Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Will of Eliza Blake, widow of Burnham, Somerset - The National Archives PROB 11/2095/371, probated 20 Jul 1849

Eliza Blake is the mother of Durell Blake whose will was blogged 27th September 2013:

http://kippeeb.blogspot.ca/2013/09/will-of-durell-blake-gentleman.html

The will of Eliza Blake has been probated eight days after her son Durrel Blake’s will was probated. George Poole, brother in law of Durrel and son in law of Eliza (he is married to her daughter Jane) has taken probate on both wills.

Eliza was married to Captain John Blake and she was a sister to Anne Sophia Blake whose will was blogged:

http://kippeeb.blogspot.ca/2013/09/will-of-anne-sophia-blake-widow-of.html

25th September 2013. Anne Sophie was married to Captain Michael Anthony Blake of Galway. What is not known is whether or not John husband of Eliza and Michael husband of Anne Sophie were related although both are from Galway. But just to make it very interesting both Eliza (the testatrix) and Anne Sophia were grand daughters of Captain Thomas Philip Durrell (Royal Navy).

http://www.cichw1.net/pmdurelltp.html

This is my first set of wills that pertain to the Galway Blake family and at this point it seems apt to look at one of the published works of the Blake family of Ireland:

Blake Family Records 1300 to 1600 by Martin J Blake

was my first book on the Blake family in Galway. He lists the progenitor of this Blake family as Richard Cadel. Martin Blake is a descendant of the Galway Blake family and had at hand a good deal of original material which he published. His records include a deed of grant in fee to Richard Cadel, surnamed Blake dated 1315. The records were passed down in the senior line of this Blake family down to 1788 when John Blake (15th in eldest lineal descent from Richard Cadel) died without issue. In the will of this John Blake, dated 27 Feb 1787 (probated PCC 21 Feb 1788), devised his estates to his first cousin John Blake (younger son of John Blake’s uncle Mark Blake). By a circuitous path they eventually came into the hands of the author.

Both Captain Michael Anthony Blake and Captain John Blake of Galway were born in the late 1700s. Looking towards the back of the book I can see that the family of Sir Edward Blake (son of William Hume Blake and Catharine Hume) is listed and his ancestry back. This Blake family continues in Canada but this is not my line as my Blake line is from Upper Clatford and before that Andover, Hampshire. The interesting part in this is that the father of William Hume Blake was the Reverend Dominick Edward Blake and that takes us back into the 1700s as Dominick was born in 1771 at Castlegrove, Galway.

I do not find either of these Blake lines in this book on the Galway Blake family but it is a very large family. I have meant to have a look at this published book on the Galway family and the opportunity wasn’t missed at this time. Placing these Blake lines into the Galway Blake family would be rather interesting I suspect. Later in the discussion I discover there is a second volume by Martin Blake and there is a reference that is interesting for this family on page 196.

From a requester on one of the Blake researcher sites: Durell Blake lived at Elkington Hall Somerset and Belmont county Galway was born by 1826. She however thinks that Durell Blake and John Durell Blake are the same person and I am not sure. The will of John is still to come. She has the other son as Daniel. Father Captain John Blake (married to Eliza the testatrix of this will) was of Belmont county Galway as well. Possibly a rather confusing family especially as the Harwood descendants in the US did not know the children of Eliza Durell Blake. Nor did they realize that he was also in the military and a Captain (i.e. Captain John Blake).

Another query on the same site and this is a Francis C Harwood looking for information on Captain Michael Anthony Blake who married Sophia Anne Durell 6 December 1815 at St Martin in the Fields, London. This researcher says that Michael was born in Tuan, county Galway and that his father was John Blake an ancestor of the family of Blake at Belmont county Galway. That would seem to indicate that Michael and John were related perhaps. Was their father John. He found this information in the book I was looking at above on Page 196 so will return to that page and see what is listed by Martin Blake in his book on the Blake family at Galway. The researcher continues with the information that Captain Michael Anthony Blake was in the 13th Somerset Light infantry and first appears in the 1806 Army list as Lt. Blake with a seniority date of 11 Jul 1805. He was promoted to Captain on 10 Jun 1813 and went on half pay 7 Mar 1816 and continued in this capacity until the Army list of 1825. The researcher thinks that he died in 1826 at Waterslade court, Fulham South West, London.

Paraphrased: John, ancestor of the family of Blake of Belmont, county Galway was born 26 Feb 1745 and married Miss Cuffe, sister of James Cuffe (afterwards first Baron Tyrawley), by whom he had a number of descendants some of whom now live in the United States.

The question remains are Michael Anthony Blake and John Blake closely related and descendant of this John Blake who was a son of George Blake and Juliane Lynch. George was born in July 1700 and was the second son of Martin Blake of Moyne.

I have decided to put these trees that Martin Blake has put together into Legacy in order to be able to search and utilize the information more readily. It will be a back burner project that I will work away at “in my spare time :)” but will be a start on the Blake family of Ireland which is very extensive and possibly larger than the Blake family of England. Still to look at are Scotland and Wales (although the Blake family descendant of Richard Cadel would have been originally Welsh as he was).

Curious now about the will of John Durell Blake to come.

Transcriber: Elizabeth Kipp
Recorded: 1 Oct 2013
Source: The National Archives, PROB 11/2095/371
Testator: Eliza Blake, widow
Place: Burnham, Somerset, England
Type of Record: Will
Date of document: 9 Sep 1846, probated 20 Jul 1849
Condition: 19th century English, legible copy

[Margin]: Eliza
[Margin]: Blake
[Margin]: 5

1    This is the last Will and Testament
2    of me Eliza Blake of Burnham in the County of Somerset Widow I
3    give devise and bequeath all my real and personal Estate unto my sons
4    Durell Blake and John Durell Blake equally to be divided between them
5    share and share alike as tenants in common and I appoint the said Durell
6    Blake and John Durell Blake Executors of this my Will and I revoke all
7    former Wills and declare this to be my last Will dated this ninth day of
8    September one thousand eight hundred and forty six Eliza Blake
9    Signed published and declared by the said Eliza Blake as her last Will in
10    the presence of us present at the same time Dan[ie]l Gould Solicitor
11    Honiton Jno E Burt Burnham
12    Prerogative In the Goods of Eliza Blake
13    Widow deceased
14   Appeared Personally John Edwin Burt
15    of No 40 Silvester Street Kingston upon Hull in the County of York Officer
16    of her Majesty’s Customs and made oath that he is one of the subscribed
17    witnesses to the last Will and Testament of Eliza Blake late of Burnham in
18    the County of Somerset Widow deceased bearing date the ninth day of
19    September one thousand eight hundred and forty six and now hereunto
20    annexed and he further made oath that on the said ninth day of September
21    in the year one thousand eight hundred and forty six the said Testatrix duly
22    executed her said Will by signing her name at the foot or end thereof in
23    manner as now appears therein in the presence of this deponent who then
24    resided at Burnham aforesaid and of Daniel Gould of Honiton in the
25    County of Devon Solicitor the other subscribed witness thereto both of whom
26    were present at the same time and thereupon the said Daniel Gould and
27    the deponent respectively attested and subscribed their names and places of
28    residence to the said Will in manner as also now appears thereon in the
29    presence of the said Testatrix and of each other Jno E Burt
30    on the 17th day of July 1840 the said John Edwin Burt was duly sworn
31    to the truth of this Affidavit Before me A Waddilove Jun[io]r
32    in the presence of J Henry Pitcher Not. Pub.
    [Page 2]
33    On the 20th day of July 1849 Admon (with the Will annexed) of the
34    goods chattels and credits of Eliza Blake late of Burnham in the County of
35    Somerset Widow deceased was granted to George Poole the acting Executor
36    of the Will of John Durell Blake Esquire deceased whilst living the Son and
37    one of the Executors and Universal Legatees named in the said Will having been
38    first sworn duly to administer. Durell Blake and the said John Durell Blake
39    the Son the Executors and Universal Legatees named in the said Will respectively
40    survived but died without having taken upon themselves the probate and
41    execution of the said Will.

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