Margaret Blake, the testator, was married to George Blake (will transcription published earlier today) but no marriage was found (Margaret’s maiden surname of Steele was found on Family Search with the baptism of James).
George and Margaret Blake baptized their children at Oldham Street Presbyterian, Liverpool (records from Family Search):
Isabella born 19 Jun 1814 and baptized 31 Jul 1814
George born 10 Feb 1816 and baptized 18 Apr 1816
James born 30 Jul 1818 and baptized Aug 1818
William Blake born 16 Jun 1823 and baptized 29 Jan 1824
Margaret born 22 Dec 1826 and baptized 10 Feb 1827
Matthew born 6 Mar 1829 and baptized 21 Apr 1829
Isabella Blake married Arthur Oughterson and her son George Blake Oughterson was born 22 Nov 1837 at Liverpool and baptized 21 Dec 1837 at Oldham Street Presbyterian, Liverpool.
Margaret Blake married Henry Torrens Browne Jun quarter 1846 in West Derby Registration District (Liverpool is in West Derby). Record located on Find My Past.
An online website for the Stewart family notes that: Anne [Stewart], ….. baptized 30 Mar 1820 at St Peter’s Liverpool was married 9 Sep 1841 (verified on Find My Past) at St Peter’s, Liverpool, to James who was the second son of George Blake and his wife Margaret (Steele) Blake. James Blake was baptized Aug 1818 at Oldham Street Presbyterian Church, Liverpool and owned soap works in Great George Square, Liverpool, which was later incorporated into Lever Brothers. He died circa 1872 and she died 6 May 1911 having had issue.
This particular record appears under John Stewart but it is difficult to follow on the website (John Stewart named as a JP, architect and surveyor) (a John Stewart is one of the trustees in the will below). http://www.archerfamily.org.uk/family/stewart.htm
On Find My Past (Record set England Marriages 1538-1973) John Stewart is given as the father of Anne Stewart and George Blake as the father of James Blake. A second record in England Births and Baptisms 1538-1975 lists the baptism as 30 Mar 1820 at Liverpool for Anne daughter of John and Mary Anne Stewart.
The London Gazette, Part 2, 1847 on page 1509 notes: Richard Stevenson, Esq one of Her Majesty’s Commissioners authorized to act under a Fiat in Bankruptcy, bearing date the 31st day of December 1847, awarded and issued forth against George Blake and James Blake, of Liverpool, in the county of Lancaster, and also of the city of Dublin, Soap Manufacturers, carrying on business under the firm of G. and J. Blake, will sit on the 27th day of June instant, at eleven in the forenoon precisely, at the District Court of Bankruptcy, in Liverpool, in order to make a Dividend of the estate and effects of George Blake, one of the said bankrupts; when and where the creditors, who have not already proved their debts, are to come prepared to prove the same, or they will be excluded the benefit of the said Dividend. (Google Book search)
Does this record point to a possible ancestry for Margaret Blake? Is she from Ireland originally (there is a soapworks attributed to her children (George and James Blake) in Dublin, Ireland)? There is a record in the 1841 census of Liverpool of a George Blake (independent) married to Margaret and with them James Blake (24 years) Merchant (born in Lancashire). Both George and Margaret are born in Ireland. They are living in Wavertree (District 9), Childwall, Lancashire. George is listed as 76 years of age and Margaret is 57 years of age on this census. Childwall is a suburb of Liverpool.
Margaret names her sisters in this will Isabella Mary Jessie Sarah and Jane so it could be possible to look at Irish records in Dublin but would be a rather time consuming task. Being interested only in the Blake line for the one name study I will pass on that one!
Using the new GRO Index for searching, the death of Margaret Blake December quarter 183 in Liverpool at the age of 63 years was located. Given her age of 57 years in 1841, 63 years of age in 1853 is quite reasonable and likely the census record above is correct for this Margaret Blake. It is also prior to the marriage of his son James who is living with them. However both Margaret, their daughter, and William and Matthew, their sons, are not with them on this census and are perhaps in school or visiting.
Transcriber: Elizabeth Kipp
Recorded: 16 Jan 2017
Source: The National Archives, PROB 11/2181
Name of testator: Margaret Blake, widow
Place: Liverpool, Lancashire, England
Type of Record: Will
Dated 14 Oct 1853, probated 4 Dec 1853
[In margin] Margaret Blake 12
[top of page] Extracted from the Public Episcopal Registry of Chester
1 This is the Last Will and Testament of
2 me Margaret Blake of Liverpool in the County of Lancaster widow I
3 first direct payment of my debts funeral and testamentary expences I bequeath
4 to each of my domestic servants Elizabeth Bruce and Elizabeth Rows the sum
5 of five pounds I bequeath to each of my sisters Isabella Mary Jessie Sarah
6 Jane and to my kind friends Mary Murray and Mary Raze an article of
7 Jewellery as a token of my remembrance I bequeath to my daughter Margaret
8 Brown the contents of my wardrobe and wearing Apparel all articles belonging to
9 my late daughter Isabella the remainder of my jewellery my Epergne the
10 looking glass in my drawing room and the Royal glass in my bedroom I
11 bequeath to my son George such of the Family portraits as he may desire and
12 direct that the remainder of them shall be at the disposal of my executor
13 also to my son George his late Father’s watch I bequeath to my daughter
14 in law Anne Blake my Silver Tea Urn and six Silver salt Cellars and to my
15 son James I give the following books Johnsons Works, Davis Dictionary
16 Illustrated work on Botany and the Illustrated Shakespeere I bequeath
17 to my son William my bookcase and my wardrobe my large sized Tea
18 Coffee Pots the remainder of my books the stock of Wines, Spirits and malt liquor
19 existing in my Wine Cellar and I confirm my gift to him during my life of
20 £400 and request him to accept it in lieu of a disposition in his favour by this
21 my Will I bequeath to my Grandson George Blake Oughterson the sum of
22 £100 one hundred pounds and direct that his receipt shall be a sufficient
23 discharge to my executor I direct that my bed linen Silver and plates
24 shall be divided equally between my children George James William and
25 Margaret and that with respect to those Sketches that are indivisible my
26 executor shall cause a valuation to be made of them and that anyone of
27 my Children shall have the opportunity of purchasing such Article at their
28 valuation and that the purchase money shall lapse into the residue of my
29 estate and I direct that should any of my children desire any Article of
30 furniture he or she may have the opportunity of obtaining it on this prin
31 ciple After these dispositions are effected I direct my executor to cause all
32 remaining Articles of furniture and property of every occupation to be sold
33 and converted into money all debts due to me to be seized the balance of
34 the legacy due to me under my late husbands Will to be received and to
35 make a final disposition of my property by dividing the sum appearing to
36 bring to my estate into four equal parts one fourth part is to be paid
37 to my son George, two such fourth parts are to be paid to my son James
38 Blake and one remaining fourth part to my daughter Margaret Browne
39 to be for her own sole use and disposal and free from the control of her husband
40 and the receipt of my daughter shall be a sufficient discharge to my executor
41 I nominate and appoint James Blake my son to be sole Executor of this
42 my Will which I make and publish this fourteenth October 1853
43 Margaret Blake In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and
44 seal the day and year above written in the presence of Hy T Brown
45 Bicker Liverpool Elizabeth Bruce
46 In the Consistory Court of Chester
47 In the Goods of Margaret Blake deceased
48 the twenty second day of November 1853
49 Appeared Personally Henry Torrens Browne
50 of Liverpool in the County of Lancaster Broker Elizabeth Bruce of No 23
51 Fleet Street Liverpool aforesaid Spinster and James Blake of Mount Plea
52 sant Liverpool aforesaid Son and Manufacturer and being sworn upon the
53 holy Gospels made oath as follows And first these deponents Henry Torrens
54 Browne and Elizabeth Bruce for themselves say that they are the subscribed
55 witnesses to the last Will and Testament of Margaret Blake late of Liverpool
56 aforesaid Widow deceased bearing date the fourteenth day of October 1853 and
57 hereto annexed that they were present on the said fourteenth day of October
58 and saw the said Margaret Blake deceased duly execute the same as and for
59 her last will and Testament by signing her name Margaret Blake at the
60 foot or end thereof as it now appears and these deponents did then in the
61 presence of the said Testatrix and each other set and subscribe their names
62 thereto as witnesses as they now appear And they further made oath that
63 having now carefully viewed the said will they are unable to depose whether
64 the words written on erazures in the seventh line from the top of the first
65 page of the said Will that is to say the words “Elizabeth” and “five” were
66 written or not previous to the execution thereof and this deponent James
67 Blake for himself saith that he is one of the executors appointed by the said
68 Will and the writer thereof and that the words “Elizabeth” and “five” written on
69 the erazures deposed to were so written by him previous to the execution of
70 the said Will exactly as they now appear and that no alteration whatever has
71 been made in the said Will since the execution thereof H T Browne
72 Elizabeth Bruce James Blake Sworn at Liverpool by the said Henry
73 Torrens Browne Elizabeth Bruce and James Blake the day and year aforesaid
74 Before me H Pollock Surrogate
75 On the twenty fifth day of November one thousand eight hundred and fifty
76 three the Will of Margaret Blake late of Liverpool in the County of Lancaster
77 Widow deceased was Proved at Chester in common form of Law by James
78 Blake the sole Executor of this my Will The right of every person being
79 saved and time allowed to exhibit an inventory H Raikes Registrar
80 Proved at London 4th December 1853 before the Judge by the Oath of
81 James Blake the son the sole Executor to whom Admon was granted having
82 been first sworn by Comon duly to Administer
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