Alice Blake widow mentions her son William and grandson John in this will. This Blake family continues at South Newton on the tything of Stotford or Stofford. I am not sure when they first arrive in South Newton or whether they have been there a long time. The parish registers do not begin until 1695 at South Newton.
From the Swindon and Wiltshire webpages (http://history.wiltshire.gov.uk/community/getcom.php?id=204) a short history of Stofford which was a freehold estate:
In Stoford, however, a freehold estate of some 61.25 acres was held by Henry Quintin, who died in 1284. This land was inherited by William Quintin (d. 1290) and descended subsequently by inheritance and sale until Sir Richard Grobham, who died in 1629, gave it to endow an almshouse at Great Wishford. The estate of 69 acres was sold by the trustees in 1948.
A second freehold estate in Stoford of approximately 30 acres, together with a further approximately 25 acres in South Newton, belonged in 1462 to William, Lord Stourton. It descended through the Stourton family until Edward Stourton sold it between 1693 and 1704 to Henry Blake. It then descended by inheritance and sale to Alexander Powell who sold the estate of 112 acres to George, Earl of Pembroke and Montgomery and it was added to South Newton manor.
Looking at the Archives Catalogue (The National Archives but held at the Wiltshire and Swindon Archives):
212B/6379 1664 June 11
(1) Blake, John, the younger of Stoford alias Stofford. par. South Newton, yeoman, son of Rob. Blake, decsd.
(2) Rede, Rob., gent., of Chaldwarton, par. Amport, [...] Co Southerton.
Marriage Settlement (Release) of land in Westfield, Stofford, and land in Streetland-acre furlong, and land in Eastfield, Stofford, and common pasture.
212B/6399 1681 Dec. 9
(1) Blake, John, yeoman, of Stoford alias Stofford, par. South Newton.
(2) Rede, Edward, gent., of Stratford under the castle of Old Sarum.
Cooper, John, gent. of New Sarum.
Lease and Release of same property as in Marriage Settlement (Release) of 1664 June 11.
212B/6404 1685 Sep. 10
(1) Rede, John, Esq., of Porton
Blake, John, yeoman of Stoford, alias Stofford, par. South Newton.
(2) Cooper, Thomas, the elder, gent., of Potterne.
Mortgage of same property as in Marriage Settlement (Release) of 1664, June 11.
212B/6120 1693 July 20
(1) Stourton, Lord Edward, of Stourton
(2) Blake, Henry, the younger, of Stoford, yeoman
Lease for 99 yrs. of a messuage, garden, orchard, and several closes called: Meadham, Broadham, and land in Stoford Mead and in Stoford fields with a cottage; and Stourtonsham close, and land in Longman, Newton fields, and common of pasture.
212B/6425 1694 Sep. 25
(1) Blake, Robert, yeoman, of Stoford alias Stofford, par. South Newton.
(2) Blake, Alice, widdow, of New Sarum City, mother of Robert.
Surrender of same property as in Marriage Settlement (Release) of 1664, June 11.
212B/6426 1694 Oct. 22, 23
(1) Blake, Robert, yeoman, of Stoford alias Stofford, par. South Newton.
(2) Skrine, John, gent., of Middle Temple.
Lease and Release of same property as in Marriage Settlement (Release) of 1664, June 11.
(Release parties to (3) Cooper, John, grocer, of New Sarum city; Strope, John, Esq., of Middle Temple.)
This is unfortunately one hundred years later but interesting to still find the same family on the property. John Blake the younger mentioned in the 1664 document is the son of Robert Blake deceased which would take us back one generation and perhaps closer to John the son of William and William then was the son of the testator Alice Blake (identified as a widow in the probate). As my Latin improves I will transcribe and publish the probate in Latin. There are probably though several more generations back to the individuals mentioned in the will. However, the good news is that there are more wills for this family. What I would like to discover is the name of Alice's husband and how he fits into the Blake family in Wiltshire or does he? South Newton is 5 miles north west of Salisbury. Calne is 24 miles north north west of South Newton just to give a look at the distance that this Blake family could have traveled away from their possible home base. I am not sure that one can assume that the Blake families found in the south of Wiltshire are necessarily descendant of the Calne Blake family but on the other hand they could be.
There are a couple more wills at South Newton in this early time frame: John Blake 1546, Thomas Blake 1550, John Blake, husbandman, 1554 and John Blake 1572. I do have the 1546, 1550, 1554 and 1572 wills and will be transcribing them in their turn. I tend to go alphabetical when I am working probably because I have equal interest in all of the wills.
The other question is who is Edmund Southery? I do not find a will for him and a search on the archives does not reveal anything helpful yet.
The other will I have that fits into this family is that of John Blake yeoman at South Newton and probated 20 May 1637. Perhaps he is the father of Robert deceased by 1664. He is not likely the grandson of Alice though leaving her will in 1566 unless he was very young at the time. That will be an interesting will as well to fit into this family.
Transcriber: Elizabeth Kipp
Recorded: 17 Oct 2012
Source: Swindon and Wiltshire Record Office P2/5 Reg/2C
Name of testator: Alice Blake
Place: Stofford, South Newton, Wiltshire, England
Type of Record: Will
Dated: 20 Oct 1566, probated 9 Dec 1566
Read: Electronic file images
Condition: 16th century, middle English, clear copy (few smudges)
[Header] Testam[ent] Alice Blake Southe Newton
1 In the name of god amen in the yere of o[u]r Lorde god M
2 CCCCC lxvi the xxth daie of October I Alice Blake of Stofford
3 in the p[ar]yshe of Southe Newton sicke in body but of p[er]fitt
4 memory make my last will and testame[n]t in mann[er] and forme
5 folowinge First I bequeathe my soule to almightie god and
6 my body to be buried in the churche yard of south newton
7 aforsaid Also I geve to Will[ia]m my sonne a quarter of wheate
8 and a quarter of barley my carte and my plowghe and the
9 voon [?] geve to them belonginge, and to ev[er]yone of my childrens
10 children a busshell of barley. Also I geve to Will[ia]m my sonne
11 all my haye and my fatches [?], my wood a platter and a candlestick
12 also I geve to John Blake the sonne of Will[ia]m Blake my cosbard [?]
13 the Resydewe of my goods and chattalls not bequeathed I geve
14 and bequeath to mariam my dawghter and to Edmund Sowthery
15 whom I make my Executors of this my last will and if the
16 said Edmunde Southery dye a w[it]hin the age of xvj yeres
17 they his parte to remaine to his brethren witness Will[ia]m
18 Hurde Will[ia]m Boldy John Blake with mee Also I will that
19 John Deane shall have the ge[ar]dnince of the said Edmunde
20 Sothery and his goods tyll he come to the goods age of xvj
21 yeres thes beinge
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