There is a tree on Geni which I have looked at a number of times but it appears to be based on the research of Horatio Gates Somerby who has been shown to have created genealogies in the Blake family that do not bear scrutiny when compared with extant records. This Robert Blake (and he is also given the surname de Blakeland) is said to be the son of a Robert de Blakeland and Agnes (no surname in this particular genealogy). The basis of this surname is from a small caption which is posted on the website:
The origin of this particular item is intriguing as I could not view it on Geni although I do have a tree on there somewhat tiny at the moment as I have not yet put up a tree but will eventually.
I have searched the subsidies but have not yet located this particular item. Searching on the text does not reveal this exact wording on the internet although in the past I believe I saw this particular item (the pictured caption) but have forgotten where it was located.
Blackland does exist on the old maps of Wiltshire and old English does have these two words (blake and black) as somewhat interchangeable. Currently there is a Blackland Park which is said to be close to the Church of St Peter and the Quemberford Post Office. I did find that Quemberford Post office is situated beside Blackland Park on Quemberford Street.
https://mapcarta.com/W803371347/Map
Enlarge this map hypertext link at least once and you can see the post office on the left right beside the top of Blackland Park. If you continue enlarging then you would find the Church of St Peter (in Calne without, Wiltshire) located in the middle of Blackland Park.
https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101261936-church-of-st-peter-calne-without#.YwJjrxzMKUk
But interestingly these two maps are not concurrent (the first one does show both the Post Office and the Church (you will need to increase the size a couple of times)) but the second one does not show the Quemberford Post Office and as it is the British Listed Buildings I found that somewhat curious unless it is that the Quemberford Post Office is not a listed building which would answer that query.
Quemberford is rather interesting because a Robert Blake is said to have owned a fulling mill in Quemerford. Looking at the British History website (https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/wilts/vol17/pp17-27 ), and Blackland in particular there is a small map on this page which is rather interesting:
In the writeup about Blacklands the Manor and House both known as Blackland was held by Richard de Canville in 1194 and before that date was part of the King's large estate called Calne. At some point after 1086 the land was part of the Calstone estate and was granted away giving some prehistory to Richard de Canville holding the property in 1194. It then descended in the Canville line with a little bit of interesting history and was given or sold to Malmesbury abbey before 1262. It was then held until 1539 by the Abbey until it was dissolved and the manor then passed to the Crown. It then passed into several families until the late 1780s when it passed to the Maundrell family who apparently held property in Compton Bassett which was called Blake. Somewhat interesting but it does not appear that a Robert (le) Blake held Blacklands at any time but certainly did own a fulling mill at Quemberford. It could be that the Mill which was at Quemberford had to pay a subsidy as it does appear to have been in the family there for a while which might account for the reference but I have not yet found it.
However Pinhills is an interesting manor and known to be held by the Blake family of Calne. It was a freehold west of Calne and held in 1407 by John Formage conveyed to him by John Pafford. There are several more acquisitions by others but in 1504 it was held by John Blake (at what point in time the Blake family acquired this particular parcel does not appear to be recorded) but by John Blake's will (1504) it passed to his brother Robert Blake and remained in the Calne Blake family until at least 1698 but by 1728 it had been acquired by B. H. Stiles. The actual location of the fulling mill known to be held by a Robert Blake (father of this John and Robert) is not known to me. A google search revealed a couple of hits which could be investigated. A marker on the map (https://www.blacklandsmill.com/contact) does locate a building called Blacklands Mill that is close to the Blacklands estate. All very interesting and certainly Horatio Gates Somerby did tend to spin stories about the Blake family. In the mid 1800s one could acquire all of this information at the National Archives and perhaps thought that he could get away with constructing a story linking bits of information and ignoring others that proved him wrong.
Another interesting mention in the British History website under Calne is a comment that an estate in Quemerford was conveyed in 1500 by John Blake to William Reynold so before he died and his will was probated in 1504.
Prior to the mention of Robert Blake and his Fulling Mill at Quemerford, I have not yet found any information on his parentage other than the charts that are held at the College of Arms and the Wiltshire and Swindon Record Office as well as the Blake Museum at Bridgwater.
There is on the History of Parliament website a notation that a John Blake II ran for Parliament in 1415 and a Robert Blake ran for Parliament in 1421. It is also mentioned that nine of the fourteen individuals listed in the chart (https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1386-1421/constituencies/calne) were members of families long established in the Calne area. John Blake was the son of the man of the same name who had sat for Calne in the early 1380s and Robert Blake is said to probably be their kinsman. Both of these men were said to have had holdings in villages around Calne.
Hence the father of this John Blake in 1415 is said to be a John Blake. Looking at the Blake Pedigrees held by the College of Arms, the Wiltshire and Swindon Record Office and the Blake Museum one does not find a John Blake son of John Blake listed but Pedigree Charts do not always include all the children in a family. But certainly the Blake family are in the Calne area by these records from the 1380s on into the 1400s and as late as 1698.
The date for the supposed subsidy was 1286 which is one hundred years earlier than this reference to a John Blake representing Calne at the British Parliament in 1380. We are looking for a marriage for a William Blake and an Anne Cole circa 1320 which is between these two dates. Presumably the Robert de Blakeland referred to as having paid a subsidy for Blacklands in 1286 would have been the father of this William Blake or a grandfather one might surmise. But one does note that the name of the groom married to Anne Cole was given as Robert Blake in the caption on the family tree found on Geni.
At this point it would be helpful to look at the Pedigrees which I have acquired for the Blake family.
Blake Museum, Bridgwater
This particular chart does mention a Robert (and I think that is le) Blake living at Quemerford with a son Richard who married Ann, daughter of William Cole. The Fulling Mill was held by Robert Blake (at the bottom of this chart) and married to Avis Wallop as determined by the son John. It could be that the Fulling Mill was held for several generations but this information has not become apparent to me. Thus far we now have a Robert de Blakeland (Geni Family Tree), a Richard Blake (Blake Museum Family Chart) and the College of Arms Pedigree Chart listing Richard Blake as the husband of Anne Cole.
A little bit of sleuthing and looking at the Pipe Rolls of the Bishopric of Winchester 1301-1302 revealed a rather interesting set of Blak family members in Wargrave and Waltham St Lawrence:
Place Surname Forename Date
Wargrave Blak John 1301-2
Wargrave Blak, la Alice 1301-2 (daughter of
Richard le Blak)
Wargrave Blak, le Richard 1301-2
Waltham St Lawrence Blak Hamo 1301-2
Waltham St Lawrence Blak Walter 1301-2 (son of Hamo
Blak)
Wargrave and Waltham St Lawrence are located in Berkshire. It about 8 kilometres from Wargrave to Waltham St Lawrence and they are just north of the county line for Hampshire. It is, however, 100 kilometres to Quemerford. It is known that Richard le Blak received a Licence 30 May 1274 (2 Edward I, volume 1, pages 51-52, Calendar of Patent Rolls) to trade and to carry his wools and merchandise to the usual fairs and markets by the public streets and common ways etc. Interestingly he does or may appear to be there (or a son perhaps) in Berkshire, England in 1301-1302.
The small item on the tree of the Geni website mentions 1286 and 1347. I have not yet located either of these records but certainly the 1347 date for Robert de Blakeland said to have married Anne Cole daughter of William Cole does bear some scrutiny. It is known that there was a Blake family there in 1380 namely John Blake who was a candidate for Parliament as mentioned above. He would need to have been born by 1359 and could fit into a family of a Robert de Blakeland and Anne Cole. A search on the Discovery Catalogue at the National Archives may be helpful at this point.
There are three items that could be interesting in a search looking at Quemerford + Blake.
1. Grant (at Calne) by Geoffrey Symple of Wynterbourne Whitcherch (Dorset) to John Blake of Quemerford in 1386 (Reference 1720/199)
2. Grant (at Chippenham) by Richard le Scrivayn of Chippe(n)ham of Licence to his tenant Juliana atte Slow to exchange two acres of arable land at Kemerford (Quemerford in Calne) with Robert le Blake and the date is 1353 (Reference 1720/148).
3. Attorney: Walker-Heneage and Button family and estate papers, Coker Court, East Coker. By John Blake of Quemerford to Robert Welyknowe to deliver seisin to Rober Saleman and his co-feoffees of pasture of his manor of Shawe and other lands there. Dated, Easter Tuesday (13 Apr 18 Ric (1395).
Interesting to see that a Robert le Blake was at Quemerford until at least 1353 and then a John Blake from 1386 to 1395 looking at these records. Was this father and son? The Pedigree Chart (all three) list a Henry Blake as the son of Robert de Blakeland and Anne Cole but he could certainly have had a son John as well. However, one notes that this is a Robert le Blake at Quemerford in 1353. Is this a relative of the Richard le Blak found at Wargrave and Waltham St Lawrence in Berkshire?
More searching in the Discovery Catalogue and reference to the Blake extractions from the Calendar of Patent Rolls in this time period will help to continue looking at this Blake family. This is a map which I produced a few years ago when I did the extractions from the Calendar of Patent Rolls and this map shows the number of entries in each country for the surname Blake (Blak, etc).
This covers a longer time period and for the 1350 to 1400 time period there will be fewer to examine as to whether or not this can assist in looking at Blake at Quemerford where a Robert le Blake and a John Blake are known to have lived in the time period in question.
Number Year Month Day Place Prefix Surname Forename Location Relationship King Volume Page # membrane
192 1323 7 24 Faxfleet le Blak Simon Hampshire Edward II 4 374-375 17d
59 1343 5 16 Westminster Blake Robert Hampshire Edward III 6 87 23d
80 1352 11 26 Westminster la Blake Alice Hampshire Edward III 9 368-373 9 and 8
81 1352 11 26 Westminster le Blake Walter Hampshire Edward III 9 368-373 9 and 8
82 1352 11 26 Westminster le Blake Henry Hampshire Edward III 9 368-373 9 and 8
135 1389 9 15 Clarendon Manor Blake John Hampshire Richard II 4 112 13
136 1389 9 15 Clarendon Manor Blake John Hampshire Richard II 4 115 11
141 1392 7 20 Windsor Blake Thomas Hampshire Richard II 5 134 17
145 1394 2 12 Westminster Blake John Hampshire Richard II 5 401 18
156 1402 10 13 Westminster Blake Andrew Hampshire Henry IV 2 197 22d
157 1405 5 22 Westminster Blake John Hampshire Henry IV 2 448 37
26 1315 7 12 Westminster le Blake John Berkshire Edward II 2 405 29d
55 1340 9 18 Andover le Blake John Berkshire Edward III 5 95 40d
56 1340 9 18 Andover le Blake Roger Berkshire Edward III 5 95 40d
85 1355 11 12 Woodstock Blake Adam Wiltshire Edward III 10 308-309 12
86 1357 10 21 Westminster Blake Robert Wiltshire Edward III 10 630 12
95 1365 10 18 Westminster Blake Robert Wiltshire Edward III 13 168 22
124 1386 1 28 Westminster Blake John Wiltshire Richard II 3 165 39d
123 1386 2 12 Westminster Blake Robert Wiltshire Richard II 3 109 32
I have selected Berkshire, Hampshire and Wiltshire as the best places to look at the Blake records in the Calendar of Patent Rolls in this instance. I will continue to look at this information over the next couple of days. I am noting that there isn't a William Blake listed in this information as that is generally the name connected with the Anne Cole marriage by Horatio Gates Somerby and those who copied his work.
Another interesting set of data to look at is the Emigrants Database 1330 - 1550 but on review the earliest emigrant arrived in 1406 with the surname Blake. Most emigrants who gave a nationality were Dutch with a number identifying as Breton, Fleming, Norman (1524), Irish, Scot and French.
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