Another John Blake in the parish of South Newton Wiltshire is testator and the year is 1553/54 (new style) with the will written the 25 Dec 1553 and probated at the end of the year 1553 but in new style this is written 6 Feb 1553/54 since February switched in the new style from being at the end of the year to being the second month of the year. At the top there is a number 186 and this will is in a book rather than a loose sheet of parchment.
On a first read through I wondered if this was the same John Blake as wrote his will in 1546 as he is married to Edyth but he has only two sons Thomas and John. This John Blake of South Newton husbandman has a large family including a sister Maria Graye and daughters Margery, Agnes, Elisabeth, Alys, Christian and Maryan and then sons Walter, Gylys, William, Edward and Robert. The witnesses to the will include John Blake the elder, John Blake the younger and with this John Blake testator there were a lot of John Blakes living in this particular area it would appear. Since this man lives in South Newton and has a son Robert I am left to wonder if Robert is the carpenter mentioned in the John Blake will of 1546.
This John is a husbandman though so is leasing land and from the earlier will post there is quite a bit of land for common grazing. He would appear to be wealthier than the last John Blake will dated 1546 as he has costly items to give to his children. Silver was an expensive item in those days. No ideas on his age; he doesn't mention that any of his children are married but he also doesn't say they are not married. He doesn't appoint guardians for the underage children which might be a clue that he is older.
Every new will provides new information and new questions to tantalize the brain. There is a burial of a John Blake 11 Aug 1553 on Family Search (B39064-5) but no place mentioned nor the age of the person.
Edythe is his second wife as she has four children herself. He returns all the goods that she had at marriage to her. A couple of words were new to me in this will and I have not really felt that what I have transcribed is other than the exact letters found in the text but some are missing as indicated by a variable type line marking above the word which does not show in this text. I shall watch for this particular wording and correct it later if I am able to discover it.
This will has really stirred my curiosity with respect to the Blake families in South Newton. Are they descendant of the Calne Blake family? The Pedigree Chart only shows the lines that are on the Visitation and there could be many Blake lines missing from that chart even back into the 1400s and 1500s when the Chart has only one Blake line entered. Finding when the earliest records for Blake are in South Newton will be the next step as I work my way through the wills. At the National Archives that appears to be the purchase of property at Stofford by Henry Blake in the 1600s.
The wills seem to be tracing the fortunes of the Blake family in South Newton and they do appear to be accumulating some wealth.
Transcriber: Elizabeth Kipp
Recorded: 17 Oct 2012
Source: Swindon and Wiltshire Record Office P2/2 Reg/186A
Name of testator: John Blake
Place: South Newton, Wiltshire, England
Type of Record: Will
Dated: 25 Dec 1553, probated 6 Feb 1553/54 (new style)
Read: Electronic file images
Condition: 16th century, middle English, clear copy (few smudges)
[Header] Testam[ent] Johis Blake de Southe Newton 186
1 In the name of god amen the xxv th day of December
2 the yere of o[u[r lord god m ccccc liij And the Fyrst yere of the Reyngn
3 of Mary by the grace of god quene of England France Ireland
4 defend[e]r of the feythe etc I John Blake of the p[ar]eshe of Southe Newton
5 in the Countie of Wylts[hire] husbandman beyng of good and p[er]fyte memorye
6 but yet sycke in body do make this my testament contaynyng my last
7 wyll in man[ner[ and forme folowyng First I gyve and bequeathe my sowle
8 to Almyghtie god And my bodye to be buryed in the churche yerd of
9 Southe Newton a foresayde It[e]m I gyve and bequeathe to my said p[ar]eshe
10 churche of South Newton xx d It[e]m to the Cathedrall church of
11 Sa[lisbur]y viij d. It[e]m to Wyssheforde brydge xii d It[e]m to my syster Maria
12 Graye one akre of wheate and an other of barley. It[e]m to my dawght[er]
13 Margery v shepe and a payre of sylv[er] croks It[e]m to my dowghter Agnes
14 v shepe and a pyncase It[e]m to my dowghter Elisabeth a payre of beads
15 w[i]t[h] silv[er] garrdyes and v shepe It[e]m to my dowghter Alys A gyrdell
16 w[i]t[h] silv[er] hoks and v shepe It[e]m to my dowghter Christian a sylv[er]
17 croke and a coffer and v shepe It[e]m to my dowghter Maryan a sylv[er]
18 pyn and v shepe. It[e]m to my son walter a masar ij silv[er]sponns a
19 table bo[ar]d a cow and v shepe It[e]m to my son Gylys a bullocke an Akre
20 of wheate and an other of barley and the best yron barr'[?] and v shepe It[e]m
21 It[e]m to my son Will[ia]m a bullocke and v shepe It[e]m to my son Edward
22 one bullocke and v shepe and one Flocke bedd It[e]m to my wyfes iiij
23 cheldren iiij lambes It[e]m to Robert Fry a Cupbo[ar]d It[e]m to my wyfe a
24 ffetherbedd And all the pewter and brass that was hers before It[e]m to my
25 son Robert Blake the other Fetherbedd and all my workyng tolys and my Cart
26 horse w[i]t[h] all the woll that is uppon yt And an yron barr' wall[?] Also
27 my sylv[ere]d sponys and all my weryng rayment my brass pewter and lattyn
28 and my befold[?] w[i]t[h] all other treey[?] vessells as they shall thynke best to be
29 stowed yt a mongest my chylderen as I put my trust in them that ys to
30 say walter graye and John Kyngman whom I make ov[er]seers of this my
32 last will and testament to se yt trewly p[er]formed and fulfylled And they
33 shall have for ther labo[u]rs 20 s betwyxt them It[e]m to B Will[ia]m Toppying my
34 goostly Father vii s The Residwe of all my goods moveable and unmoveable
35 not gyven nor bequeathed I gyve and bequeathe un to Edythe my wyfe and
36 to Robert Blake my son whom I make myne executors the one as farforthe
37 as the other to dispose for the heleht of my sowle And all Christe[ns] Also I
38 wyll that all the forsaid shepe to be delyv[er]ed at shere tyme w[i[t[h] the wooll
39 uppon ther backs Thes keping witness John Blake th[e ]elder John Blake the
40 young[er] and John Makerell
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