoman in the will. He and his wife Isabell have four children: Thomas, John, Luce and Elizabeth. He has a brother John. At the time of the Protestation Returns in 1641-42 there is a John Blake at Kingston St Mary who could possibly be one of the sons of this Thomas as land was left to the eldest son Thomas at Kingston St Mary. This is the same area of Somerset as Humphrey Blake was living in up to the mid 1500s but Overstowey about 17 miles away and closer to Devon. There was also a Blake family in Devon that I have only just started to look at.
I decided to do the wills that remain in Somerset that I have acquired in order of number although the number is not significant; it just happens that this is listed as the oldest will in Somerset at the National Archives Documents on line site.
The will of Thomas Blake at Wedmoore in Somerset.
Transcriber: Elizabeth Kipp
Recorded: 12 Apr 2012
Source: The National Archives (images by me of #32) PROB 11/63
Name of testator: Thomas Blake
Place: Wedmoore, Somerset, England
Type of Record: Will
Dated: 17 Dec 1577, probated 27 Jan 1581
Read: Electronic file
Condition: smudges, 16th century, bold copy, script
[In margin] T. Thomas
[In margin] Blake
1 In the name of god amen The sevententhe daie of the monnethe of decemb[e]r
2 the yeare of our Lorde god a thousande fyve hunderthe and sevene seven, I Thomas Blake of the parishe of Wedmoore
3 within the diocese of Wells, in the countie of Sommersette, yeoman beinge of whole minde and in good and perfecte
4 Remembrancing laude and prayse be to allmightie god, make and ordeyne this my presente testamente concerning herein
5 my laste will, in manner and forme followinge. That is to saie, Firste I commend my soule unto allmightie god
6 my maker and redemer and my bodye to be buried in the parishe churchyarde of Wedmoore. And I bequeathe to sainte
7 Andrewe his Church in Wells fouer pence Item I geve to the churche of Wedmoore twenty pence Item I geve
8 to my sonne Thomas the leasse and tearme of yeares of all my ground sette lyenge and beinge within the p[a]rish of
9 Knigstone, and fortie poundes of lawfull englishe monneye and also all my debtes whiche Richard Holne and William
10 his sonne dothe owe unto me Item I geve unto my daughter Luce fyve acres of grounde of maister Elworthes
11 helde within the mannor of Blackeforde, So that my sonne Thomas doe suffer her quicklie to houlde and occupye
12 the saide five acres. And if my sayde sonne doe refuse so to doe, That then I will that my saide daughter Luce shall
13 iointlye houlde and have withe my saide sonne Thomas the foresaide lease and tearme of yeares of all my foresayde
14 grounds beinge and lyinge within the p[a]rishe of Knigston aforesaide. And also I geve to my saide daughter Luce
15 fortie poundes of lawfull englishe monneye. Item I geve to my sonne John the lease and tearme of yeares of
16 eleven acres of grounde called Bycham sette lyenge and beinge within the parishe of Estbrente and also fortie
17 poundes of lawfull englishe monneye. Item I give to Elisabethe my daughter the lease and tearme of yeares of
18 my grounde called Cotham sette lyinge and beinge within the p[a]rishe of Huntspill and also fortie poundes of lawfull
19 englishe monney Item I will that all the foresayde gooddes and parcells of grounde (geven unto my children) be after
20 my deceasse fully and wholye delyvered and bestowed to the moste proffite and use of my sayd chyldrenne. Allso my
21 will is that if anye of my childrenne doe deceasse before thee be of consent age and before that they be not married
22 That then his parte or her parte of share sowe essuinge shall remayne to the other of them then survivinge or lyving
23 Item I geve to William Vowles fortie shillings sterlinge of the whiche there is twentie shillinges with his master
24 Roberte Webbe Item I geve to Edwarde Vowles fortie shillinges sterlinge. The residue of all my gooddes chattels
25 and debts after my funerall expenses performed and theise my legacies (conteyned in that my present testamente)
26 fullfilled I wholie geve and bequeath to Isabell my wief whome I make and ordeyne of this my laste will my
27 executrix. And I make and ordeyne William Baber and my brother John Blake ov[er]seers. Item Richarde Longe
28 and Roberte Dodd of Burnham owethe unto me fyve poundes. Item Thomas Bynsham of Shypham owethe unto me fyve
29 poundes tenne shillinges. Item John Binsham of Estbrente owethe unto me fyve poundes. Item William Brodrippe of
30 Glaston[bury] owethe unto me twentie poundes. Item Thomas Sayarde and Thomas Gisee of Lympsham owethe unto me
31 seven poundes. Item Thomas Hares and John Vincente of Estbrente owethe me twentie poundes. Item Roberte
32 Hobbes of Mark owethe me sixe poundes six shillinges eight pence. Item Blase Stearte of Estbrente or William Griffyn
33 owethe unto me (bothe) three poundes. Item Richarde Holne and William his sonne of Southbrente owethe unto me
34 a hundrethe and tenne poundes. Item Adam Elsworthe and Richarde Holne of Southbrente owethe unto me tenne
35 poundes. Item John Gyllinge of Southbrente owethe unto me nynetene poundes. Item Arthure Collyngs of
36 Lympsham owethe unto me tenne poundes. Item Robart Symons of Esbrente owethe unto me sixe poundes
37 tenne shillinges. Item Thomas Moore and John Moore of Southbrente owethe unto me thirtie three shillinges.
38 Item Roberte Hobbes and John Leyk of Mark owethe unto me seeven poundes sixe shillings eight pence. Item
39 Thomas Moore Robert Symons of Eastbrente owethe unto me three pound sixe shillinges eight pence. Item
40 Thomas Moore and John Tuckey of Burneham owethe unto me seven poundes nyme shillinges eight pence
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41 Item John Vyisham[sp] of Estbrent owethe unto me fyve poundes. Item Thomas Crypes owethe unto me thirtene shillinges
42 four pence. Item Thomas Crouch owethe unto me twentie three poundes. Item John Sommersett of Southbrent
43 owethe unto me fifteene poundes. John Lacham of Theale oweth unto me twentie poundes. Item William Welche
44 of Weare owethe to me fyve poundes. Item Thomas Bick [sp] owethe unto me seven poundes three shillings Item
45 Edwarde Gyles oweth unto me twentie shillinges. Item John Smithe of Blackefoorde owethe unto me twentye
46 shillinges. Item William Brodrippe of Glaston[bury] owethe unto me fortie shillings. Item John Boorde oweth
47 unto me tenne poundes. Item Thomas Pyle of Huntspill oweth unto me fiftie shillinges. Item William Teyles oweth unto
48 me fortie and fyve poundes sixe shillinges eighte pence. Item Andrewe Crouch oweth unto me seven and Thirty
49 sixe shillinges eight pence. Item Richard Corrington of Mark oweth unto me sixe poundes. Item Frances Sheppherd
50 of Mark owethe unto me fyve poundes tenne shillinges. Item John Chamber of Estbrente oweth unto me thirty three
51 shillinges fouer pence. Item Phillippe Kinge of Estbrente oweth unto me three poundes. Item John Sage of Heath
52 house owethe unto me twentie sixe shillinges eight pence. Item William Bringlett of Huntspill owethe unto me
53 twentie shillinges. Item Robert Tuxwell of Huntspill oweth unto me three poundes. Item Robert Symons owethe
54 me for a Bull twentie eighte shillinges. Item Christopher Corringtone oweth unto me seven poundes tenne
55 shillinges. Item John Whitinge of Mark oweth unto me eight poundes. Item the above named John Boorde
56 oweth unto nowe fourtie poundes thirtene shillinges seven pence. Witnesses William Baber Thomas Wat
57 John Blake Andrewe Wesbur and Thomas Howlett
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