This John Blake at Reading has a son John Blake. Was he the John who was the mayor of Reading in 1671 and 1683? I suspect now that I am looking at the dates that he was probably born before 1600 so not likely the mayor in 1671 and 1683. Perhaps he was the father of that John.
From Wikisource: BLAKE, CHARLES, D.D. (1664-1730), divine and poet, was born at Reading, Berkshire, being the son of John Blake, ‘gent.,’ of that town, and educated at the Merchant Taylors’ School and St. John’s College, Oxford, of which he was scholar and afterwards fellow (BA. 1683, M.A. 1687-8, D.D. 1696). He was domestic chaplain to Sir William Dawes, afterwards bishop of Chester and archbishop of York, who was his close friend. Among his preferments were the rectory of St. Sepnlchre’s, London, of Wheldlake in Yorkshire, and of St. )Im~y‘s, Hull, and he was successively a prubendary of Chester, a prebendary of York (1716), and archdeacon of York (1720), He died 22 Nov. 1730. He published a small collection of Latin verses, consisting of a translation into Latin of the poem oflllusacus on Hero and Leander, and of part of the fifth book of Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost;’ and two original poems, one called ‘Hibernia Plorans,’ written in 1689, the year of the siege of Londonderry, deploring Ireland's woes, in the style of Virils Eclogues, and the other an clegy on the death, in 1688, of Frederick, the Great Elector of Brandenburg. These were all published together in a little sixpenny pamphlet, under the title of ‘Lusus Amatorlus, sive Musmi de Herone et Leandro carmen ; cui accedunt Tres Nugæ Poeticæ,’ at London in 1693.
[Wood‘s Athenæ Oxonienses; Lists, &c. of Scholars of the Merchant Taylors' School, ed. Hessy; Robinson’s Register of Merchant Taylors' School, i. 296; Aliens History of Yorkshire ; Ormerod’s History of Cheshire].
In a list of the Mayors of Reading Anthony Brackstone was Mayor in 1637 and a William Brackstone mayor in 1643. John in his will below mentions Anthony Breckstone his son in law and three grandsons: John, William and Anthony as well as his grandaughter Alice Breckstone.
From another book: History of the Municipal Church of St Lawrence, Reading, Berkahire there was listed in an Ordinaunce 1547 that Robert Blake was a Warden. In 1607 the seating plan for the North Isle has Francis Blake in Seat 2. In 1612 Frances Blake is a warden of this Church. The burial stones in the Church for Robert Blake, his wife Mary and their daughters Ann and Mary were mentioned in the post on the will of Mary Blake several days ago. Under The Obituary is listed in 1519-1520 Robert Blake's wife. In 1550-1551 Robert Blake is mentioned under The Obituary section. In 1582-1583 Blake's wife is mentioned under The Obituary. In 1601 Francis Blake's child is mentioned under The Obituary. A History of the Municipal church of St Lawrence Reading by Reb Charles Kerry, Curate 1883 (Internet Archive): http://archive.org/details/historyofmunicip00kerr
These records would appear to indicate that there was a Blake family in Reading in the mid 1500s. I will continue to collect information on the Blake family in Berkshire.
Reading Transcriber: Elizabeth Kipp
Recorded: 30 Apr 2012
Source: The National Archives PROB11/132, Image Reference 271/219 (images by me)
Name of testator: John Blake, Clothier of Reading
Place: Reading, Berkshire, England
Type of Record: Will
Dated:, 25 Oct 1616, probated 16 Sep 1618
Read: Electronic file
Condition: fine writing, 17th century, light copy
[In margin] T Johannis
[In margin] Blake
1 In the Name of God Amen the sixe and twentithe of October
2 in the yere of our Lord god one thousand sixe hundred and sixteene I John Blake of
3 Reading in the Countie of Berks clothier beying sicke and weake of bodie but of good
4 and perfect memorye (thanks be given to god) do make and ordayne this my last will
5 and testament in manner and forme folowinge that is to saye First and principallie
6 I commend my soule into the handes of Almightie god my maker hoping assuredlie
7 throughe the onlie meritts of Jesus Christe my Savyoure to be made partaker of life
8 everlasting And my bodie when yt shall please god to call me to be buryed in xristian buryall
9 Item I give and bequeathe unto Rose my wife fyve poundes Item I give and bequeathe unto my
10 daughter Alice Breckstone the wife of Anthony Breckstone the somme of twentie pounds
11 Item I give and bequeathe unto my daughter Anne Blake the somme of one hundred pounds
12 Item I give and bequeathe unto my daughter Katherine Blake the somme of one hundred
13 poundes Item I give and bequeathe to my daughter Johane Blake the somme of twoe
14 hundred poundes to be paied unto her when she shal[l ]be at the full age of one and twentie yeres
15 Item I give and bequeathe unto my daughter in lawe Edith Seely the daughter of Rose
16 my wife the somme of fyve pounds Item I give and bequeath unto John Baldwin the
17 sonne of Rose my wife the somme of fyve poundes Item I give and bequeathe unto Alice
18 Breckstone the daughter of my daughter of my daughter Alice Breckstone the somme
19 of fyve poundes Item I give and bequeathe unto John Breckstone the sonne of my daughter
Item I give and bequeathe unto W[illia]m Breckstone the sonne of my daughter aforesaid
20 aforesayed fyve poundes^ Item I give and bequeathe unto Anthony Breckstone the youngest
21 sonne of my daughter aforesayed fyve poundes Allso my Will and Interest is that Rose my
22 wife shall have during her life the somme of Twentie poundes yerelie payed unto her And
23 allso to have her chamber and her dyet during her widowes estate sett and convenient
24 And whereas there was a certaine Bill or Specialtie ofe Joynture formerlie made
25 for a fourthe as the promises in the behalfe of Rose my Wife then made are not at this tyme
26 yet p[er]formed yt is condiscended and agreed unto by Rose my wife that the sayed Bill
27 or Specialtie shal[l ]be cleerlie acquited and of nowe effect And all the Residue of my
28 goodes Chattells my dwelling house with th[e ]appurten[an]ces therto belonging with all debts
29 and dues whatsoever after my debts are payed my funerall expences performed and
30 theise my Legacys discharged I whollie give and bequeathe to my sonne John Blake
31 whome I make and ordayne full and sole executor of this my last will and Testament
32 In witnesse whereof to this my last will and testament I have set to my hand and seale
33 the daye and yere first above written in the presence of us By me John Blake
34 Sealed and Delivered in the presence of us Walter Bateman Richard Booche
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