This will written by John Blake in 1504 is often quoted and this John is the son of Robert Blake and Avis Wallop. We know that John is 40 years or more old when his mother's estate was examined under Inquisition Post Mortem circa 1474 so he was born circa 1434 or earlier. In 1504 he would have been at least 70 years old. John was married twice and he did not leave any male heirs carrying the Blake surname. Part of the fascination for me in all of this aside from information for my one name study of the Blake family is that he lived at the time that the father of Nicholas Blake at Enham lived. Living at Nether Wallop he was only seven miles south west of Andover and we passed through the area of the Wallops on our way to Upper Clatford (1 mile south of Andover or in truth just on the opposite side of the highway these days). There is Nether Wallop and one mile to the north west is Middle Wallop and two miles to the north west is Over Wallop. Then six miles to the north east is Goodworth Clatford and also Upper Clatford which are two continuous villages - you leave the one as you enter the other. As we drove these lanes I could imagine my great grandfather walking from his home to work each day as he did all of his life. Looking at the picture of him from 1898 I can see from whom I inherited my strabismus (lazy eye syndrome) for there it is forever captured in picture the one eye wandering about on its own whilst the other is fixed on you the viewer. Inherited by me from my father. My grandfather did not have strabismus but did pass it on to his son.
His brother Robert acquires Penhills by this will (although not mentioned except in the line where it was said that Richard Dauntsey would inherit the properties in Southampton and Wiltshire with some exceptions and this was one of the exceptions) and it stays with this family up into the reign of Charles I when it was destroyed by the Royalists. A smaller manor was built from the original stones at Pinhills and the Blake family continued to live there into the 1700s.
This family can trace back on paper to the Blake family that is on the 1286 subsidy for Wiltshire and on the Pedigree Chart which is held by the Swindon Wiltshire Record Office. This rather large document (12 feet long by 4 feet wide) was commissioned by the Blake family in London, England to record their family line and was produced using primarily the Visitations but also other documents which I have not yet been able to determine. The College of Arms holds the original material for this chart and one day I will investigate the cost of receiving copies of the documents used. The College of Arms is located near St Paul's Cathedral in London just up from the London Millennium Footbridge. Something that should not be missed when visiting London is crossing on foot all of these bridges and wandering down both sides of the Thames River. The most we ever did was 18,000 steps per day and that took us from our hotel just south of Waterloo Station up into London and along the Thames to St Pauls Cathedral and back across the Thames and down into Bermondsey and then back to our hotel. A wonderful walk and we took about ten hours in total with lots of interesting stops along the way. You can take the Underground and it is a must to go to Kew, the Museums, Greenwich but to be in the City of London or Westminster the best way is to go on foot.
The Blake Pedigree Chart does have a male descendant for John Blake (son of Robert Blake and Avis Wallop). He is named David on the chart and was the son of his first wife Margaret Dyncham/Dinham/Denham. David married Joane Mallet and they had two children John Blake Abbot of Cirencester, Gloucester and William who married Margaret Browne of Wablyn. William and Margaret had two sons Martin who married Catherine Vaughan of Herefordshire and John who is said to be the ancestor of the Somerset Blake family and that Lord High Admiral Robert Blake was one of his descendants.
Robert Blake and Avis Wallop had seven children according to the Visitation. Their son Robert married Margaret Inglefield and their two children Roger and Anne married into the Baynard family. Roger married Mary Baynard. Roger and Mary are said to have a son William Blake of Eastontown who married Avice Ripley it is this William that I have been most interested in from the viewpoint of my own family at Andover/Upper Clatford. I am not entirely convinced that he is a son of Roger Blake and Mary Baynard. Roger only mentions his eldest son and his youngest daughter in his will however. These two items David a son of John Blake and William son of Roger and Mary Baynard must have other supporting documentation which I shall one day attempt to see. Their children of Robert Blake and Avis Wallop on the Visitation (Wiltshire Visitation Pedigrees 1623):
Gilbertus
Alexander
Robt
Elizabeth
Alice
Joane
John
Gilbert and Alexander both died without heirs. This visitation principally looks at Robert Blake descendants. Henry Blake is the individual living in 1623 at Pennells and just to place this manor it is to the WSW of Calne about 1 mile. That means it is about 29 miles from Nether Wallop (where John was to be buried) to Calne. John doesn't say in his will where he is located when he is writing his will.
John does mention his nephew Roger (son of his brother Robert although not as nephew but he is). He does mention his servants Robert Blake yeoman and John Blake (currently his servant). Servant could mean a number of things I suspect in those days. They could have been in training with him. It is just so close to Andover and Eastontown (where William Blake lived) from NetherWallop - only seven miles. Reading through the Inquisitions Post Mortem may assist with understanding the Blake family in this area even better.
Wallop is the area in which John's mother Avis Wallop lived. In the Post Mortem following her death in 1474 National Archives C 140/48/6 which I shall either purchase or have a look at when we are next there, the land that was feoffed to her and her daughter by her first husband was mentioned as well as John Blake her son being 40 years of age or more. Reading through this document could be quite interesting but the Inquisition Post Mortem for John might add more details for the Blake family.
There are a number of Inquisition Post Mortems for the Blake Family held at The National Archives:
Alice Blake, Somerset (circa 1600 - 1601) C 142/263/93 and WARD 7/26/116
Amice (probably Avice) Blake, Wiltshire (circa 1474 - 1475) C 140/48/6
Elizabeth Blake (wife of John Blake esquire (Dorset, Wiltshire and Hampshire)) (circa 1459 - 1461) C 139/176/27
Humphrey Blake, Somerset (circa 1558 - 1559) C 142/119/163 and E 150/946/16 and WARD 7/102/34
Humphrey Blake, Somerset (circa 1625 - 1626) C 142/442/18 and WARD 7/74/197
Jasper Blake, Norfolk (circa 1614 - 1615) C 142/659/139
Jasper Blake, Norfolk (circa 1547 - 1548) C 142/85/21 and WARD 7/3/6
John Blake, Devon (circa 1572 - 1573) C 142/163/16 and E150/205/14
John Blake, Devon (circa 1576 - 1577) C 142/177/101(1) and WARD 7/18/10
John Blake, esquire, Hampshire (circa 1503 - 1504) C 142/18/37
John Blake, esquire, Wiltshire (circa 1503 - 1504) C 142/18/38
John Blake, Hampshire, (circa 1504 - 1505) E150/960/28
John Blake, Lincoln (circa 1539 - 1540) E 150/573/11
John Blake, Lincoln (circa 1557 - 1558) C 142/113/92 and E 150/590/57
John Blake, Wiltshire (circa 1394 - 1395) C 136/83/5
John Blake, Wiltshire (circa 1506 - 1507) C 142/23/264
Ralph Blake, Lincoln (circa 1557-1558) E 150/590/40 and C142/113/77
Richard Blake, Berkshire (circa 1590 - 1591) C 142/228/70
Richard Blake, Hampshire (circa 1623 - 1624) WARD 7/67/23 and C 142/408/89
Richard Blake, Somerset (circa 1613 - 1614) C 142/682/99
Richard Blake, Somerset (circa 1620 - 1621) C 142/784/43
Richard Blake, Sussex (circa 1611 - 1612) WARD 7/36/115 and C 142/323/103
Richard Blake, Sussex (circa 1619 - 1620) WARD 7/61/66 and C 142/379/51
Richard Blake, Sussex (circa 1620 - 1621) WARD 7/60/35 and C 142/379/33
Robert Blake, Somerset (circa 1592 - 1953) C142/236/56
Robert Blake, Somerset (circa 1627 - 1628) C 142/436/5
Robert Blake, Wiltshire (circa 1516 - 1517) C 142/31/53 and E 150/968/3
Simon Blake, Norfolk (circa 1489 - 1490) E 150/606/9 and C 142/5/82
Stephen Blake, Hampshire (circa 1624-1625) WARD 7/72/74 and C 142/625/22
Thomas Blake, Hampshire (circa 1608 - 1609) WARD 7/42/83 and C 142/410/93
William Blake, Hampshire (circa 1607 - 1608) WARD 7/39/174 and C 142/298/43
William Blake, knight, Middlesex (circa 1631 - 1632) WARD 7/81/226 and C 142/480/114
William Blake, Somerset (circa 1617 -1618) C142/689/62
William Blake, Wiltshire (circa 1619 - 1620) C 142/652/188
These documents were inquiries as the title indicates and were issued by the local "escheator" (official responsible for taking possession of the estate). These include date, names of manors held and details of service and also name, age and relationship of the heir or coheir. The letter code WARD refers to records where the heir was a minor. I plan to look at these document when next at Kew.
Another interesting document for this family F3/Box 1/283 1506 and the contents: Grant from Henry VII to Philip Baynard of the wardship of Richard Dauntesey son and heir of John Dauntesey, deceased and kinsman and heir of John Blake, deceased. 28 Nov 22 Henry VII (1506).
Another item: F3/Box 1/299 1542 and the contents: Letters Patent from King Henry VIII of messuages etc in London to Richard Dauntesey Esq and Marie his wife for their lives. 20 July 34 Henry VIII (1542)
Transcriber: Elizabeth Kipp
Recorded: 25 Oct 2012
Source: The National Archives, PROB 11/14/155
Name of testator: John Blake
Place: Nether Wallop, Hampshire, England
Type of Record: Will
Dated: 24 Feb 1503, probated 24 Apr 1504
Read: Electronic file images
Condition: tiny letters, middle English writing, 16th century
[In margin] Testi[men]t
[In margin] Jo Blake
1 In the Name of God Amen The xxiij day of February the xix yere of our sov[er]eigne lorde kinge henry
2 the vij th I John Blake Esquier of good and hole mynde laude and praysing be to the Infinite mercy and grace
3 of all myghty god make and comend this my last Will and testament First I bequeth my sowle to almyghty
4 god and to owr blessed lady his mother and to all the company of he[a]ven And my body to be buried in the p[ar]ich
5 church of Saint Andrews in Nether Wallop wyth and next the sepulure of Margery late my wife now disse
6 ased Also I bequeth to my mother church of Saint Swythwyns in Winchester xl d Item to my saide p[ar]ich
7 church and vicar for my tithyngs forgoten xl d It[e]m to the church wardens of the same church towards
8 the edyfiing of the same church xl d Item to the Mother church of owr lady in New Sar[um] xl d Item to the
9 church and vicare of owr lady of Calne for tithynys forgoten xij d Item to the church wardens for the
10 edyfing of the same church vj s viij d Item to the chapell of Saint Janry's within the same church for meyn-
11 tenyng of the lightes in the same Chapell xl d Item to Master Richard Sclater Vicare of the said church
12 of Saint Andrews xx d Item to the parish prest of the same church xvj d Also I bequeth to Roger blake
13 xx s and to Jane Dawency cosyn to my wife x s and to Robert Blake yeoman lat[e] my srvant x s and I
14 respite and release the same Robert of jjj s now he owith me and to John Blake my servant xx s and
15 to John Walishman my tawney gown and x s and to William Blancherd my servant xl d And to Alys
16 Cleylesdon my new and last gowne made and xij d And to Richard Colnot xl s for his labor in makyng
17 this my testament and feoffment so that they and ev[er]y of them pray for my sowle
18 First as towching all my maners landis and tenementis I will that John dawntsey shal[l ]have the moyte
19 of all my man[er]s landis tenements rentis reversions and farms with the appurtenancs within the
20 cown[t]ies of South[hamp]ton and Wiltes[shire] or elswher excepte certen landis underwriten in Compton and Calne
21 to come to hym for terme of his life and after his decese to remane to Richard dawntsey sonne of the sayde
22 John d and Alice late his wife and dowgther to the saide John Blake and to the heyres of the body of the
23 same Richard lawfully begotten and for default of such issu the remayndre therof to Jane Wrowgtone
24 dawghter of the said John Blak and to the eyres of her body lawfully begoten and for defaut of such
25 the remayndre ther of to the ryght heyres of Robert Blake my brother for evermor And as to the
26 other moyte of all my Maners landis and tenements with the appurtenancs within the saide cownty
27 or els wher excepte before excepte I will that the said Jane my dowgther have them to her and
28 to the eyres of her body lawfully begotten and for default of such Issue the remayndre therof to
29 the said Richard Dawntesey and to the eyres of his body lawfully begotten and for defawt of such issue
30 the remaynder ther of to the right heyres of the saide Robert Blake my brother Also I will by this my p[re]sent
31 will that my feoffys of my mes[sag]es landys and tenements with appurtenance in Compton and of a
32 corne myll in Calne called Kew myll a Tenement which Robert Cubley now dwellyth yn In an
33 tenement with William Ostyter now dwellyth in Calne aforesaid w[h]ich is of the yerly valor of xj £
34 xiij s iiij d or ther abowt as owe all charges shallstand and be feoffed therof to this menr folowny
35 that is to say that thei shall suffer myn executors of this my present last will to take and preyve
36 the Issues and p[re]sents of the same Mes[sag]es landis in Compton and Calne aforesaid untill the tyme
37 that they have payd all my detts and legacyes p[er]formed and my finall exspensis done and
38 that the Issues theroff and profetts be taken for the salary and fyndyng of a prest by my said
39 executors duryng the terme of a yere to pray for my sowle and all my frendis and all cristen
40 sowles and that the same prest shalhave x marks for his salary and this done and executyd I
41 will that the saide feoffes stande and be feoffe of the said John Dawntesey for terme of his
42 life and after his disseace to remayne to the saide Richard Dawntsey and to his heyres of his body
43 lawfully begotten And for defaute of such Issue to remayne to the sayd Jane and to the eyres of
44 her body lawfully begotten And for defaut of such Issue the remayndre thereof to the ryght heyres
45 of the saide Robert Blake And as to the other moyte of the saide Mes[sag]es Landis and tenements in
46 Compton and Calne aforesaid to stand and be feoffes to the use of the said Jane and of the heyres of
47 her body lawefully begotten And for defaut of suche Issu to remayne to the said Richard Dawntesey
48 and to the eyres of his body lawefully begotten and for defaut of such Issue the remaynder thereof to the
49 sayde rigth heyres of the said Robert Blake And this estats to be evermore in forme abovesaid at in
50 goodly hast may be comemently and lawfully of this my testament and last Will I make my Exe
51 cutors Margery my wife and John Dawntesey her sonne and I make Robert Blak my brother to be
52 overseer of this my testament and that the same Robert to be aidyng and assisyng to my sayde
53 executors shalhave xl s The residue of all my goodes and cattals not spokin of in this my testament
54 not bequethed I geve and grante utterly in my life to the said Margery and John Dawntesey to ther own
55 p[ro]pur use and behese so that they for my sowle the better Thes being witness Robert Blake Richard Sufat
56 clerke Richard Gorre Richard Colnet and Sir John the p[ar]ish prest of Walop and many other mee In witnes
57 of this my present last will I have subscrebed with my nowne hande
58 Probatum fuit suprascriptu[m] testamentu[m] coram domini apud Lamebith xxiiij die mensis Aprilis Anno do[min]o
59 millesimo quingentesimo Quarto Juramento Johannis Pare procuratoris Margerie relict et John Dawtesey
60 executoris etc comissa fuit administracio omnium bonorum etc dicti executoris in p[er]sona supradicti pouratori__
61 De bene etc Ac de pleno Inuentario etc necnon de plano et vero compoto etc Ad scanta dei evangelia Jurate
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