In Middlesex there are a lot of Blake families and these are just the few wills that were the oldest that I will transcribe over the next few days. There are in total 143 wills with the oldest one being from the early 1660s and this particular on by Robert Blake having been probated 20 Nov 1690. I will be doing only the first 10 wills in Middlesex which I am rather regretful of and hope to improve on that with our next trip to Kew.
Will of John Blake, Mariner of Stepney, Middlesex probated 4 Sep 1660
Will of Ann Blake of Kensington, Middlesex probated 15 Mar 1664
Will of Joseph Blake, Mariner and Cooper of Whitechapel, Middlesex probated 31 July 1669
Will of Christopher Blake of Kensington, Middlesex probated 11 Apr 1672
Will of Nicholas Blake, Mariner of Saint Clement Danes, Middlesex probated 16 Nov 1673
Will of Bridgett Blake, Spinster of Stepney, Middlesex probated 12 Jan 1674
Will of Humphrey Blake, Gentleman of Saint Giles without Cripplegate, Middlesex probated 9 Jul 1679
Will of Rebecka Blake, Widow of Hampstead, Middlesex probated 18 Mar 1682
Will of Sir Richard Blake of Saint John, Middlesex probated 19 Oct 1683
I must admit to being hopeful that the two for Kensington are the children of William Blake of the Inner Temple whose will was published on the blog earlier and will discuss that when I reach them if they are his children.
However back to Robert Blake woollen draper of Saint Pauls Covent Garden. Woollen draper always catches my eye because the Blake family at Andover included drapers.
Looking at Robert Blake's kinsman William Blake of St Pauls Covent Garden and is this William the son of Thomas Blake and Eleanor Hall? There is the possibility that this Robert is a son of Humphrey Blake of Overstowey Somerset and even more interesting that he considers William son of Thomas Blake and Eleanor Hall to be a kinsman. Although much still remains to be looked at the connection is one that I have wanted to find for awhile in this particular Blake line. According to the Blake Pedigree Chart at the Swindon and Wiltshire Record Office William Blake of St Pauls Covent Garden London Esquire was the 6th son of Thomas Blake and Eleanor Hall and he was baptized 16 Oct 1619 and was living in 1690 which the will indicates as well. William was married to Margaret daughter and co heir of Thomas Fountain of Hulkot in County Buckingham and his wife was Alice the daughter of Thomas Etines of Lilford in County Northamptonshire Esquire. This couple are the parents of Daniel Blake of London who was involved with the creation of the original chart. He was born 13 October 1687 and living in 1690. He was the only son of this couple. Now Robert has referred to William as his kinsman so Robert could be a generation earlier and a quick check on the chart does not reveal any Robert Blake who could be related to William. Could there be more than one William Blake at St Pauls Covent Garden?
An interesting find in Boyd's Inhabitants of London there is a Robert Blake son of Robert Blake (of Stoye (perhaps Stowey) Somerset) and Eleanor Browne (of Taunton Somerset) married to Mary Dashwood daughter of Edmond Dashwood (of Dorchester Dorset) and he is a merchant. He has children Mary born 1630 and Robert born 1633. I did not learn anything about a William Blake at St Paul Covent Garden on Boyd's Inhabitants of London. Certainly a very interesting find though with respect to the Somerset Blake family and a linkage between the Wiltshire Blake family and the Somerset Blake family to be investigated.So a couple of possibilities for this Robert Blake.
Robert (Testator) identifies his family as wife Elizabeth and son Francis.
Transcriber: Elizabeth Kipp
Recorded: 6 Nov 2012
Source: The National Archives PROB 11/402/16
Testator: Robert Blake Woollen Draper
Place: Saint Pauls Covent Garden, Middlesex, England
Type of Record: Will
Dated: 1 Aug 1690, probated 20 Nov 1690
Read: Electronic copy images
Condition: middle English writing good, smudged but legible
[Margin]: T[esta]m[ent]
[Margin]: Roberti Blake
1 In the name of God Amen I
2 Robert Blake of the parrish of St Paul Covent Garden in the
3 county of middlesex woollen draper This First day of August in the yeare
4 of our Lord God One Thousand six hundred and ninety and in the second
5 yeare of the Raigne of our Soveraigne Lord and Lady William and Mary
6 by the Grace of God of England Scotland France and Ireland King and
7 Queene defenders of the Faith etc being in health of body and of good and p[er]fect
8 mind and memory (thanks bee to God) doe make this my last will and
9 testament in manner and forme following (that is to stay) First I bequeath
10 my Soule and Spiritt into the hands of Almighty God my heavenly Father
11 by whome of his meere and only Grace I trust to bee saved and received into
12 Eternal Rest through the death of my Saviour and Redeemer Jesus Christ in
13 whose precious blood I sett the whole and only hope of my Salvation My body
14 in hopes of a joyfull resurrection I committ to the Earth to bee buryed with
15 such charges and in such place as my deare wife Elizabeth Blake shall think
16 good And touching the distribution of my temporall Estate which it hath pleased
17 God to blesse mee with I dispose of the same as followeth First I will that all
18 such debts as I owe shall bee truely payd and that the rest and residue of all
19 and singular my goods chattells plate jewells and debts to mee due and
20 oweing by way of partnershipp or otherwise and ready money and all and
21 singular other my reall and personall Estate which shall in any wise belong
22 to mee att the time of my decease shall bee limitted rettained and divided into
23 two equall partes and shared between Elizabeth Blake my truely affectionate
24 wife and Francis Blake my deare and only sonne - only heire apparent -
25 share and share alike And I will that my sayd sonne Francis Blake shall
26 bee trained and brought upp in vertuous learneing or such other honest
27 vocation as it shall please God to make him capable of or that his genius shall
28 bee most prone unto And I will that Elizabeth Blake my sayd wife shall
29 have the Education and Custody of my sayd sonne Francis Blake dureing his
30 meniority And I make and ordaine the sayd Elizabeth Blake my wife and
31 Francis Blake my sonne my joynt Executors of this my last will and Testament
32 And my very deare freind and Kinsman William Blake of Bedford Street
33 in the parrish of St Pauls Covent Garden in the County of Middlesex
34 aforesayd Woollen draper I make and ordeyne Overseere of this my last
35 Will and Testament it desireing and requireing him in the name of God
36 to see this my last will and Testament performed accordingly And I doe
37 hereby utterly revoke all former wills and Testaments by me in any
38 wise heretofore made or declared In witnesse whereof I have hereunto
39 sett my hand and seale this day and yeare first above written Rob[ert]:
40 Blake Signed sealed published and declared in the presence of Charles
41 Done Alex: Harrison Tho: Buxton
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