Always good to have the cleaning part of the week completed

 Research extends ahead of me for a couple of days and I welcome the time for that. This has been a busy Christmas and New Years with lots of skiing and fresh air just walking about. It has been pretty cold though although a warming trend is coming and with it a January thaw for at least a day or so. When we first moved to Ottawa there was never a January thaw; that was southwestern Ontario where the streets would run with all that lake effect snow as it flowed into the local rivers. But the weather here has changed somewhat over the past fifty years and hard to believe I have now lived in this area for fifty years plus. We came here with our toddler of 11 months; walking was in process but just short lengths at that time but quickly changed to running all over the backyard. I was so thin weighing 11 pounds lighter than I am now and that didn't change for a few years as I chased my toddler about keeping tabs on her. But it was a new adventure although I did fall ill about two months later but managed until I was better again a couple of months after that. I tried to do too much all at once. It is a dim memory actually those first few months here. 

Worked on the Blake Newsletter yesterday and will complete it today probably. I had an email from a descendant of the Mayo Blake family asking if I had any information on that line. Indeed I do not particularly but their closeness to the Blake family of Galway is interesting. The Galway Blake family is a huge family coming down through the centuries and written up by Martin J Blake (published in London, England)) in 1902 and 1903 as two volumes. Volume 1 begins around 1300 through to 1599 and Volume 2 records the years from 1600 to 1700. The books are available on Archive.org (https://archive.org/details/blakefamilyrecor00blakuoft/blakefamilyrecor00blakuoft/page/n1/mode/2up) . There are many descendants of this family and the yDNA study at FT DNA for the Blake family has a number of testers who can trace back into this Galway Blake family. Members of this family are found in many places in Ireland and in England. The best way to look at your own Blake line is to have a male descendant in the Blake line test their yDNA. There are a number of founding lines for Blake in the British Isles (including my line) and many of them can be found in the Calendar of Patent Rolls. I extracted the Blake records from this set of documents when they were loaned to a research at the University of Iowa and I did build a chart showing frequency of Blake in the various counties of England as that was primarily the focus of my research at the time. I did take on the Blake study at the Guild of one-name Studies in 2011 when it was left vacant by Paul Blake who had been the main researcher for Blake for many years in the British Isles as a member of the Guild. So my answer said all of what is above (briefly) and to consider that the Blake line at Mayo could be an offshoot of Galway even if the furtherest back known in their line was  a British military officer in Mayo during the 1600s when Cromwell was the head of government in England. Her thought was that her ancestor was descendant of the Blake family of Somerset (related to Lord High Admiral Robert Blake). I think she wondered if we shared Blake ancestry but my grandfather was always quite sure that we were not related to the Calne Blake family or the Somerset Blake family in the male Blake line. Interesting he thought that but people thought differently and learned differently in the late 1800s with rote being the prime method of learning. That means to me that your family stories were passed on by word of mouth generation after generation and that was why Nicholas Blake was discussed in the latter part of the 1800s even though he was just a small farmer at Knights Enham who left his will in 1547. It was this Nicholas who was given all sorts of different relations that created a stir at that time. An American, Horatio Gates Somerby, had created a story about this time period using Nicholas, giving him incorrect parents and siblings although some of the material was correct but mostly incorrect. Amazing that there would be such a discussion 350 years later after Nicholas' death but it was this style of learning that brought forward in people's minds the details of their lives lived generation after generation and caused a rejection by those who were in the know labeling Horatio Gates Somerby as a fraud who simply engineered stories in order to impress his American clients. Indeed the founder of the Blake family of Galway was Richard Caddell (Welsh and also known as Richard Niger) who used the surname Blake after receiving land grants at Galway and Mayo having accompanied then Prince John (later King John) to Ireland in 1185. The email was interesting since the Blake family of Galway was also at Mayo in the 1100s/1200s. But I do not do family research for individuals; I simply tell them what I do know and leave it up to them to do the research back in their lines. 

I continue to be amazed at the Blake autosomal matches that I have with individuals in the present coming down from early Colonials in the American colonies.  There are distinct lengths that fall into the pile-up or common areas of the chromosomes implying quite distant relationships but the size of the matches is sometimes rather surprising and one gets a notation of sixth cousin or even closer on occasion and I know very well that is not the case. The only Blake known to me that early in the American Colonies was Joanne Blake (daughter of William Blake and Dorothy Madgwick) who married Major General Roberte Sedgewicke 6 Jan 1634 at Andover and their children all appeared to be born at Charlestown, Royal Colony of Massachusetts in the 1630s/1640s. Joanne herself returned to England after the death of her husband in Jamaica but their five children remained in the colonies. 

Tea drank and need to do the solitaire puzzles and then breakfast. The days move on so very quickly.  

  

 

Will of Denis John Blake, Esquire, late Captain in his Majesty's 89th Regiment of Foot, Dublin - The National Archives, PROB 11/1412, probated 25 Aug 1804

The testator, Denis John Blake, is a member of the Galway Blake family. His parents were Charles Blake and Margaret Daly. His older brother, as mentioned, in the will was Charles and his sister was Frances married to John Darcy. Charles Blake married Margaret Daly 3 May 1762 possibly in Galway.

The line continues back to Francis Blake married to Frances Daly circa 1721. This Francis was the son of Martin Blake and Mabel Browne. Continuing back Martin was the son of Francis Blake and Julia Blake giving two Blake lines back to the originator of this Blake line in Ireland (Richard Caddell).

Francis was the son of John Blake and Margaret Martyn and Julia was the daughter of Martin Blake and Ann Joyes.

John was the son of Robert Blake and Catherine Darcy and Martin was the son of (Alderman) Andrew Blake and Juliane Martin.

Robert was the son of Walter Blake and M Bodkin and Andrew was the son of Patrick Blake.

These two men are 4x great grandsons of Richard Caddell.

Walter was the son of Andrew Blake and Patrick was the son of Richard Blake.

Andrew was the son of John Blake married to Annabel de Burgo and Richard was the son of John Blake.

John was the son of William Blake and Athy (unknown) and John was the son of Walter Blake.

William was the son of Geoffrey Blake and Walter was the son of Geoffrey Blake. William and Walter were brothers. Geoffrey was the son of Walter Blake and Walter was the eldest son of Richard Caddell alias Blake and his wife Eveline.

Charles Blake, brother of the testator, married Georgina Brown 3 Aug 1790 and they had six children, the second son was named Denis John Blake.


Transcriber: Elizabeth Kipp
Recorded: 23 Jan 2017
Source:  The National Archives, PROB 11/1412
Name of testator: Denis John Blake, Esquire, late Captain in His Majesty’s 89th Regiment of Foot
Place: Dublin, Ireland
Type of Record: Will
Dated 17 Oct 1802, probated 25 Aug 1804

[In margin] Denis John Blake, Esquire
[Top] Extracted from the Registry of His Majesty’s Court of Prerogative Court in Ireland – Dublin October 2nd 1802

1    Being perfectly sound in my understanding
2    I think it necessary to write and dispose of any
3    property I have at this present or hereafter may
4    have In the first place my debts are to be paid
5    the Sum of Fifty pounds Ster[ling] with interest from
6    March 1802 to my dear friend and Brother
7    Charles Blake Esquire Merlin Park County Galway
8    Secondly Sixty pounds in Gold due by me to Mrs
9    Bodkin of Be__ery County Galway Thirdly Twenty
10    pounds nine and sixpence to Lieut Dunn 89th
11    Regt after paying these debts above mentioned it
12    is my desire that the residue of my property
13    should then be divided into two equal shares one share of
14    which is to go to my Brother Charles Blake Esquire
15    Merlin Park to do as he pleases with and the
16    other share to my Sister Mrs Frances Darcy
17    under the following restrictions not to have the
18    power of drawing it off my Brother’s Estate
19    before her death when she will have the power
20    of willing it as she pleases having received the
21    legal interest duly Denis John Blake
22    Captain 89th Regt Foot Robt Power
23    William and so forth
24    to our beloved in Christ
25    Charles Blake Esquire one of the
26    Residuary Legatees named in
27    the last Will and Testament
28    of Denis J Blake late a
29    Captain in his Majesty’s 89th
30    Regt of Foot deceased having
31    and so forth evoking
32    rewards and beloved the
33    Right Worshipful Patrick
34    Dingman doctor of Laws
35    (our Commissary in the said
36    Court) in or within business
37    of growing and committing
38    Letters of Administration
39    and so forth of said deceased
40    with his last Will and
41    Testament annexed unto
42    the said Charles Blake Esquire
43    which lately deposed in
44    Judgment before our said
45    Judgment before our said
46    Commissary between the
47    said Charles Blake the party
48    promoting the said business
49    of the one part and Margaret
50    Blake pretending to have
51    an interest in the Goods and
52    so forth of said deceased the
53    party against whom the
54    said Business was prmoted
55    of the other part (rightly and
56    duly processing) Reas Signed
57    and promulged a cerain
58    definitive Sentence in writing
59    whereby he promised
60    agreed and declared that the
61    said Denis John Blake deceased
62    having a Mind and intention
63    to make his last Will and
64    Testament and being at such
65    time of sane and disposing
66    Mind Memory and Understanding
67    did on or about the 17th day of
68    October in the year of our
69    Lord one thousand eight
70    hundred and two rightly and
71    duly make Sign Seal publish
72    and declare his last Will and
73    Testament in writing all in
74    his the said deceased hand
75    writing beginning Dublin
76    Oct 2nd 1802 being perfectly
77    sound in my understanding
78    and ending having received
79    the legal interest duly
80    and subscribed Denis J Blake
81    Capt 89th Reg of Foot
82    and did pronounce decree
83    and declare that the said
84    deceased did give will and
85    bequeath dispose and do
86    in all things as in the said
87    last Will and Testament is
88    contained and did depose for
89    the form and validity of
90    said Will and of every part
91    thereof and did approve of
92    and receive the same
93    (First so requiring) rev
94    therefore grant Letters of
95    administration of the Goods
96    and so forth of said Dennis
97    John Blake unto the said
98    Charles Blake one of the
99    Residuary Legatees aforesaid
100    named in said Will the
101    Executor being manner
102    therein and being first
103    sworn personally having
104    and so forth) Date: 30th
105    January 1803 Anno d
106    Copy which I attest Wat
107    Hagarty D Regr
108    The twenty fifth day of August in the
109    year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and
110    four administration with the will annexed of all
111    and singular the Goods Chattels and Credits of
112    Denis John Blake late a Captain in his Majesty’s
113    eighty ninth Regiment of Foot at Dublin Esquire
114    deceased was granted to Charles Blake Esquire the
115    natural and lawful Brother and one of the
116    Residuary Legatees named in the said Will having
117    been first sworn by Commission duly to administer
118    No Executor being named in the said Will

Continuing with the Galway Blake family legacy file

Now well into the second book of Martin Joseph Blake on the Galway Blake family and working on the Kiltolla family. He has made some changes with his second book and there are another 40 pages of genealogical information. The changes though are quite small but occasionally significant. For instance the ancestor of the 1st Baronet of Twissell's grandmother was named as Mary Blake (wife of Robert Blake) daughter of Patrick daughter of John in the second book but Juliane Lynch in the first. I did some sleuthing but could not come up with anything except Martin's books for this information. People have used the information from the first book on world connect. I finally decided to go with Martin's second book and revised that particular entry. I will make note that it had been Juliane Lynch in the first book in the notes.This is amazing to see one of the Blake families of Ireland come together with one of the Blake families of England. However Richard Caddell is the founder of this Blake family in Ireland and this Blake family in England is descendant of the Blake family at Calne, Wiltshire through a female Blake line (my interpretation of the Chart held at the Swindon and Wiltshire Record Office) and from the Blake family at Knights Enham/Eastontown/Andover through the male line.

This file is getting to be quite extensive with 1706 individuals and 781 families. Thus far all but one Blake line is accounted for as descendant of Richard Caddell. My intent was to try and collect all the Blake lines that are in the Galway Blake family so that I can look at the other Blake lines in Ireland. My curiosity having been stimulated in that regard by the England's Emigrant Database listing a Richard Blake as coming to Salisbury England in the early 1400s from Ireland. One wonders at the definition of Emigrant at this stage. Was he simply the son of one of the Blakes who went to Ireland and listed in the Calendar of Patent Rolls? Would he be considered an emigrant? I suspect yes because one of the people on the list is listed as an emigrant even after marrying an English woman and living in England for twenty years.

Would I be considered an emigrant having three grandparents and a father born and raised in England? I would be, I would need to apply for a visa to stay past the time allotted and for citizenship I would need to apply for that as well just like anyone else who emigrated to England. That is not one of my thoughts, I would feel out of place in England. Although it is the place of birth of most of my ancestors (Ireland is starting to look like my great grandmother Ellen Taylor's ancestral home and Scotland is the home of my Routledge families), I have lived in Canada all of my life now almost 70 years long. I am Canadian born although my line here seems so short with just my mother, her father and his mother born here and all the rest came to Canada from England as immigrants! Three of four grandparents, seven of eight great grandparents and all sixteen of sixteen great great grandparents were born in England and all but the four grandparents, two great grandparents, four great great grandparents and two great great great grandparents died in England! And I have pictures of all of their gravestones here in Canada because they all lived within about 2 miles of London, Ontario, Canada. I have pictures of a number of the gravestones of my ancestors in England as well from our various trips there.

The Blake family of Galway

I did begin my extraction of the Blake family material in Martin Blake's excellent set of records on the Blake family of Galway. I am entering the information into Legacy and have added 197 individuals which includes 98 families. This is an extensive work on his part and will also include the Blake family that came to the London, Ontario area in the 1800s. As children people would ask if we were related to this family as I grew up in London, Ontario. The recent release of the Immigrants Database to England with a Richard Blake coming from Ireland to the Salisbury area is rather interesting. Richard Caddell alias Blake who is the head of the Galway Blake family had two sons that are not traced down thus far - Nicholas and Valentine. My ancestor who left his will in 1547 was named Nicholas with his father being Richard and his father Robert and they lived in the Andover area but I have not yet had a look at the Manor Books to see if they can be traced back further on paper.

Our yDNA says that our haplogroup occurs around 2% in Connacht Ireland and 3% in Munster (just to the south of Connacht). Connacht is the larger area in which Galway is a unit. Could our Blake line be Irish after all? That would be a surprise. I must admit that I am becoming very very interested in the Irish Blake family at Galway. Why did Richard Blake come to Salisbury in 1440? Who is this Richard Blake? Of note though our haplogroup also can be found at the rate of 2% in South West England which includes the area from Hampshire to Cornwall. 2% in East Anglia and 2% in Leinster, and 1% in Ulster. These figures coming from our testing at BritainsDNA.   But this is for I-S185 known as the Deer Hunters so we are talking about a group of hunter-gatherers who probably arrived in the British Isles when it was still attached to the Continent via Doggerland and the British Isles was one landmass.The time period as much as 8000 years ago.

In my entering I have now come across an unlinked Blake line in the Galway family (perhaps it will be linked in later or it could be a separate Blake line). In 1745 Margaret Blake daughter of John Blake and Eveline Lynch married Mark Blake of Knockmore, Co Mayo in 1745. When I extracted the Blake records from the Calendar of Patent Rolls I found a number of references to Blake members going to Ireland. Would a descendant of one of these Blake members then become an Immigrant when he returned to England? All very interesting and I feel compelled to begin this work at this time along with my Cornwall extraction of information.

I must get back to doing a few wills a week as well though! And gardening will soon be part of my life again! At least one hopes so but yesterday's snow certainly put that timetable somewhat in the future.

Blake yDNA study update

The Blake yDNA study is slowly growing and the latest addition is to one of the groups that has a history of being from Ireland. Barrie Blake has designated this group as Blake group H who descend from Richard Blake (aka Caddell) and if you also look at the group that I designate E1 - English ancestry (4) you can see that both groups belong to the same R1b1a2 haplogroup as does E2 - English ancestry (possible Somerset, England roots).

On the first twelve markers all nine members match each other  for DYS 393, DYS 390, DYS 19, DYS 385a, DYS 425, DYS 388, DYS 392 and differ on DYS 391, DYS 385b, DYS 439, DYS 389I, DYS 389II.

DYS 391 is either 10 or 11.
DYS 385b is either 14 or 15

DYS 439 is either 12, 13 or 14
DYS 389I is either13 or 14
DYS 389I is always 16 with one exception (E2)


Five individuals in nine have tested beyond 12 markers to 37 and 1 member has tested to 67 markers. Within the distinct groupings the differences between are minor and between the distinct groupings the differences are rather interesting .

The headings will remain as shown but I note there is this rather interesting similarity between the three groups one of which is distinctly English and one which is distinctly Irish. Is it likely that the Caddell family in England would have changed their name to Blake in England? I would love to find written information that proves the name change.

If you do a search on the surname "Cadel" there are 18 results in the Calendar of Patent Rolls. These entries begin with Henry III, volume 1, then Edward 1, volume 2 and volume 3, Edward III, volumes 10, 12, and 14 followed by Richard II volume 5 and Henry V , volume 2.

Henry III

1224 (page 438-9)


De mille et quadringentis marcis recipiendis in domo Novi Templi Londonie Rex omnibus ad quos presentes litteras pervenerint, salutem. Sciatis quod mille et quadringentas marcas, quas deposuimus in domo Templi Londonie,  et satisfieret inde H. comiti Marchie pronobis de tanta pecunia apud Parisius per manun fratris W. Kadel, magistri domus Templi citra montes, recepimus ab eadem domo Templi Londsonie, de quibus volumus magistrum et fratres domus predicte et ipsam domum esse quietos. Set si forte idem frater W. Kadel dictam pecuniam prefato comiti solverit pro nobis, sicut provisum fuit, nos eidem domui tenebimur ad solutionem tante pecunie. Et si idem frater W. Cadel ea non solverit, sicut predictum est, tunc abobligatione solutionis hujus pecunie omnino quieti sumus. In cujus etc. Teste rege, apud Westmonasterium, xx die Maii, anno etc. viij, coram justiciario et Bathoniensi et Sarresburiensi episcopis.

 Edward I (volume 2)


 1282 (page 34)

Letters for Roger le Bygod, earl of Norfolk and marshal of England going to Wales on the king's service, nominating William Cadel and Reginald Lyvet his attorneys in Ireland for one year.

Edward I (volume 3)

 1296 (page 181)

Request to Richard de Burgo, earl of Ulster, Geoffrey de Geynvill, John son of Thomas, Thomas son of Maurice, Theobald le Buttiller, Theobald de Verdun, Peter de Brymyngeham of Anery, Peter de Brymyngeham of Thetemoy, Eustace de Power, John de Power, Hugh Purcell, John de Cogan, John de Barri, William de Barri, Walter de Lascy, Richard de Oxonia, John Pypard, Walter Lenfaunt, Jordan de Oxonia, Adam de Staunton, Simon de Pheybo, William Cadel, John du Val, Maurice de Carreu, George de la Roche, Maurice de Rocheford, Maurice son of Thomas de Kerry, to obey the king's former mandate, to wit, to be faithful to John Wogan, justiciary of Ireland, to be present with horses and arms, March 1, at Whytheweyhavne to render fitting aid in that which the king intends to do for the preservation of the right of his realm and the honour of his crown, and to be prepared to set forth on the King's Service thence. The king proposes to be present.

 Edward I (volume 3)

1296 (page 222)

Pardon, on testimony before the king by John son of Thomas, on account of their services in the Scotch war, to William Cadel of Cloyneynam, knight, Reginald Berneval, Richard Cadel and William son of Robert Cadel for all homicides, robberies and other trepasses in Ireland.

Edward III (volume 10)

1357 (page 617)

Commission of oyer and terminer to John de Buttetourt, William de Shareshull, Henry Grene, Roger Hillary, William de Spyne, and Robert de Wyghthull, on complaint by John de Monte Forti, 'chivaler,' that Ralph de Mykynhull, Nicholas de Mikynhull, Roger de Ibstoke, Adam de Coventre, Henry de Blithe, Walter de Aumbersleye, Alan Cadel, John le Baillif of Colleshull in Ardern, Henry de Perton, Thomas de Aumbersleye, David le Hunte of Colleshull in Ardern and others, assaulted him at Colleshull in Ardern, co. Warwick, carried away his goods and 40 l. in money by tale, and assaulted his men and servants.  For 20 s. paid in the hanaper.

 Edward III (volume 12)

1364 (page 537)

Commission to James le Botilkler, earl of Ormond, Thomas de Burlee, prior of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem in Ireland, Simon Flemyng, baron of Slaan, Robert Cadel, Richard Plunket and Stephen Bray, to inspect all the indictments of many trespasses and other enormities in Ireland which, by the king's command have been sent before him in the chancery and he returns to them under his seal, and determine them according to law and the custom of those parts. By K.

Edward III (volume 14)

1370 (page 391)

Robert son of John Cadel, staying in Ireland, has letters nominating John de Blakebourn as his attorney in England for three years. The archbishop of Dublin, received the attorney by writ.

 
Richard II (volume 5)

 1394 (page 443)

Commission to John Cassy. Robert de Whityngton, escheator in the county of Gloucester. Wiklliam Ammondesham,. John att Yate and Anselm Guyse, to enquire and certify touching the petitions of Cecily Sage, Nicholas Mattesdon Drois (sic), Simon Cadel and Eva, his wife, and John Swonhongre, claiming the manor of Kyngeshome near Gloucester, held in chief. By fine levied in the quindene of St. John Baptist, 7 Edward III before William de Herle and the other justices of that king, between John de Albeneye and Cecily, his wife, plaintiffs, and Elias de Godeleye, deforciant, the said Elias granted the manor to the said John and Cecily and the heirs of John by Cecily, by virtue whereof they were seised of it, and from them it descended to Elias, their son and heir, and from him to Elizabeth, his daughter and heir, and by her death without heir of her body petitioners claim that it came to the said Cecily Sage. Maud, Christiana and Isabel, her aunts and heirs, as daughters of the said John and Cecily, and sisters of the said Elias, and that Maud's interest descended to her son and heir William, and from him to his son the said Nicholas, kinsman and one of the heirs of the said Elizabeth; that Christiana's interest descended to her daughter the said Eva, kinswoman and another of the heirs of the said Elizabeth; and that Isabel's interest passed to Elias her son, and from him to his son the said John Swonhongre, kinsman and the third of the heirs of the said Elizabeth. The said Elizabeth, being convincted of murdering her husband Andrew Wanton, was burned, and thereupon the manor was forfeited to the king. By p.s. 9358 & 9359.

There are also entries for the spelling Cadell namely Edward III (volume 11), Richard II (volume 4 and volume 5, Henry IV (volume 1).

Edward III (volume 11)

1359 (page 214)

Richard de Maundevile, staying in England, has letters nominating Robert Cadell and Martin de Berford as his attorneys in Ireland for two years. William de Burgh, clerk, received the attorneys.

Richard II (volume 4)

1390 (page 265-6

Inspeximus and confirmation of letters patent under the great seal of Ireland dated at Dublin. 1 November. S Richard II, test. Philip de Courtenay, the king's lieutenant in Ireland, being a grant and sale for 100 marks, by advice of the said lieutenant and others of the king's council there and by mainprise of John, archbishop of Armagh, and Richard Cadell, vicar of Athboy, to Maurice Sweteman, archdeacon of Armagh, Andrew Waryng and John Taillour, clerks, of the custody, during the minority of John the son and heir, of all the castles, manors, lands and tenements in the counties of Meath and Kyldare, late of William de London, knight, tenant in chief, together with the knights' fees, advowsons, suits of court, yearly rents of free tenants, wardships, marriages, escheats and all other things belonging thereto, and of the custody during the minority of successive heirs, until they obtain the same. By p.s. and for 100 s. paid in the hanaper.

Richard II (volume 5)

1394 (page 524)

Appointment of John Deynes and Laurence Neweton, the king's serjeants-at-arms, and Edmund Savage, Wlater Eure, Robert Cadell and Thomas Forester, in places between Cragvergus and Wykynglower in Ireland, and in those two ports. 

Henry IV (volume 1)

1424 (page 214)

Inspeximus and confirmation, by advice and assent of the lords spiritual and temporal in the Parliament held at Westminster, in the king's first year, to the sovereign (superior in Patent Roll, souverain in P.S.) and burgesses of the town of New Ros in Ireland, of a charter, dated 20 January, 1 Henry V (Charter Roll, 1 Henry V, part 3, No. 9), inspecting and confirming, with additions, letters patent, dated 12 June, 9 Henry IV, inspecting and confirming letters patent, dated 1 April, 1 Henry IV, being an exemplification of letters patent under the seal of Ireland, tested at Kilkenny by John de Stanley, justice of Ireland, 12 December, 12 Richard II, inspecting and confirming by authority of the Parliament held at Kilkenny on Friday after St. Andrew preceding, and adjourned thence to Tristeldormot, Balymore and Naas successiv ely, the following:
  1. A charter of Robert Bigot, sometime earl of Norfolk, and Marshal of England, in favour of the burgesses, witnessed by Sirs Walter Porcell, William le Grad, John de Vale, William Cadell, Richard le Rous, William de Canteton, Gilbert de Sutton, John de Vilers, knights and others.
  2. A schedule of the liberties granted by charter of William Marshal, sometime earl of Pembroke, to the burgesses of Kilkenny, under the great seal used by the lords of the royal liberty of Kilkenny in their chancery, and shown before the king in his chancery of Ireland. By p.s.

I shall compare these to the Blake entries for Ireland in the same time period just out of curiosity.

Updating Blake one name study website on Wordpress

http://www.kipp-blake-families.ca/blakegoons/

I have finally begun the process of working on the website for the Blake family to be attached to my one name study at the Guild of one-name Studies.

http://www.one-name.org/profiles/blake.html

I have now put up a new page which will have a link to the Blake Newsletter. If you want to know that a new one has been released then you would have to set up a notification on your own system to show that that particular webpage has changed. I will try to continue to produce the newsletter four times a year. I am always looking for items to put into the newsletter although would like to keep it to just two pages at maximum. The next issue will look at the various yDNA groups that we have in our Blake yDNA study. Our newest member belongs to the group R1b which was designated by the earlier co-administrator of the project as the Richard Caddell descendant group. Richard Caddell took on the surname Blake when he went to Ireland. There is no information as to why he did that thus far but I will continue to seek more information in that regard.

Blake yDNA study at FT DNA

http://www.familytreedna.com/public/blake/default.aspx?section=yresults

The deep ancestry of the Blake family is the result desired from this yDNA study. Thus far the Norfolk Blake line of Peter Blake and Elizabeth Spelman has been separated out from the rest of the "English" Blake families. Another new member has matched English Ancestry (4) with members in England and the United States and a possible resting point for this particular Blake line of Wiltshire/Dorset but still to be determined. The Theophilus Blake line (English Ancestry (2)) has the unusual haplogroup I2b1 and the ancestral home of this line has not yet been determined although there is a possibility that they descend from the Planters in Ireland and this group (also known as Scot Irish in the United States) could have come from Northern England/Scotland to Ireland and thence to America. My own line of I2a2b ended up being a surprise and I have renamed it more appropriately as British Isles Ancestry with my line tracing back to the Andover Hampshire England area in the late 1400s and the other member showing Ireland as the place of origin of this line. It remains a mystery that may some day solve itself but I2a2b is a relatively small haplogroup and thought to trace back to the earliest settlements in the British Isles so could be quite widespread throughout the Isles but always in small numbers. English Ancestry (3) is equally interesting as are all of the groups but the members of this group can trace back to William Blake and Agnes Band (née Thorne) who were early emigrants to the Massachusetts Bay Colony. It is thought that they were descendant of the Somerset Blake family at Plainfield and someone testing with a paper trail back to this family would be interesting.

More on the yDNA groups with the January 2013 newsletter.

French Canadian ancestry

I worked on our son-in-law's French Canadian ancestry yesterday and found more information on his paternal grandmother's line. I am producing a chart for his paternal grandmother as she asked for one at the wedding. I decided to try and find baptisms for her parents which I hadn't located before. I am somewhat confused by the paternal grandmother of her father. I am not sure if there were two individuals with the name Antoine Gregoire; one married to Delima Seguin and the other married to Delima Laderoute. I will continue to seek that information although the marriage that I found was for Antoine Gregoire and Rosa de Lima Seguin on 30 Aug 1869 at the Basilica de Notre Dame, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. I need to try to find a marriage with Delima Laderoute and Antoine Gregoire to solve that mystery.

Eventually I will get back to my genealogy as I am working on proving my 4x great grandparents. I hope to have that completed by the early summer. There are 64 great grandparents and I have now proven eight of them. I need more information on the Farmer/Lambden 4x great grandparents before I can prove those four individuals. I will probably start back on the Knight line (Maria Jane Knight (my grandfather's mother) (I was looking for her burial/death when I stopped working on my genealogy)) as I have quite a bit of information back to the 4x great grandparents (Knight (2x), Butt, Arnold, Durnford, Ellis, Vincent, and Malton). Proving the two Knights are brothers is one of my aims for our next visit to the Family History Library. Many researchers claim that they are. My grandfather said his Knight grandparents were cousins and they had 13 children. This has proven to be true. That will complete my grandfather's 2x great grandparents (my 4x great grandparents) and then I will work on my grandmother Blake's line. Since she was illegitimate (stepfather was William Taylor as he married her mother Elizabeth Rawlings) and given the second middle name of Cotterill there is a strong possibility that her father was George Cotterill who lived on the Manor House Farm (his father was an agricultural labourer) (son of William Cotterill and Jane Sherwood). I have traced this line back to her 2x great grandparents and will prove that line but will likely halt there. I have traced her mother's Rawlings' line back to the 4x great grandparents and will enter the proofs for this line.

Then I can move to my mother's line where I have started to prove her line and have completed four (Pincombe/Pearce). Proving her paternal line should be quite straightforward as I have all the proofs back to the 4x great grandparents on every line (and beyond). Proving her maternal line though requires me still to find a paper trail back to her maternal grandparents which I lack. I have only family lore to go on and will not prove beyond the 2x great grandparents until I have found that link.

The next trip to Salt Lake City will look at a few more angles to see if I can make that leap back. I know that her mother had an illegitimate child in 1879 at Birmingham and they are found on the 1881 census in the Aston workhouse. Her age at that time was listed as 19 but she is listed as 30 on the 1891 census. If I am correct in having her parents as Ellen Roberts and Thomas Taylor they had a daughter Elizabeth born 9 Oct 1859 at Birmingham. On the 1891 census this person would have been 31 years old. However on her death registration she is listed as 37 and the date 27 Feb 1897 which would give her a birth date between 28 Feb 1859 and 27 Feb 1860. There isn't another Ellen Taylor born at Birmingham in this time period that would fit into this criteria. However, I need to caution myself that an entry could be incorrect. Finding a descendant of this family would be helpful and I continue to try to discover what happened to the five siblings of Ellen Taylor that survived childhood (Thomas born 1858, Elizabeth born 1862, Frank born 1865 died 1875, Kate (Kathryn) born 1868, Marion (Marianne) born 1869 (Ashton under Lyne), and William born 1870. All children born at Birmingham except for Marion (Marianne). They are on the 1881 census at Ashton under Lyne (Lancashire) and the 1871 census at Birmingham. My grandmother visited Lancashire when she was in England although spent most of her time in Birmingham and Coventry (Buller descendants lived at Coventry). Unfortunately I have to go on memory for her trip to England as the contents of her suitcase which held all of her information were destroyed. One of my great regrets is not taking her suitcase at the time she wanted me to do so. I thought she would live for ever and never suspect she would die eight months after we married.

Back to Genealogy! Barry Blake has taken over the Blake DNA study and added it to his webpages which will be a forward movement I think for the study of the Blake family of the British Isles.

http://blakeheritage.synthasite.com/blake-family-dna-project.php

I am still curious if this name has one founder with the other lines being descended through daughtered out female lines with a sister's child taking the Blake uncle's surname (i.e. why did Richard Caddell take the Blake surname?). Time will tell on that actually. There are so many different haplogroups though that one is left to surmise that the name arose spontaneously in several different areas. Certainly at Norfolk there are two distinct lines which go back several hundred years at Wimbotsham. The Blake family is known to be in London from early times as well. The earliest recorded mention of Blake is the Subsidy Roll in 1286 for Blakelands (Blacklands) where a Robert de Blakeland is paying his taxes. Most books tracing the Blake line do trace back to this individual. My own line being at Andover from the 1400s on is traced back on paper to this Robert de Blakeland as well. However, I terminate my line at Andover until I can find actual proof that the father of Nicholas is indeed a great grandson of Robert Blake and Avis Wallop. Still working through the wills on that connection.

Today I shall continue to work on French Canadian ancestry.