Blake family at St Erney near Landrake, Cornwall

The first Blake family to look at in Cornwall will be the family at St E[a]rney and Landrake. The property which they owned there became the property of Francis O’Dogherty, Esquire and he inherited the property from his Blake ancestors. This will be in three parts with this first section being a look at the information that I found on the Blake family at St Erney.This represents the lion's share of my work this past month although I haven't worked away at it for very much of that time.

Thomazin Blake daughter of Philip Blake and Joan Palmer (d/o of John Palmer) baptized 17 Jul 1806; Philip Blake O’Dogherty, 25, of St Erney, bachelor, yeoman, son of Francis Blake O’Dogherty (will probated in 1828 and found online as a transcription: http://www.cornwall-opc.org/Par_new/l_m/pdfs/landrake_will_odogherty.pdf ), gentleman and Thomazine Blake, 35, of Landrake, spinster, daughter of Philip Blake, Gentleman married 2 Aug 1842; witnesses: Betsy Trewens and T Blake.

One item I have not yet resolved is the parentage of Francis Blake O’Dogherty who left his will in 1828. He was married to Catherine Johns according to his will. His children were named Mary O’Dogherty, Nicholas Blake O’Dogherty, Philip Blake O’Dogherty, William Blake O’Dogherty and Bernard John Blake O’Dogherty. In “A Complete Parochial History of the County of Cornwall: Compiled from the Best Authorities and Corrected and Improved from Actual Survey; Illustrated, edited by Joseph Polsue, Volume 1: Truro: William Lake, Boscawen Street, London: John Camden Hotten, Piccadilly. 1867.

On page 355 is recounted “ in the north aisle is a funeral hatchment dated 1770, bearing the arms of Blake impaling, azure, a saltire argent between four birds or [this particular designation belonged to Smith of Tregonack, with this discovery presumably it is a misunderstanding that these arms refer to Richard Blake and Elizabeth Blake. There was a Blake Smyth marriage 15 Sep 1710 at Sheviock]. The Blakes of S. Erney are by family lore said to be of the same family as Robert Blake, the celebrated admiral under the Parliament, during the Commonwealth.” On page 356 is found “The manor of Trelugan or Treluggan …….the barton became the property of the family of Blake [during or after the reign of Henry VII]. The heiress of Mr. Francis Blake carried it in marriage to one of the O’Dogherty family, and it was afterwards inherited by Francis O’Dogherty, Esquire.”

For future use, the website: http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/arms/cornwallfull.html
lists the particular coats of arms by blazon for Cornwall which is where I found the answer to "azure, a saltire argent between four birds or." The Blake arms for the Calne family are also attributed to the Blake family of Comb and mentioned on this Cornwall website. Is Richard Blake married to Elizabeth Blake descendant of the Comb Blake family? I do not know how the Blake family at Comb, Devon connect back to the Calne Blake family yet either as mentioned.

The information above from A complete parochial History of the County of Cornwall etc  implies that the Blake family were at Trelugan during the early part of the 1500s. In the latter part of the 1300s (1371) There was a John Blake and an Adam Blake at Lostwythiel near Penryn. In 1406 there was a John Blake at Senecote. Of interest it is just 1 mile to Penquite (one of the properties for the Blake family of St Erney) from Lostwithiel. Landrake is 17 miles from Lostwithiel as is St Erney. I could not locate Senecote.

Francis Blake O’Dogherty (son of Philip Blake O’Dogherty and Thomazin Blake) married Mary Kegwin Geake daughter of Thomas Geake and Elizabeth Blake. Is this Elizabeth Blake the daughter of Henry Blake and Elizabeth Worth? The marriage took place 15 Feb 1828 at Landrake with St Erney with the groom being of St Germans and a bachelor and tanner, the bride of Landrake, spinster (father not named), with witnesses Edward Geake, and Mary Blake). With other witnesses Henry Blake, Charles North [Worth?] Blake, and Edward Geake. Elizabeth, daughter of Henry Blake and Elizabeth Worth, has brothers named Charles Worth Blake and Henry Blake according to the parish registers for St Erney (Find My Past).

Who would Francis Blake of Trelogan in the 1500s have been? The Blake Pedigree Chart at the Wiltshire and Swindon Record Office does have a Francis Blake in that time period that isn’t already connected into another line (he receives only a line entry but is shown as using the Blake crest normally associated with the Calne Blake family). It is Francis the son of Thomas Blake and Edith Ivey. He is the fourth son in this family with Roger the eldest brother (married to Wraxed Gastrill) and his estimated birth would be in the mid 1500s but I haven’t really looked into these records beyond a blog post earlier which includes the will of  Thomas Blake of Burbage:
http://kippeeb.blogspot.ca/2013/12/will-of-thomas-blake-yeoman-burbage.html

Could this Francis be the father of the wife of (unknown) O’Dogherty who inherited the property which then passed back into the Blake family at a later date only to pass back to the O’Dogherty family in the 1800s? Interesting these thoughts on the origin of this line at St Erney that it could be related to the Calne Blake line or the Admiral Robert Blake line. Perhaps I will locate a family tree for the O’Dogherty family which will be helpful.

Could the Blake family at St Erney share ancestry with Admiral Robert Blake as mentioned in the book above? Remembering he was one of the most famous Blake members during the 1600s, there would likely have been a desire to be connected to his line. This was not something that was mentioned in the online tree at the Portbury website: http://www.portbury-hundred.co.uk/admiralreport.htm with my again warning that I did find errors in this website and one needs to check the individual entries. I did enter this entire tree into Legacy and offered it to the creator of this particular website but did not hear back. Once I reach the trees for Somerset I will put up a descendant list but I am still adding to the tree. Looking at this tree for a Richard Blake married to an Elizabeth Blake in 28 Sep 1732 at Landrake, neither Richard nor Elizabeth appear on this chart on the Portbury website. The greatest number of the descendants at St Erney near Landrake appear to be descendants of Philip Blake (son of Richard and Elizabeth it would appear) baptized 1 Jan 1734. Richard and Elizabeth appear to have baptized only the one child at Landrake but the will of Richard mentions daughters Elizabeth and Grace married to John Dade and later Rokeby Scott. Grace was baptized 15 Jul 1739 at St Earney. There is a separate registry for St Erney dating from 1555 – 1812  which has been transcribed by Find My Past and the other four baptisms of their children were located.

"On the 5th May 1764 "Rokeby Scott of parish of St. Andrew's, Plymouth, Lieutenant in ye 68th Company of Marines," was married at Landrake, co. Cornwall, by licence, to "Grace Dade, widow." She was widow of John Dade, Esq., and daughter of Richard Blake of Trelogan alias Treluggan, Co. Cornwall, Esq., to whom she is also stated to have been coheir. In the Registers of St. Erney's, which adjoins Landrake, the baptism of "Grace da. Of Mr Richard Blake and Elizabeth his wife privately May 22, Received publick baptism July 15, 1739," and the same Registers record the marriage of "Mr Richard Blake and Mrs Elizabeth Blake," 28 Sept 1732 and the burials of "Richard Blake of Trelogan, Esquire," 3 Jan 1770, "Elizabeth Blake, widow," 2 June 1772, and "Mary Dade daughter of Grace Scott," 25 Apr 1767; also the baptisms of "Philip," "Elizabeth," and "Richard," children of "Mr Richard Blake and Elizabeth his wife."

Source: Miscellanea Genealogica Et Heraldica, edited by Joseph Jackson Howard, LLD, FSA, Volume II, second series and published at London: 1888 by Mitchell and Hughes, 140 Wardour Street W. page 240

There is a tree online at World Connect

http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=cspeed&id=I170

that is thinking along the lines that I am in some instances although I differ on a number of items. For instance there isn’t any proof for putting Henry Blake into the family of Henry Blake and Margery Bake located in the next blog under parish records for St Erney and they are the earliest marriage recorded 22 Jun 1605. The person has correctly put Urcilla Blake, Dorathy Blake, Bridgett Blake and Philip Blake into their family but has missed the baptisms of Mary in 1606, Nicholas in 1608, and Anne in 1611. There could be a son Henry between Nicholas and Anne but this does not show up in the registers on the OPC Cornwall database. But he could have been baptized at St Erney although not found on Find My Past.

Then Henry Blake (the son added by the other researcher) is said to have married a Johan 19 Jan 1636 in Maker and had sons John baptized 10 Mar 1636 in Maker and Henry baptized 10 Mar 1640 in St Germans and a daughter Creswell. This son John could match up with a Mr. John Blake married to Mrs Grace Smyth and the son Henry could match up with a Mr Henry Blake married to Mrs Ursula Wallis. Mr. John Blake married Mrs. Grace Smyth at Sheviock 30 Sep 1663 and Mr. Henry Blake married Mrs. Ursula Wallis at St Germans 26 Dec 1677. All of these places are closeby. Both families baptized their children at Sheviock. But I hesitate to put these families together at the moment but the proximity is interesting.I will begin the St Erney family with these two families.

Continuing with the online tree John’s son Thomas was said to have married Judith Martyn 10 Mar 1696 in Maker and their children being John 1697, Martyn, 1698, Thomas 1700, Judith 1701, and Richard 1703 all baptized at Maker. I found on Find My past the marriage between Thomas Blake and Judith Martyn to be 10 Mar 1695/96 at Maker, son Martyn baptized 5 Aug 1698, son Thomas baptized 19 Jul 1700, daughter Judith baptized 5 Dec 1701, son Richard baptized 9 Apr 1703 and daughter Elizabeth baptized 23 Jul 1706 all at Maker. This Richard (1703) is then said to be married to Elizabeth Blake 28 Sep 1732 at St Erney (his daughter Grace's marriage has him at Treluggan which is just seven miles from Maker). No parents noted for Elizabeth in this online tree. However, Find my past has a couple of possibilities. Elizabeth Blake daughter of Philip Blake was baptized at St Erney 8 Feb 1698.  Elizabeth Blake daughter of Thomas Blake was baptized 23 Jul 1706 at Maker but she would have been Richard's sister so excluded. There is a Philip Blake, son of John and Grace Blake who could be the father of Elizabeth at St Erney. This would have made Richard and Elizabeth first cousins.

The online tree does marry an Elizabeth Blake (said to be a daughter of Richard Blake and Elizabeth Blake and I am unable to verify that) to Francis B O’Dogherty with their marriage 8 Sep 1770 at Stoke Damerel, Plymouth with children Elizabeth Conyngham O’Dogherty baptized 8 Sep 1771, Francis Blake O’Dogherty baptized 28 Jul 1772 at St Erney, Elizabeth O’Dogherty baptized 28 Aug 1773 at St Erney and Wilhelmina O’Dogherty baptized 13 Mar 1776 at St Erney and Mary O’Dogherty baptized 30 May 1778 at St Erney. This son Francis is then said to be married to Catherine Fortus Blake daughter of Philip Blake and Elizabeth Drewston [should be Denstowe] which is incorrect as their daughter Catherine died unmarried which fits with the will of Philip and the burial records. Francis Blake O’Dogherty identifies his wife as Catherine Johns in his will of 1828 mentioned above. So an interesting online tree but has errors. The census for the Philip O'Dogherty family follows (he married Thomasine daughter of Philip and Joan Blake and this couple actually married at Plymouth).

The census for this O’Dogherty family denoted as Family 24 follows.
1851 Census
Family 24, St Erney
Philip O’Dogherty, head, married, 32 years, farmer, born at Landrake
Thomasin O’Dogherty, wife, married, 42 years, born at Landrake
Francis O’Dogherty, son, 7 years, born at Landrake
Betsey O’Dogherty, daughter, 5 years, born at Landrake
Philip O’Dogherty, son, 3 years, born at Landrake
Joan Blake, mother in law, widow, 80 years, born at Landrake; buried 20 Jul 1860, aged 89 years of Treluggan, St Erney (this is Joan Palmer married to Philip Blake and the mother of Thomasin)

1861 Census
Family 24, Treluggan, St Erney
Thomasin O’Dogherty, head, widow, 53 years, farmer, born at Landrake
Fraqncis B O’Dogherty, son, unmarried, 17 years, , born at St Erney
Elizabeth B O’Dogherty, daughter, , 15 years, , born at St Erney
Philip B Blake, son, , 13 years, , born at St Erney

1871 Census
Family 24, Wootton, Landrake cum St Erney
Francis B O’Dogherty, head, unmarried, 27 years, farmer, born at St Erney
Thomasin O’Dogherty, mother, widow, 63 years, , born at Landrake

1881 Census
Family 24, Wootton, Landrake cum St Erney
Francis B O’Dogherty, head, married, 38 years, farmer, born at Landrake
Mary Kegwin O’Dogherty, wife, married, 41 years, , born at St Germans
Catherine Worth O’Dogherty, daughter, 7 years, , born at Landrake
Francis B O’Dogherty, son, 5 years, , born at Landrake
Elizabeth B O’Dogherty, daughter, 3 years, , born at Landrake
Henry Blake O’Dogherty, son, 1 year, , born at Landrake
Catherine K Geake, sister in law, unmarried, 45 years, retired farmer, born at St Germans

1891 Census
Family 24, Wootton, Landrake with St Erney
Francis Blake O’Dogherty, head, married, 47 years, farmer, born at St Erney
Mary Kegwin Blake, wife, married, 50 years, , born at St Germans
Francis Blake O’Dogherty, son, 15 years, , born at Landrake
Henry Blake O’Dogherty, son, 11 years, , born at Landrake
Charles Blake O’Dogherty, son, 9 years, , born at Landrake
Catherine Kempthorne Geake, visitor, unmarried, 56 years, living on her own means, born at St Germans

1901 Census
Family 24, 6 Harbour View, Saltash
Francis B O’Dogherty, head, widower, 56 years, retired farmer, born at St Erney
Elizabeth B O’Dogherty, daughter, single, 23 years, governess private school, born at Landrake
Catherine K Geake, sister in law, single, 66 years, living own means, born at St Germans

1911 Census
Family 24, 4 Windsor Terrace, Saltash
Francis Blake O’Dogherty, head, 67 years, widower, retired farmer, born at Landrake
Elizabeth Blake O’Dogherty, daughter, 33 years, single, , born at Landrake

Initially I took on the task of looking at all the Cornwall wills but decided this was not working well for me. I then extracted all the baptisms, marriages, banns and burials at Landrake and Landrake with St Erney and I collected the census (1911 to 1841). I numbered the different families and attempted to keep them together through the census. I debated going from 1841 to 1911 but did do the reverse. I may rethink that for the next place in Cornwall. It is difficult I find as I do not have any knowledge of the Blake family in Cornwall other than the medieval presence and what I have collected.