Joseph Blake the testator is at Beaconsfield, Northamptonshire. The first will that I blogged from Buckinghamshire was by Eleanor Lavinia Blake and probated in 1830. The parents of Lavinia were Henry Blake and Sarah Hare. They had ten children at Beaconsfield and may have owned/operated the Swan Inn. This will, I suspect, adds to the story of the family of Henry Blake at Beaconsfield detailing all of his siblings (see more below).
The will of James Blake the elder, Shoemaker at Chenies was blogged on the 23rd of April 2012 and at the time I did not have any information on that family either. Chenies is 7 miles NE of Beaconsfield and Winslow is 31 miles NW. Is the Blake family at Chenies related to this Blake family at Beaconsfield. James mentions nephews James Blake the younger at Chenies and Ezekiel Blake at Hemel Hempstead (this is only 12 miles distance with Hemel Hempstead being NNE of Chenies). James' will was probated in 1799. The distance does make one wonder but the forenames do not fit with the families as mentioned below.
The family in this present will consists of Joseph Blake (testator) and his siblings Henry Blake, Samuel Blake, David Blake, Sarah Watts (married to Thomas Watts), and Ann Yeates (married to James Yeates).
There is a Samuel Blake on the 1841 Census at Beaconsfield and he is listed as 60 years of age with no one living with him (hence he was born in Buckinghamshire circa 1781 and below in a family grouping there is a Samuel Blake baptized in 1777 with the rounding up or down of ages in the 1841 census this is within that year span).
The apprentice indentures (1710 - 1811) list a David Blake of Beaconsfield Wheelwright with an apprentice Joseph Blake and the date 19 June 1759. The will does mention that David Blake is a wheelwright. Another entry in the apprentice indentures for David Blake of Beaconsfield as Wheelwright with apprentice Henry Blake 5 Feb 1762.
The 1841 census lists a David Blake (age 65 so born circa 1776 at Buckinghamshire and one of the family groupings below has a David baptized in 1775) living in Beaconsfield with his wife Mary (55 years of age) and son William 35 years of age. Also living with this family James Clifford 9 and Susanna Crouch 50. Susanna being listed as a Female Servant. David is a Publican.
From Find my Past there was a David Blake married to Mary Spring 1728 at Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire (Society of Genealogists). I could not find this marriage on Ancestry so no further details.
Moving to Family Search I found the following children for David and Mary Blake at Beaconsfield baptized between 1729 and 1743:
Andrew baptized 29 Jan 1729
David baptized 22 Dec 1731; buried 4 Jul 1743
Susanna baptized 20 Feb 1733
Joseph baptized 30 Mar 1736
Elizabeth baptized 11 Mar 1738
Hannah baptized 25 Feb 1740
Henry baptized 11 Jul 1743
I now have the thought is the David Blake who married Mary Spring in 1728 at Beaconsfield, the grandfather of Joseph the testator in the will below? Looking at the sons of this David Blake namely Henry, Andrew and Joseph the following groups can be extracted from the Beaconsfield Parish Registers on Family Search. I could not locate these marriages.
There is an Andrew Blake married to Elizabeth baptizing children at Beaconsfield:
Mary baptized 29 Aug 1760
Elizabeth baptized 30 Apr 1762; buried 27 Apr 1772
John baptized 11 Dec 1763
Joseph baptized 11 Aug 1765
David baptized 3 Jul 1767
Hannah baptized 23 Apr 1769; buried 3 Sep 1769
William baptized 17 Mar 1771
Henry baptized 16 May 1773; buried 1 Jun 1773
Elizabeth baptized 8 May 1774
Frances baptized 27 May 1776
Hannah baptized 28 Feb 1779
There is a Joseph Blake married to Anne baptizing children at Beaconsfield:
Joseph baptized 20 Sep 1767
Henry baptized 15 May 1769
Sarah baptized 2 Jan 1771
William baptized 10 Jan 1773
David baptized 15 Mar 1775
Samuel baptized 16 Apr 1777
James baptized 15 Oct 1779
This family looks the most promising to match the siblings of Joseph the testator in the will below: Henry Blake, Samuel Blake, David Blake, Sarah Watts (married to Thomas Watts), Ann Yeates (married to James Yeates) with Ann being the only missing child (of note the mother's name was Anne). There was a Joseph Blake apprenticed to David Blake in 1759 so the dates of the baptisms of the children would have followed the completion of an apprenticeship and this also fits quite well (Joseph would have been 23 years of age when he apprenticed as a wheelwright). The Joseph leaving the will below was baptized in 1767 and hence 43 years of age if this is the correct Joseph Blake.
There is a Henry Blake married to Margaret baptizing children at Beaconsfield:
Joseph baptized 10 May 1778
Mary baptized 10 May 1778
David baptized 22 Mar 1780
I did find a query online concerning Sarah Blake (born 2 Jan 1771 at Beaconsfield) married to Thomas Watts 3 Sep 1794 at Beaconsfield and their children: Joseph baptized 21 Sep 1795 in Beaconsfield, Isabella baptized 29 Jan 1797 in Beaconsfield, Ann baptized 24 Jun 1800 in Beaconsfield, Samuel baptized 27 Dec 1801, James baptized 26 Mar 1804 and Eliza baptized 8 Feb 1807.
There is a tree online at in the World Connect Project which looks at this Beaconsfield family
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=mjb&id=I013
This tree adds two more children to this family of Joseph and Ann Blake namely Anne baptized 24 Oct 1781 and Benjamin baptized 30 Jan 1785. The submitter has the parents of these children -Andrew, Joseph and Henry in boldface above as David Blake and Mary Spring with marriage date 6 Jan 1728 (old style) with the notation that David was baptized 7 Mar 1703 in Beaconsfield. The parents of David are listed as John and Elizabeth Blake. The burial for David is listed as 26 Sep 1784 in Beaconsfield. No further information on John and Elizabeth Blake.
The informant has listed descendants for Andrew, Joseph and Henry sons of David Blake and Mary Spring. She has Elizabeth Wade as the wife of Andrew Blake and their marriage 31 Dec 1759 in Beaconsfield. No marriage date or surname for the wife of Joseph Blake married to Ann. Henry is listed as married to Margaret Roman 21 Oct 1776 in Beaconsfield. There are another ten children listed for this couple: Henry baptized 6 Jun 1781, Sarah baptized 26 May 1782, Nancy baptized 18 Sep 1783, Thomas baptized 30 Oct 1785, Margaret baptized 25 Nov 1786, Sarah baptized 25 Nov 1786, Benjamin baptized 27 Mar 1789, Elizabeth baptized 1 Apr 1791, William baptized 27 Feb 1793, and John baptized 10 Oct 1795 all in Beaconsfield. She also lists the marriage of David (baptized 22 Mar 1780) to Sophia Watts and their children: Elizabeth baptized 31 Mar 1809, Mary baptized 14 Oct 1810, Ann Watts 29 Jul 1812, Joseph baptized 7 Jul 1816, Margaret baptized 7 Jun 1818, William baptized 12 Sep 1819, Charlotte baptized 8 Sep 1821, and James baptized 20 Jul 1828 all in Beaconsfield. William (baptized 12 Sep 1819) is listed as marrying Louisa (from Free BMD this is Louisa Bragg and they were married September quarter 1850 in Amersham RD) and their children: George born 1852, Sophia b 1853, Laura b 1855, William b 1856, Eliza b 1858, Henry b 1859, David b 1861, and Mary b 1864 all in Beaconsfield. George (b 1852) is shown as marrying Elizabeth (from Free BMD this is George David Blake and Elizabeth Butcher who married Sep quarter 1875 at Wallingford and with children: Albert b 1880, Annie b 1879, Ethel S b 1877, Harry J b 1886 (twin), Jessie b 1886 (twin), Lizzie b 1884, Margaret b 1882 and Nellie C b 1888).
Although the name James has been used in this Beaconsfield family I do not see anything to connect the Blake family at Chenies/Hemel Hempstead with the Blake family at Beaconsfield.
Transcriber: Elizabeth Kipp
Recorded: 26 Apr 2013
Source: The National Archives, PROB 11/1508/245
Testator: Joseph Blake, Timber Hewer
Place: Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, England
Type of Record: Will
Date of document: 28 Oct 1809, probated 14 Feb 1810
Condition: 19th century English, legible copy
[Margin]: Joseph
[Margin]: Blake
1 In the Name of God Amen
2 I Joseph Blake of Beaconsfield in the County of
3 Bucks Timber hewer being weak in body but of sound
4 and disposing mind memory and understanding praised
5 be Almighty God for the same do make this my last
6 Will and Testament in manner following (that is to say)
7 my Just debts Funeral and Testamentary Expenses being
8 first
[Page 2]
9 first paid and satisfied Then I give devise and bequeath
10 all those my five Cottages or Tenements with their
11 appurtenances in the several occupations of Margaret
12 Blake William Freeman Martha Dean David Blake
13 Wheelwright and Mary Floyd situate on the South side
14 of the Street or end called London End in Beaconsfield
15 aforesaid and all other my real Estates wheresoever situate
16 unto my Brothers and Sisters Henry Blake Sarah the
17 wife of Thomas Watts David Blake Samuel Blake and
18 Ann the wife of James Yeates their heirs and assigns for
19 ever as Tenants in common and not as joint Tenants Also
20 I give and bequeath unto my said Brothers and Sisters the
21 said Henry Blake Sarah Watts David Blake Samuel
22 Blake and Ann Yeates all and singular my household
23 Goods and Chattels ready Monies Bonds Notes and
24 Securities for Money and all other my Personal Estate
25 and Effects whatsoever and wheresoever situate and being
26 to be equally divided between them Share and Share
27 alike and I do hereby nominate and appoint my said
28 Brothers Henry Blake and Samuel Blake Executors of
30 this my Will hereby revoking and making void all former
31 and other Wills and Codicils by me at any time
32 heretofore made hereby declaring these presents to be and
33 contain my last Will and Testament In Witness
34 whereof I the said Joseph Blake have hereunto set my
35 hand and Seal the twenty Eighty day of October in the
36 year of our Lord one thousand Eight hundred and nine
37 The Mark of X Joseph Blake Signed Sealed
38 published and declared by the said Testator Joseph
39 Blake as and for his last Will and Testament in the
40 presence of us who in his presence at his request and
41 in the presence of each other have subscribed our Names
42 as Witnesses hereto George Slatter of Beaconsfield Cordw[ainde]r
43 Jno Charsley J Randall both of the same place
44 Att[orne]ys at Law
45 This Will was proved at London on the
46 fourteenth day of February in the Year of our Lord
47 One thousand Eight hundred and ten before the
48 Worshipful Samuel Pearce Parson doctor of Laws and
49 Surrogate of the Right honorable Sir John Nicholl
50 Knight and doctor of Laws Master Keeper or Commissary
51 of the prerogative Court of Canterbury lawfully constituted
52 by the Oath of Henry Blake the Brother and one of the
53 Executors named in the said will to whom administration
54 was granted of all and singular the Goods Chattels and
55 Credits of the deceased he having been first sworn duly
56 to administer power reserved of making the like Grant
57 to Samuel Blake the Brother also and other Executor
58 named in the said Will when he shall apply for the same
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