An interesting book that I spotted early on in my genealogy endeavours:
Notices relating to Thomas Smith of Campden, and to Henry Smith, sometime Alderman of London; [written] by Charles Perkins Gwilt, a descendant of the family: London: Printed by George Woodfall. 1836
Interestingly Sir William Blake (Kensington) was one of the Trustees for the will of Henry Smith and there is a lengthy chapter preceding this one that I have reproduced from the original text. The book is primarily about Thomas and Henry Smith mentioned above and have nothing to do with the Blake story other than this brief profile of Sir William Blake which appears in the book mentioned above (published in 1836).
[Chapter Title] A short account of the Trustees appointed by Henry Smith in Deeds executed by him, as well as of the Executors and Overseers of his Will. (Page 64)
This next paragraph appears on Page 68
Sir William Blake.
Mr. Bray, upon the authority (as he alleges) of the late Sir Isaac Heard, tells us that Sir William was of the family of Blake, of Seton Delaval, in Northumberland, which however was not the fact. He was of a family of Easton Town, or Essington, in the County of Southampton (a), and was son of John Blake, of that place, by Margaret, daughter of William Blake, of the same place; he married Mary, daughter of Henry Beverley, of London, and Borne, in Yorkshire, and purchased Hales House, in Kensington. He was a justice of the peace for Middlesex, and was knighted at Whitehall, 13th Oct 1627; he died 30th Oct 1630, and was buried in Kensington Church, wherein a monument, with a long uninteresting epitaph, was erected to his memory. The estate at Kensington was sold at his death. William, his eldest son, born in 1602, married Anne, daughter of Thomas Hawker, of Halesbury, in Wiltshire, Gent, and amongst other children, had issue, Christopher Blake, to whom, in 1665, the trustees leased for seventy years the Smith estate at Kensington, &c., which adjoined the Hale House estate. (b)
Sarah the sister of Sir William [Blake], married William Rolfe, a trustee. Sir William was both a trustee and executor. [There is also a paragraph in the book mentioned above immediately following this one referring to William Rolfe which I will reproduce at the appropriate time.]
a Ped. in Vis. Lond. 1690. K. 9. 381, in Coll. Arms. [Pedigree of the Blake Family created by the College of Arms for Daniel Blake in 1690 (a descendant of the same Blake line as this Sir William Blake)].
b The following occurs amongst the Originalia of the Exchequer, Addit. MS. 6386, p. 2, Ro. XVI: Midx. De tertia parte de anno xv Jacobi primi Rex concessit Willmo Blake gen et hered suis imppm libam Warrena in omnibus Maner et terr suis in Kensington Chelsey et al
At the time I collected this item, I was trying to locate information mentioned on the Pedigree of the Blake Family which had been produced using family information (according to the completed pedigree document) by the College of Arms. I also had discovered that another genealogist Edward J Blake of Crewkerne, Somerset, England had been in correspondence with an American genealogist Francis E Blake of Boston Massachusetts. Francis E Blake had written a book "Increase Blake of Boston, his ancestors and descendants" but he was concerned at the information which had been published on Horatio Gates Somerby's work as a genealogist (later shown to be a fraud) on the Blake family of Andover. Edward is I believe the author of the Blake Chart held at the Blake Museum in Bridgwater, Somerset. Although no name appears on this chart and I did not have any conversation that would verify that particular item but one notes that the time frame is in the latter part of the 1800s. The difference between the Blake Family chart held at Bridgwater Blake Museum and College of Arms Blake Pedigree published in the late 1600s (held at the Swindon Wiltshire Archives) with additions into the 1700s is very simple. All that Edward J Blake did was to move back the link between the Hampshire Blake family and the Calne Blake family several generations (putting it back more than hundred years earlier) because the link given on the Blake Pedigree Chart did not work with existing wills.
I have often commented on Nicholas Blake who left his will at Old Hall in Enham clearly identifying his children and siblings. His mother Jone Blake's will equally mentioned her children. It was this change on the part of the possible author (Edward J Blake) of the Blake Family Chart at the Blake Museum that basically verified what my grandfather had said about Nicholas and set me looking for documentation on the various Blake lines that were descendant of the Andover Blake family. I continue to not agree entirely with the Blake Family Chart because it too doesn't fit the wills left by these individuals in the time frame on the chart (these wills were primarily probated at Winchester and possibly Edward J Blake did not travel to see them (he doesn't mention them in any of his work that I have seen)). So quite fascinating and the work of Edward J Blake agrees with a document which was created by an individual (I think he was a herald but I need to check that and will spend some time tomorrow gathering up that information). This individual published his information in the 1730s although I must verify that item.
The published book ( Notices relating to Thomas Smith of Campden, and to Henry Smith, sometime Alderman of London by Charles Perkins Gwilt, a descendant of the family: London: Printed by George Woodfall. 1836) is held by the Hathi Trust (link below) and it is also in the main branch of the New York Public Library.
https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/008693591
I obtained the information above in the various New York repositories where we spent several years (2007-2009) for weeks on end exploring the collections of the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society. During this time period they donated their collection to the New York Public Library. I am not entirely sure at which place I collected this information which appears above but likely it was at the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society Library as the access we had there was fabulous since Edward was a member. He made great personal discoveries at this library as well as the New England Historic and Genealogical Society Library in Boston. We spent hours and hours at both of these places and the help of Gary Boyd Roberts was very instrumental in solving a couple of Edward's links backwards.
So another constructive day as I continue to bring forward some of this information on the early Blake family of Andover collected by me from about 2007 on. I did not take on the Blake study at the Guild of one-name Studies until 2011 (in the early days I was overwhelmed at the actual size of this family surname worldwide to be honest). When Paul Blake stepped down as the researcher at the Guild I felt (after a good deal of contemplation) I should pick it up since I had collected so much material. When he was at a Conference in Ottawa, Canada he told me he had thirty boxes of Blake material. I told him mine was all online as images or text. He suggested I was probably descendant of Robert but I knew that I was likely descendant of Nicholas since my grandfather had made such a point about him not being what the Americans thought. I couldn't see why he would do that plus he could rhyme all of his ancestors in a line but I was just eight when he passed and I could clearly remember from Joseph (born in the 1730s in Andover) to the present but going back it was a jumble of forenames in my mind but Nicholas did stand out in my memory. As I worked my way back in the records the memory of his recitation did come back to me on occasion but still the desire to find actual records was much stronger than relying on the memory of a child that was basically just eight when her grandfather passed.
Another busy day. Cleaning the main floor is the main work of the day.
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