Stephen Blake (the testator) married Mary Vicary at Lasham, Hampshire 6 Jan 1766. Stephen was buried at Bentworth Hampshire 30 Apr 1821 and he was 81 years of age (born circa 1740). The Bank of England Wills Extracts (1717-1845) list Stephen Blake as a Taylor of Bentworth Hants. According to the Will Extract No 74783 fo 1095 Sworn under £2000, Stephen Blake of Bentworth Hants, Taylor, died possessed of £1400, 5 per cent Navy 109 1/4 £1529 - 10 - and by his will dated 2nd September 1819 attested by three Witnesses with a Codicil without Date attested by Two Witnesses appointed his Nephew William Blake and James Vickery Executors to whom Probate was granted at Doctors Commons 19th Sep 1821. In the Will are the Following Words: I give and devise the Sum of One Thousand Four hundred Pounds in the Navy five per Cents together with all and every other Interests or Securities for Money I may die possessed of to my Nephews William Blake and James Vickery their Executors and Administrators In trust.
Then 1470 New 3 1/2 25 May 31 N Benton £1400 Navy to be transferred to William Blake (the Testator's nephew) and James Vickery the devisees in trust and executors and left at their disposal S. Hyatt.
Reg[iste]r 3542 20th September 1821 G Hogsslestt Esquire
From Stephen's will we can see that he has a brother William and a nephew William Blake. The nieces will need to be sorted out but some are on his wife's side. James Vickery is his wife's nephew although Stephen calls him his nephew. Stephen Vickery is his godson and son of James Vickery and the other children are not named but I shall check family search to see if I can find them. He calls Mary Green and Sarah Brown his nieces so will check for a Mary Blake and definitely Sarah is Sarah Blake as she is William's daughter. Charles appears to be the son of Jenny Blake. Ann Lloyd is a niece of his wife so she was Ann Cowdry and her mother Elizabeth Vicary. Ann has a daughter Jane Croswell so she was Jane Lloyd and will try to locate these people on Family Search. Then James Vickery, Stephen Green and William Blake are all nephews with Stephen's mother being Mary Green. There is also a Jane Harris who is the daughter of his wife Mary's brother George. All of these details may help to assemble this family.
Bentworth itself is in what I would call southern Hampshire and not far from Preston Candover where I know that some Blake family members lived. Was this Blake family always at Bentworth? Stephen is 81 years old when he is buried so born circa 1740. Again I am not sure if he is in my direct line as there wasn't a Stephen Blake in the 1730 to 1750 time period with grandparent/great grandparent John Blake married to Elizabeth (unknown) in the lines that I know but if he is descended from William the only son about whom I do not have any information then that is a possibility but he does live quite far from Andover relatively speaking. On the other hand the Charles Blake family at Abbots Ann were found at Preston Candover but again he was born in 1740 and I only have one son for Charles Blake and Mary Prince - Charles married to Jane Gilbert. But the register is hard to read and I haven't reached that point yet.
There is a Sarah Blake baptized daughter of William and Mary Blake 10 Aug 1760 at North Waltham (Lasham and Brentworth are eight miles east south east of North Waltham).
Transcriber: Elizabeth Kipp
Recorded: 9 Oct 2012
Source: The National Archives, PROB 11/1829/430
Name of testator: Stephen Blake
Place: Bentworth, Hampshire, England
Type of Record: Will
Dated:2 Sep 1819, probated 19 Sep 1821
Read: Electronic file images
Condition: middle and modern English, 19th century, tiny writing
[In margin] Stephen
[In margin] Blake
[In margin] 12
1 This is the last Will and Testament
2 of me Stephen Blake in the parish of Bentworth in the county of
3 Southampton I direct my funeral expences may be paid out of the
4 ready money I may have on me at the time of my decease I give and
5 devise the sum of one thousand four hundred pounds in the Navy five
6 per cents together with all and every other interest or securities for money
7 I may die possessed of to my nephews William Blake and James Vickery
8 their executors and administrators In trust to pay the interest dividends and
9 proceeds from the same as they shall from time to time accrue and become
10 payable to my dear wife for the time of her natural life and after the
11 decease of my wife In trust to sell and dispose of the said stock and to call in
12 any other monies I may have out at interest upon securities as aforesaid
13 and to stand possessed of all and every the sum or sums of money to arise
14 there from upon the trusts and to and for this ends intents and purposes of
15 this my Will I give to my Godson Stephen Vickery the sum of fifty pounds
16 and also to the five younger children of my nephew James Vickery I give
17 the sum of ten pounds each and I direct my said trustees will invest the
18 same in the several names of the said younger children in the Savings Bank
19 at Alton or at Basingstoke and to be transferred to them only as they shall
20 severally attain the age of twenty one years together with the interest that
21 shall accrue thereon and if any one of the said younger children of the said
22 James Vickery shall die before he she or they shall attain such age then
23 the share or shares of such child or children so dying shall go and be
24 divided equally amongst the survivors and I direct that the above named
25 legacies to my Godson Stephen and to the younger children of my nephew
26 James Vickery to be paid free from any legacy Duty for or in respect of the
27 same to my great nephew Stephen Green the son of my niece Mary
28 Green I give the sum of one hundred pounds to my Niece Mary Green
29 I give the like sum of one hundred pounds to my Niece Sarah Brown
30 the daughter of my brother William Blake I give the sum of Two
[Page 2]
31 hundred pounds I give to my nephew William Blake I give the
32 like sum of two hundred pounds to Charles Blake the son of my late
33 niece Jenny Blake I give the sum of sixty pounds to Ann Lloyd the
34 daughter of my wife's sister Elizabeth Cowdry I give the sum of fifty
35 pounds and I direct my said Trustees to take the receipt along of the said
36 Ann Lloyd for the same as I mean it for her own sole use and benefit
37 free from the control of her husband to Jane Crosswell the daughter
38 of the said Ann Lloyd I also give the sum of fifty pounds to Mary
39 Harris the daughter of my wife's Brother George Vickery I give the
40 sum of one hundred pounds the above mentioned legacies to Ann Lloyd
41 Jane Crosswell and Mary Harris I direct may be paid free from the
42 legacy duties my house in which I live together with the premises in
43 the occupation of my nephew James Vickery with the furniture and
44 pictures thereof I give to my wife for her life and after her decease I
45 give the same excepting only the furniture to my said nephew James
46 Vickery his heirs and assigns for ever to each of my nephews William
47 Blake and James Vickery I give the sum of ten pounds for the trouble
48 and expences they may be at in carrying into effect the several trusts of
49 this my Will at my decease I direct my executors and trustees will give to
50 the poor of the parish of Bentworth the sum of five pounds in Bread
51 attending to the recommendation of the Minister for the time being and
52 at the death of my wife provided she survives me I give the like sum
53 of five pounds for the same purpose but if she should die before me I
54 then direct that instead of five pounds the sum of ten pounds be
55 distributed in Bread at two several times to the poor of the said parish
56 I give to my wife all the ready money that may be in the house at
57 the time of my decease for her own use and benefit after the payment of
58 my funeral expences as aforesaid I hereby appoint my nephew William
59 Blake and my niece Sarah Brown and Mary Green my residuary
60 legatees and I hereby also appoint my nephews William Blake and James
61 Vickery joint executors to this my will In witness whereof I have hereunto
62 set my Hand and seal this second day of September in the year of our Lord
63 one thousand eight hundred and nineteen. Stephen Blake [signed] [seal] Signed
64 sealed published and declared by the Testator Stephen Blake as and for
65 his last will and Testament in the presence of us who in his presence
66 at his request have affixed our names hereto as witnesses thereof Tho[ma]s
67 Matthews [signed] Rector of Bentworth, Hannah Cudd [signed] Bentworth, Tho[ma]s Rose
68 Bentworth
69 I make this Codicil for my Will Instead of the sum of ten pounds
70 to the younger children of James Vickery I give the sum of twenty pounds
71 to each of such children to be put out as directed by my Will and in the
72 place of Mary Green whom I have named as one of my residuary
73 legatees to my Will I desire to nominate Stephen Green her son In
74 witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal the day and year
75 above written Stephen Blake [signed] [seal] Signed and Sealed by the Testator
76 Stephen Blake as a Codicil to his will in the presence of us who in his
77 presence and at his request have affixed our names as witnesses hereto
78 Tho[ma]s Matthews [signed] Rector of Bentworth, Tho[ma]s Rose [signed] Bentworth
79 Proved at London with a Codicil 19th September 1821 before the Judge
80 by the oaths of William Blake and James Vickery the executors to whom
81 admon was granted having been first sworn by Commission duly to adm[iniste]r
2 comments:
Was Stephen Blake born in Bentworth or North Waltham? My family of Blakes are from North Waltham, records indicate that Stephen was born in Bentworth.I have no record of him being brother of William Blake1935.His will does in decades they are!
Regards Ronald Blake
Thank you for the comment. I do not know where Stephen was born/baptized. Line 30 he does mention his brother William as you say. Interesting that you can trace your Blake family back to North Waltham. I was being somewhat dreamy as I mentioned the possibility of my missing William being possibly the progenitor of this family but have absolutely no proof except a missing William! That and the distance is only 13 miles. My own line never left the immediate area around Andover and appears to trace back to the mid 1400s. There are earlier records for Blake at Andover back into the early 1300s. I am beginning to realize that only by yDNA testing will I ever really prove my Blake line without a doubt. I have tested my brother at National Genographic, FT DNA, 23 and Me, Britains DNA and shortly will test him at Ancestry although only yDNA is studied by National Genographic, Britains DNA, FT DNA and 23 and Me.
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