Will of Robert Blake, Enham near Andover, Hampshire - Hampshire Record Office 1542B-06, probated 22 Jun 1542

This will with Robert Blake of Enham near Andover was a challenge. Written 28 April 1542 and probated 22 June 1542, I am most fortunate that it is in English as wills prior to the early 1540s were all in Latin.

The full transcript of this will is very revealing as I had only seen an abstract and it proved to be a very short abstract in reality.

Robert lists his sons as Robert, John, William, John, Richard and Thomas. This order is somewhat different from what I have seen in other accounts and differs from the one I published on my blog which had been created by Charlou Dolan. But she was working with an abstract.

The mention of the mill at Clatford is interesting as this property stayed in the Blake family well in the 1700s.

Robert does not identify Nicholas Blake as his brother but their mother had named her sons as Robert and Nicholas.

Will of Jone Blake, widow blogged:

http://kippeeb.blogspot.ca/2012/09/will-of-jone-blake-hampshire-record.html

Robert does not mention his sister Elizabeth so she has perhaps died. His wife was named Agnes and I find the reference to Richard Andrew interesting. Since he is holding money for his sons is he perhaps his brother in law? Would be interesting to discover that. There is a will for a Richard Andrew of Freefolk in Hampshire which was probated 9 Jun 1542. Freefolk is 6 miles north west from the railway station at Andover Road. His will could be quite revealing and I will think about it for a bit before ordering it as I have quite a bit on hand and it could wait for a bit.

Robert six sons leave a lot of descendants in the Andover area into the 1600s. I have not yet traced his line down and hope to do that one of these days. I do have the work that Charlou Dolan did and I have blogged it:

http://kippeeb.blogspot.ca/2011/02/robert-blake-family-at-knights-enham.html

Still working on the Probate to see if all his sons were of age at the time of writing the will. This is my line at Upper Clatford as the wife of Richard Blake was possibly Jone Blake daughter of this Robert’s eldest son Robert but could also have been William’s daughter. Richard descends from Nicholas Blake as his grandson with William being his father (Nicholas had two sons William and Stephen but have not yet found any children for Stephen).

Transcriber: Elizabeth Kipp
Recorded: 2 Jan 2014
Source: Hampshire Record Office, 1542B-06
Testator: Robert Blake
Place: Enham near Andover, Hampshire, England
Type of Record: Will
Date of document: 28 April 1542, probated 22 Jun 1542
Condition: 19th century English, legible copy

[Margin]: 1542B/6

1    In the Name of god Amen the xxviij day of Ap[r]ell the yere of o[u]r Lorde m ccccc xlii I Robert Blake of
2    yeh[a]m [i]n p[ar]yshe of Andever in gud rem[em]bnce of mynde mak my testame[n]t and last wyll [i]n forme and man[ner]
3    followyng Fyrst I beque[a]th my soll to almygty god to o[u]r lady seynt mary and to all the holy c[om]pany of hevyn and
4    my body to be buryd [i]n the church lytte off Andever It[e]m I gyve to the fine church of Wychest viij d It[e]m to
5    the church of o[u]r lady [i]n Andever on[e] sheepe It[e]m to the church of yeham on[e] sheepe It[e]m to Rob[ert] my eld[e]st
6    son ij holds on[e] callyd Whyte harys and the other clarks It[e]m to John my second son I geve the holde wh[i]ch I dwellyn
7    callyd Relands It[e]m to agnes my wyff on[e] holde at penton and the on[e] halfe of all thyngs ther B[e]lo[n]gi[n]g
8    for the terme of her widewhud and the other halfe of the f[o]re sayd hold I wyll yt John my yonger son and Thomas
9    hys brother shall occupy wyth her And aft[er] her widewhude estate to Remayne holl unto the forsayd
10    John and Thomas my sones It[e]m I geve to Wyllya[m] and to Richard my yongest sones on[e] myll at clatford
11    and x li of mony lyyng [i]n the ha[n]ds of Rycharde Andrew esquire It[e]m I geve to agnes my wyff
12    ij kyne and all the husolde stuff yf she lievs wyth hee The Resydew of my godds not bequeathed I geve
13    and beque[a]th to Robert John Wyllya[m] John Thomas and Rychard my sones wh[i]ch I mak my executors
14    they to do w[ha]t the[n] for the helth of my soll as they shal thinke best Wytnes herof Nicholas Blake
15    Willya[m] Fletwode and Robert Kygall and Robert Palford Wt then Also hyt ys my Wyll th[a]t Nicholas Blake
16    Wyllya[m] Fletwode Robert Kygall and Robert Palford shall equally devyde my godds amongs my forsayd
17    chylderne and end s[u]m of them to have vj s vij d for ther labors