The will of John Blake at Erlestoke, Wiltshire in 1574 rather caught my interest last April and I did publish it on my blog at that time but have decided to add it to this blog once again rather than refer back and forth between the two.
Erlestoke, Wiltshire is commonly called Earl Stoke these days and it is located about 6 miles NE of Westbury and to give it a location with respect to the Blake family of Calne and Quemberford it is 11 miles S. A few places are mentioned in the will, namely; Imber which is 3.4 miles south of Erlestoke, East Lavington (now Market Lavington) is 3 miles east, Devize (now Devizes) is 6 miles north north east, Kelvel (now Keevil) is 3.9 miles north west, Easterton is perhaps East Town and it is 5 miles west. How this John Blake relates to the Blake family at Calne in this time period is still unknown to me at this time of writing.
Unfortunately he only mentions his mother's name Johane, his brothers Robert and John (interesting to have a brother called by the same name and this does happen in the Blake family), his sister Agnes Blake, his daughters Margaret and Alice, and his friends/workers. John, and Robert are very usual names in the Blake family. The reference to Alice Wight daughter in law is a mystery - has he been married twice and acquired a step child. Searching the National Archives site I did find that in 1393 John Blake had witnessed a Grant at Wodelond for a croft called Chynnokescroft at Stokke near the close called Ynlond which rather caught my interest but didn't answer the question of whether this was the Blake family at Erlestoke in 1574!
Erlestoke is 15 miles NNW of South Newton and 23 miles NNW of Martin just to place this testator with respect to the testators for whom I have published transcriptions of their wills the last couple of days. Since the name Blake has now been in use as a surname for over three hundred years it is less likely that someone will choose it spontaneously I keep thinking but would they have done so when it was necessary to take on a surname? An interesting thought and one not easily answered I rather suspect.
Once again I am back to the yDNA study which can really answer that question best of all. Our genes tell the deep ancestry of our paternal family line. Because we have such a varied group of results in the yDNA study increasing the number of members is vital to really understanding the distribution of the Blake surname. Our study is at FT DNA:
http://www.familytreedna.com/public/blake/default.aspx?section=yresults
Looking at the IGI for this Blake family at Erlestoke revealed no information on this family in the time period of interest.
Reading through several items in Wiltshire Notes and Queries was interesting but again did not add to knowledge of this Blake family at Erlestoke.
Transcriber: Elizabeth Kipp
Recorded: 19 Oct 2012
Source: Swindon and Wiltshire Record Office P2/5 Reg/188A
Name of testator: John Blake
Place: Erlestoke, Wiltshire, England
Type of Record: Will
Dated: 10 Apr 1574, probated 26 Apr 1574
Read: Electronic file images
Condition: 16th century, middle English, clear copy (few smudges)
[Margin] Blake
[Margin] 188 A
1 In the name of god Amen the tenthe daye of Aprill in the yere of o[u]r lorde god
2 one thousand fyve hundred three score fowertenne I John Blake of Erlestoke
3 in the countie of Wilts[hire] y[e]oman beinge vizited w[i]th sicknes how be it of good and
4 p[er]fitt remembrance I prase god therfore do ordaine this my present testa-
5 ment concerninge therein my last Will in manner and forme folowinge first
6 I bequeathe my sowle to Almightie god my creato[u]r and maker hopinge to be
7 saved by the only mearitts of Christ my saviour and Redeamer and my bodye to
8 the earthe to be buryed in the churche of Erlestocke forsaid and for that I geve
9 to the said churche iiij busshells of malte and a busshell of wheate And as
10 towchinge my worldly goods my will is to be disposed as folowethe Imp[ri]mis I
11 gyve and bequeathe unto Alice Wrighte my daughter in lawe three yewes
12 to be delyvered unto her presently after my deceasse It[e]m I geve and bequethe
13 unto my Sister Agnes Blake vij s viij d that Ambrose Losse of East lavington
14 dothe owe me to be paide at St James Daye and twoo busshells of pure
15 wheate that Will[ia]m Potter of Easterton dothe owe me to be paid att
16 harvest next It[e]m I geve and bequeathe unto the same Agnes Blake my
17 Sister a quarter of barley to be paide att harvest next and a blacke casso[c]ke
18 It[e]m I geve unto my mother Johan Blake eighte busshells of barley to be paide
19 presently after my deceasse and also a cassocke and a hatt It[e]m I geve and
20 bequeathe unto Will[ia]m Tinker my daye man one acre of pease sowen at
21 Imber and one acre of oats It[e]m I geve and bequeathe unto John Blake my
22 brother one acre of wheate in the shorte claye And one acre acre of beanes
23 shottinge upon broke halve and all my apparrell save my best coate It[e]m I geve
24 and bequeathe unto Thomas Crosse the thirde of one halve of beanes and
25 the thirde of one acre of pease against the hill It[e]m I gyve unto Thomas
26 Grannte a busshell of beanes It[e]m I geve unto Richarde Tyllye a busshell of beanes
27 It[e]m I geve unto John Gylle my father xij d It[e]m I gyve unto the goodwiffe Bolter
28 a busshell of wheate and a busshell of mawlte It[e]m I gyve unto the goodman
29 Bolters twoo children John Bolter and Trystram either of them a sheape It[e]m
30 Mr. Frannces of the Devize owethe me xx s the w[hi]ch I do forgyve itt him
31 It[e]m Richarde Wodshall of Kelvel owethe me for seven quarters of mawlte
32 at xiiij d a busshell and three quarters of wheate meale at xviij d p[er] busshell
33 the w[hi]ch dett igyve the one half of it unto Chr[ist]ofer Cromwell and the
34 other halff I fogyve him if he will paye the one halff ymyetly otherwise
35 I gyve the whole dett unto the said Chr[ist]ofer Cromwell It[e]m I gyve
36 unto the said Chr[ist]ofer Cromwell a busshell of beanes It[e]m I owe unto
37 Henry Yevans of Earlestocke xxx s vj d for a mare that I bought of him
38 It[e]m the said Henry Yevans owethe me for iiij dosen of Reede at vi d ob
39 a dosen cometh to ii s ij d Item I do owe unto Richard Coke v l vj s viij d to
40 be paid at and in the feast of St Michaell th[e ]archangell next cominge
41 It[e]m I owe unto Chr[ist]ofer my servante xj s vj d and a paire of shooes
42 if he serve forthe his covenante It[e]m I gyve unto ev[er]y one of the Ringers
43 xij d a peece All the rest of my goods moveables and unmoveables my detts
44 and legacies beinge paid I geve and bequeathe unto my two children Margarett
45 Blake and Alice Blake my daughters whom I do make ordaine and make
46 my whole executo[r]s ioyntly of this my last will and testament to be equally
47 devyded betwixt them by my overseer And I do appoint Mr Edward
48 Longe to have the tuition and bringinge upp of Margarett Blake my daughter
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49 and her portion of goods until she be of the age of fowertenne yeres And then
50 she to have the use and proffitt of it her selff And the other of my daughters
51 Alice Blake I do appoint Robert Blake my brother to have the use and tuition
52 and bringing upp of my said daughter and her portion of goods untill
53 that she come to the age of fowertenne yeres And then she to have the use
54 and proffitt of her said goods And if any of my said children do dye before
55 they come to the age of fowertenne yeres that then her portion of goods
56 shall remayne to the other lyvinge And if bothe my said children do dye
57 before they come to the age of xiiij yeares that then I will that their
58 two portions of goods to remayne unto Robert Blake my brother It[e]m
59 I geve unto my brother Robert Blake my best coate And I do request
60 and appoint the right Worshyppfull Mr William Bruncker esquyer
61 to be my overseer of this my last will and testament to see my detts
62 and legacies paid and my will p[er]formed And I do gyve unto the said
63 Mr William Bruncker my best cowe for his paynes Theis bearing
64 wittnes Chr[ist]ofer Cromwell [signed] Thomas Grante [signed] Richard Teye [signed] w[i]th others
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