Ukraine

Prayers for Ukraine; God bless and you are forever in my thoughts. The continuing attacks by Russia on the Ukrainian people is a blot on the history of Russia taking away from them the glory that they won when they helped to destroy the Nazis in World War II. But the Iron Curtain that Russia as the Soviet Union created enslaving all those European peoples for fourty plus years after the second World War was cruel - it must not happen again. It is nearly three years since Russia attacked Ukraine and in 2014 an unsupervised election was held in Crimea which Russia claimed to win; Russia quickly brought in troops and took it over and the Donbas in Ukraine has been in constant turmoil by Russian agents since 2014 (eleven years). I believe that Hamas was emboldened by Russia's attack on Bucha (revenge taken out on a Ukrainian city because Ukraine fought back) - the slaughter was dreadful and Hamas thought they could get away with the same thing in Israel and the world would just look on. Hamas and Putin and his enablers are just Satanic - they are not human. They both deserve Hitler's fate (the coward's death). Two babies were delivered dead to Israel today - held hostage by the satanic Hamas. This kind of people alone are responsible for their deaths. They think they can steal someone else's land. No one should get away with it in this modern world.

Finally I am getting back to the will of Robert Blake made in 1521. This was grocery day (every three weeks in the winter or so, it has even stretched to four sometimes) and I spent my time once again checking the labels in case that information is needed. My usual menu in the winter is chicken stew for four days and then eggs and then salmon for the other two days. So I freeze the meat into packages and that is all done. I bought turnip, cabbage, onions, carrots, potatoes as I was pretty much out of everything. There is a sweet potato to go with the salmon. We store a lot of vegetables in Canada in the winter. I also found bags of frozen spinach which I love and will put a clump in the stew. So I have frozen broccoli, cauliflower, peas and corn for my stew as well if I so choose. My refrigerator was almost empty but full again. I could go every week but I actually hate shopping and going out if I can avoid it. I like the fresh air but I just find that my work takes up all my time and I do not want to have to organize for a shopping trip every week. Shoveling the snow off the porch and patios gives me lots of fresh air in the winter and then lots of walks in the summer. 

I actually got my family to give me a pile of wills I already bought for Christmas that year (2014) as I couldn't think of anything that I wanted. This was one of them.

Recorded: 3 Jan 2014
Source: Hampshire Record Office, 1522B-04 

Testator: Robert Blake
Place: Enham, Hampshire, England
Type of Record: Will
Date of document: 16 Dec 1521

[Margin]: 1522B-04 

1    In die no[m]i[n]e Ame[n] xvj die dece[m]b[r]is An[n]o d[omi]ni M ccccc xxj Ego Robertij  Blayke co[m]pos me[n]t[i]s et sane memoyre

1. In the name of God, Amen, the 16th day of December 1521 I Robert Blayke, in sound mind and memory 
 

2    asti[pula]tus testame[n]tu[m] [i]n hunc modu[m] In primis do et lego a[n]i[m]am mea[m] deo p[at]ri o[mn]ipote[n]ti corpus qu[e] meu[m] sepeliendu[m] [i]n cimit[t]erio
 

2. have written my will in this way. First of all, I give and bequeath my soul to the almighty father God, my body to be buried in the cemetery

3    p[ar]ochialij eccl[es]i[a]e s[an]cti michaels de Enh[a]m It[e]m do et lego ad mat[ri]ce ecclesie xii d It[e]m do et lego ecclesie de enh[a]m
 

3.  of the parish Church of Saint Michael of Enham. Also I give and bequeath to the Mother Church 12d. Also I give and bequeath to the Church of Enham

4    xl s et una[m] vaccam It[e]m do et lego ecclesis de andever xl oves vel p[or]cus eap quod et iij ls quas yearly kyne

4. xl s  and one cow. Also I give and bequeath to the Church of Andever xl sheep or pork ___ ____ _____ _____

5    habet i[n] custodia Item do et lego uxori mee x £ q[uod] joh[han]es howton debet It[e]m do et lego uxori mee x quarte

5. have in custody I give and bequeath to my wife  £10 which Johannes Howton owes I give and bequeath  to my wife 10

6    rodas frume[n]ti et xx ordeu[m] It[e]m do et lego tome filio meo cc omn[ia] It[e]m do et lego andre blayke una[m] tenem[entum]

 6. acres of corn/grain and 20 of barley I give and bequeath to my son Thomas 200 of the same I give and bequeath to Andrew Blake one tenement 

7    gra[tia] victus It[e]m do et lego tome longe unu[s] diplade et una came[ra]cia It[e]m do et lego tome filio mee una biga and una whipblade

7. free for life I give and bequeath to Thomas Longe one plow and one chamber I give and bequeath to my son Thomas one cart and one whipblade

8    cu[m] p[ar]ts et un[u]m par[ ]  _otap nonap It[e]m do et lego thome filio una ara[bilis] terra que vocato bene semers

8. with parts and one part ____ just now I give and bequeath to my son Thomas one good arable sowing property

9    cu[m] ______ It[e]m do et lego Wyllimo gelzeyr una[m] toga[m] It[e]m do et lego rycardo goldyng alia[m] toga[m] It[e]m do et lego

9. with  ___ and ____ I give and bequeath to Wylliam Gelzeyr one toga I give and bequeath to Richard Golding another toga I give and bequeath to

10    Robarto tary una tunica[m] It[e]m do et lego unicum que suor[or] meor[um] videlicet viro[rum] ac mulier[is] una[m] ane[llus] It[e]m do et

10.  Robert Tary one shirt I give and bequeath to my only sister in law a ring I give and

11    lego tome filio meo duas annulas It[e]m do et lego robarto Galavay una[m] toga[m] It[e]m do et lego tome

11. bequeath to my son Thomas  two rings I give and bequeath to Robert Galavay one toga I give and bequeath to Thomas

12    filio meo duas diplades It[e]m do et lego Wyllmo blayke una[m] vacca[m] It[e]m do et lego tome filio meo duas pullos

12.  my son two plows I give and bequeath to William Blake one cow I give and bequeath to my son Thomas two chickens

13    et duo verv[ex] It[e]m wyllmo Fuynere debet m[eo] first viij modios frume[n]tie et quo[d]libet modio[s] xvi s It[e]m Assigno

13. and two rams Also William Fuynere owes me first eight bushels of wheat and any bushels 16d I also assign 

14    Tome filio meo una t[enement]a que vacat[o] Rawkynys It[e]m do et lego volo q[uod] una[m] p[re]sbite[r] celebr[at] et in ecclie par[is]h de Enh[a]m

14.  to my son Thomas one of the tenements vacant at Rawkyns I also give and bequeath that one presbyter celebrates in the Church and Parish of Enham

15    p[ro] salute a[n]i[m]e meo et p[ro] ecclie _______ p[ro] spac[iu]m un[ius] anni It[e]m do et lego robarto blayke una[m] vacca[m] et residuum om[n]i[um] bonor[um]

15. for the salvation of my soul and for the Church for the space of one year I also give and bequeath to Robert Blake one cow and the remainder

16    meor[um] test[amentu]m mobilium q[uam] immobilium It[em] do et lego ricardo filio meo quo[s] ordino meos veros executores ut

16.  of all my goods, movable and immovable, by testament I also give and bequeath to my son Richard whom I appoint as my true executor that

17    ip[s]e disponat p[ro] salute a[n]i[m]e meo hiis testib[u]s d[omi]no johane battey thoma blayke robarto tary

17. that he may dispose for the salvation of my soul, in the presence of these witnesses, Father John Battey, Thomas Blake, Robert Tarry

18    et aliis

18. and others

19    Also I reserve to my sonne Richarde my farme and my tenemente hereat I do dwelth nowe

One item I notice is that Robert only refers to Richard and Thomas as being his sons. That is very interesting as I thought Robert was also his son. Does it matter? Somewhat because the larger Blake family at Andover is descendant of Robert Blake who leaves his will in 1542. I shall go over his will more thoroughly to see what I can discover. It is possible that this Robert (who received everything that hasn't been named) is his son at least I think so as it would be unusual to give all your possessions to a non direct relative. 

So I still need to clean up the latin a little more but I think I have captured the gist of the will although the will is difficult and has a lot of cross outs and tiny text inserted so we will see how much I do add but for the moment I will move on to the wills of Richard Blake, Robert Blake and Thomas Blake. The one item of note is his only sister in law which would leave one to think he has a brother but one would not think the brother would also be called Robert but nothing surprises me in the Blake family with its many John the elder and John the younger. 

Busy day but I am quietly working away on this project which combined with the earlier work on the le Blak family may yet prove to converge. I also need to review the will of the Blake family at Speen which works together with this family at Andover. 

The property given to Thomas Blake at Rawkyns is interesting because it remains in this family for a number of generations. We do not know who Andrew Blake is but the tenement free for life gift does imply a close relative or who William Blake is but he only receives a cow so maybe not that close or could be a child at this time.

Rowing finished, running finished so maybe do a bit of weightlifting we will see. But I am more or less finished for the day.