I have written quite a bit about Somerby particularly because well known genealogists have done so trying to correct the errors that this individual created with his "fancy" books which deceived people into believing something that was not true. Unacceptable at best and at worst detrimental to genealogy itself - the printed word does mean something and corrupting it is just loading a huge burden on the public that will be hard to erase. I need to decide now how much to put in the chapter. Do I just put in the sections that correct his mistake and tie it together with my personal thoughts plus the family lore from my grandfather and my father and indeed my second cousin Ivan Kent (grandson of my grandfather's youngest brother)? That would seem to be the best path and the one that is simplest to write.
I have begun with whom Nicholas Blake was by putting in the will of his mother written in 1527 and probated the same year. I found it interesting that she listed her younger children before the eldest Robert Blake. This is just five years after Richard Blake left his will in 1522 probated the same year. I am suspicious that he is the father of Nicholas as he mentions his eldest son Robert and his brother Thomas and asks that his wife raise his younger children. This is only five years later and Nicholas (her son) and Elzbeth (her daughter) are no longer young as Elzbeth is married to (unknown Mylne). So if Robert was of age in 1522 then presumably he was born by 1501 or earlier. Elzebeth could have married as young as 16 or 17 (it was not unusual) so born by 1509 (or earlier but not before 1501) or 1510 which could see her just 13 when Richard died. Richard left his unnamed daughter a cow (one notes in the will of her mother she mentions that she is giving a cow to her daughter that she had bought from her - interesting comment given that a cow had been a legacy to the daughter of Richard in his will). Nicholas left his will in 1547 and his eldest son William left his will in 1582 (55 years after 1527) and William and his wife (or wives) had ten children and some were now married at his death so one is left to think that William was born not long after 1527 so Nicholas was probably born between 1502 and 1506 since his mother does not say that he is under age in her will. She does not mention grandchildren and Robert (her eldest son) leaves his will in 1542 so perhaps he was born before 1501 since he names grandchildren in his will and his family was six male children (the second son John the Elder died in 1572). Continuing to work on all of these wills as they do mention each other and all live at Enham.
Realized I stopped putting out my camera at the front window when I went off on my retreat (dog-sitting). I had put it there after the police mentioned that they found it valuable to have the footage on the cloud to look at; I think there had been an incident somewhere; maybe Toronto and that inspired me to put it in the window. But it is in the way in the window so probably I will stop doing that.
Continuing on with the Somerby chapter today and I have a lot of material. I want to put in enough material to stress that Somerby had been a fraud and that the material he produced concerning Nicholas Blake completely incorrect.
Breakfast all completed. Drinking my tea and doing my solitaire puzzles.
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