The testator John Blake Esquire may be the Lieutenant Colonel John Blake pictured in this miniature at Bonhams:
http://www.bonhams.com/auctions/19028/lot/386/
However, the year of his appointment is listed as 1797 and this will is written on the 4th Mar 1795 naming himself as a Lieutenant Colonel. At that time he would have been in Canada so perhaps a field appointment later ratified. No ideas on that as I am not overly knowledgeable on the military. A son Arthur Blake is mentioned in the writeup about this particular miniature and that he was also in the military.
Looking at a copy of the Gazette online Tuesday 4 Sep to at 8 Sep 1804
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/15734/page/1101/data.pdf
War Office 8 Sep 1804
3d 1st Regiment of Foot Colonel John Blake from the 24th Foot, to be Lieutenant Colonel.
24th (Ensigns without Purchase) John Blake, Gent to be Ensign
Another website on the Napoleonic Wars:
http://www.napoleon-series.org/military/organization/Britain/Infantry/Regiments/c_24thFoot.html
Lt. Col. John Blake
Born Galway c.1762; Major in 24th Foot 22 September 1795; Lieutenant-Colonel 25 March 1797; brevet Colonel 9 January 1798; local Brigadier-General in Egypt 1801; Lieutenant-Colonel in 3rd Foot 8 August 1804; retired December 1804; died 1836. This man born in 1762 is unlikely to be the individual in the miniature as this man is somewhat older than 28 years of age!
Sorting out all of these John Blake entries is a bit of a mystery!
https://www.geni.com/people/John-Blake/6000000030269779663
An online tree on Geni (link above) mentions that John Blake’s date of birth is the 20th of February 1744 and that he is a son of Nathaniel and Elizabeth (Masters) Blake with siblings Arthur, Nathaniel, Ann, Elizabeth, Julia, Mary and Sarah Blake (Mary and Sarah were not named in the will). This online tree does mention that Julia is married to Thomas Rugge. Ann is married to John Knight (and the mother of Henry Knight). Mary is mentioned as the wife of John Lee. Sarah and Elizabeth are not listed as married. Arthur, the brother, is said to be married to Ann and the father of John and Arthur Blake. Some individuals in this family were said to be born at Charlinch, Somerset.
In the will below the testator mentions his nephews Nathaniel Blake, John Blake, Arthur Blake and William Knight. He mentions his sisters Julia Rugge, Ann Knight and Elizabeth Blake and his nieces Ann and Elizabeth Knight. This would appear to be a family from Somerset (he does mention Charlinch Somerset in his will with respect to William Score whom he has asked to be a Trustee). He names William Knight, his nephew, as his Executor.
An online tree for the Blake family of Bridgwater does have a Nathaniel Blake married to an Elizabeth Masters (she was his second wife) and they married the 30 Aug 1731at Long Sutton near Glastonbury (verified on Find My Past and Nathaniel Blake lived at Long Load near Gastonbury and his wife Elizabeth Masters was of Milton, Martock). The births of the children above would fit into that time frame. However no children are shown on that online tree for this couple. He was said to be the Nathaniel Blake baptized 28 Nov 1689 at Aisholt Somerset son of Roger Blake and Susannah Taylor. That Roger being a son of Humphry Blake (the elder) and Elizabeth Upton. That Humphry being a son of Humphry Blake and Elizabeth Giles. That Humphry being a son of Humphrey Blake and Ann James. That Humphrey being a son of John Blake (the elder) and Johan. That John being a son of Humphrey Blake and Agnis of Bishops Lydeard and Over Stowey. That would make this John Blake, testator, a 2nd cousin 4x removed of Admiral Robert Blake. Admiral Robert Blake would be a second cousin of the 2x great grandfather of this John Blake namely Humphry Blake married to Elizabeth Giles.
Since the age of this John Blake better fits the miniature shown above and the contents of the will point to Somerset as the likely home of this John Blake, I will attempt to investigate this particular family of Nathaniel Blake and Elizabeth Masters to see if I can fit it into the Nathaniel Blake said to be baptized 28 Nov 1689 at Aisholt Somerset.
A document held by Somerset Heritage Centre is a Petition to Chancery by Nathaniel Blake of Glastonbury, innholder, and his wife Elizabeth daughter of Philip Masters of Milton Falconbridge, Martock, concerning her estate (Reference: DD/S/BT/25/1/11 after 1724). At least this does along with the marriage verify the names and the places. No will found for Philip Masters.
There is a baptism at Charlinch, Somerset for John Blake son of Nathaniel and Elizabeth Blake baptized 24 Feb 1745. The website of Martin Southwood is most helpful:
http://www.wsom.org.uk/Registers/AisBap16801749.htm
Other baptisms at Charlinch (see above website under Charlinch) for the children of Nathaniel and Elizabeth Blake:
Elizabeth Blake baptized 19 Jul 1746
Arthur Blake baptized 30 Nov 1747
Julia Blake baptized 9 Aug 1749
Mary Blake baptized 11 Oct 1752
Sarah Blake baptized 31 Dec 1755
Arthur Blake buried at Charlinch 20 Apr 1785 (Mr)
Nathaniel Blake buried at Charlinch 11 Nov 1785 (Mr. aged 87 years)
Nathaniel Blake buried at Charlinch 31 May 1787 (Mr)
If this is the father of John Blake who died aged 87 years then he was born in 1698 and not the Nathaniel Blake listed as baptized 28 Nov 1689 at Aisholt Somerset son of Roger Blake and Susannah Taylor. Nathaniel born circa 1689 and marrying in 1731 to Elizabeth Masters and having children up to 1755 would have been 52 when he married and 67 when his last child was baptized. Not impossible but certainly something to look at carefully.
I do not have a Nathaniel Blake born circa 1698 in any of my records thus far. Given his proximity to the Blake family of Over Stowey and Bridgwater it is possible that he is part of that family. But the line coming down does appear to be verified by the will below. Moving back in time will be more of a challenge as I do not have access to the Parish Registers for Charlinch, Glastonbury and Aisholt in particular prior to 1744 to look at Baptisms and Burials for the Blake family.
Definitely though the Nathaniel Blake baptized in 1689 at Aisholt appears to have died 12 Apr 1735 at Glastonbury (this is recorded on the tree at Geni mentioned above thus making it somewhat peculiar that children are named to him born after this date!) thus breaking the link between the Nathaniel Blake who married Elizabeth Masters in 1731 and this Nathaniel Blake married to an Elizabeth with the children mentioned above baptized at Charlinch unless the date of death is incorrect. Two children not mentioned as baptized at Charlinch (the registers online begin in 1744) are Nathaniel (assumed because Nathaniel mentioned in the will was not the son of Arthur and there was a burial for a Mr Nathaniel Blake in 1787 at Charlinch) and Ann.
At this point I have simply broken the line between this family and the Admiral; hopefully more records will help to relink this line into the Blake family of Over Stowey and Bridgwater.
Transcriber: Elizabeth Kipp
Recorded: 25 Jan 2017
Source: The National Archives, PROB 11/1439
Name of testator: John Blake, Esquire, Lieutenant Colonel in His Majesty’s 24th or second Warwickshire Regiment of Foot
Place: Unknown
Type of Record: Will
Dated: 4 Mar 1795, probated 21 Mar 1806
[In margin] John Blake, Esquire
1 This is the last Will and Testament
2 of me John Blake Lieutenant Colonel in his
3 Majesty’s 24th or second Warwickshire Regiment of
4 Foot revoking all other Wills by me made in form
5 following First I Give and bequeath unto my
6 Nephew Nathaniel Blake when he attained the
7 age of Twenty one years the Sum of Three hundred
8 pounds to each of my Nephews John Blake and
9 Arthur Blake the Sum of One hundred pounds
10 when they shall respectively attain the age of
11 Twenty one years To my Sister Ann Knight and to
12 my Nieces Ann Knight and Elizabeth Knight the
13 Sum of Twenty pounds apiece to be paid them
14 respectively by my Executors hereinafter named
15 with three Calendar Months next after my decease
16 also I give and bequeath unto William Score of
17 Charlinch in the County of Somerset Gentleman
18 his Executors and Administrators three clear
19 annuities of Fifteen pounds to be paid by my
20 said Executor in half yearly payments on Lady
21 Day and Michaelmas Day The first payment
22 to begin in and be made on such of the said days as
23 shall first and next happen after my decease In
24 Trust nevertheless that he the said William Score
25 his Exors or Admors do and shall apply and dispose of
26 the said several annuities of Fifteen pounds in the
27 education and Maintenance of my said three
28 Nephews Nathaniel Blake John Blake and Arthur
29 Blake until they shall respectively attain the age of
30 Twenty one years if my said Sister Ann Knight
31 and my Sister Elizabeth Blake or either of them
32 shall so long live But in Case of the death of
33 any or either of my said Nephews before the
34 attainment of the age of Twenty one years Then
35 the Annuity or Annuities so directed to be applied
36 and disposed of in the Education and maintenance
37 as aforesaid of each of my said Nephews as shall
38 happen to die shall of course cease and be no longer
39 paid or payable also I Give devise and bequeath unto
40 my Sister Julia Rugge Thirty pounds to be paid by
41 my Executor hereinafter named within Six Months
42 after my decease Also I Give and bequeath unto
43 my Sister Julia Rugge for and during the term of
44 her natural life if my said Sister Ann Knight and
45 Elizabeth Blake shall both so long live one clear
46 annuity of Twenty pounds to be paid to my said
47 Executor in half yearly payments on Lady Day
48 and Michaelmas Day the first payment thereof to
49 begin and be made on such of the said Feast days
50 as shall first and next happen after my decease all
51 the rest residue of my Goods and personal Estate
52 whatsoever and wheresoever I Give devise and bequeath
53 unto my Nephew William Knight his heirs Exors
54 Administrators and Assigns respectively and of this my last
55 Will and Testament do make constitute and appoint him
56 sole Executor provided always and my Will is that in
57 case my said Executor shall at any time after my
58 decease receive of and from David Roberts late of
59 London Esquire or the Representative of John Roberts late
60 of London Esquire deceased the Sum of five hundred
61 thirty nine pounds fifteen shilling and one penny
62 under and by virtue of an award bearing date the
63 twenty ninth day of August one thousand seven
64 hundred and eighty nine duly executed by Thomas
65 Lowten of the Inner Temple London Gentleman and
66 which said Sum of Five hundred thirty nine
67 pounds fifteen shilling and one penny the thereto
68 awarded to be paid by them the said David Roberts
69 and John Robert since deceased to me then I Give
70 and bequeath unto my said Nephew John Blake
71 when of the age of Twenty one years the further
72 Sum of One hundred and Fifty pounds To my said
73 Nephew Arthur Blake when of the age of twenty
74 one years the like Sum of one hundred and fifty
75 pounds and to my said Sister Julia Rugge the
76 further Sum of Forty pounds and I hereby direct
77 my said Executor to pay the three last mentioned
78 Sums accordingly In Witness whereof I have to
79 this my last Will and Testament set my hand and
80 Seal this fourth day of March in the year of our
81 Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninty Five
82 Jas Blake Signed Sealed published and declared
83 by the said John Blake as and for his last Will and
84 Testament in the presence of us who at his request
85 and in his presence have subscribed our Names as
86 Witnesses Henry Coles G Coombs
87 James Stoefs
88 This Will was proved at London on the
89 twenty first day of March in the year of our
90 Lord one thousand eight hundred and Six
91 before the worshipful Charles Coote doctor of Laws
92 Surrogate of the Right honorable Sir William
93 Wynne Knight doctor of Laws Master Keeper or
94 Commissary of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury
95 lawfully constituted by the oath of William Knight
96 Esquire the Newphew of the deceased and the sole
97 Executor named in the said Will to whom Admon was
98 granted of all and Singular the Goods Chattels and
99 Credits of the said deceased he having been first sworn
100 duly to administer
Showing posts with label Coles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Coles. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 25, 2017
Saturday, January 11, 2014
Will of Michael Blake, Yeoman, Rockford, Ellingham, Hampshire - The National Archives PROB 11/299/430, probated 19 Jul 1660
This Blake family at Ellingham is somewhat of a mystery. Ellingham is 18 miles west of Southampton. Michael Blake, testator, was buried 5 Apr 1659 at Ellingham. There is another will for Michael Blake of Ellingham which was probated in the Winchester Court in 1593. Since Michael, in the will below, mentions that he is ancient than he is perhaps the son of this Michael whose will was probated in 1593 although he does not mention him by name only his daughters. But given that property was often entailed and there wasn’t a need to mention a single son inheriting than that could be the reason.
The farm house at Rockford is a Grade II building dated 17th century and thus could be the home of Michael Blake in 1659 when he died. Look at the aerial view.
http://gohistoric.com/places/rockford-farmhouse-ellingham-harbridge-ibsley
A search of the catalogue at the Hampshire Record Office did reveal an inventory for a William Blake of Ellingham in 1702 which I might look at some time but no will listed.
Ellingham is 1.7 miles from Ringwood, 9 miles from Downton, Wiltshire, 15 miles from Laverstock and Ford, Wiltshire, and 17 miles from South Newton, Wiltshire.
The present testator identifies his wife as Avis, his son as Thomas, his daughters as Sarah and Avis Sanders and his grandchildren as Michael Russel and Michael Blake.
The next will is for the likely father of Michael Blake the present testator.
Transcriber: Elizabeth Kipp
Recorded: 11 Jan 2014
Source: The National Archives PROB 11/299/430
Testator: Michael Blake, Yeoman
Place: Rockford, Ellingham, Hampshire, England
Type of Record: Will
Date of document: 1 Apr 1659, probated 19 Jul 1660
Condition: 17th century English, legible copy
[Margin]: Michael
[Margin]: Blake
1 In the name of God Amen The first day of April in the
2 yeare of our Lord God one thousand six hundred Fifty nine I Michaell Blake
3 of Rockford in the parish of Ellingham and county of South[amp]ton Yeoman anc-
4 jent in body but thancks bee to God of perfect memorie doe make and ordaine this
5 my last Will and Testament in manner and forme following first and principally
6 I give and bequeath my soule into the hands of my Lord and Master Jesus Christ
7 my onely Creator and Redeemer and my body to bee buried in the yard of the parish
8 Church of Ellingham Item I doe give unto my wife my Lease at Gorley in the
9 parish of Ibsley Iteme, I doe give unto my daughter Sarah the house and orchard thereof
10 of the stand in the wood thereof dureing the terme of ye Lease And I doe give unto
11 my daughter Sarah forty pounds to bee paid unto her two yeares after my decease
12 Item I doe give unto my daughter Avis Sanders widow tenne poundes Item I doe
13 give unto my grandchild Michaell Rusell tenne poundes Item I doe give unto my
14 grandchild Michaell Blake five poundes Item I doe give unto my sonne Thomas
15 Blake two table boards ands cupboard and chest after my wife’s decease And the rest
16 of all my household goods I doe give unto my two daughters after my wife’s decease to
17 bee equally within dores divided betweene them fairlie And I doe make Avis my wife my sole
18 Executrix of all the rest of my goods and Chattells and monies of this my last Will
19 and Testament Michaell Blake his marke Signed Sealed in the presence of us
20 Katherine Coles Thomas Hide
21 This will was proved at London the nineteenth day of July in the yeare of
22 of our Lord God one thousand six hundred and sixty Before his Right H[on]orable
23 William Mericke doct of Lawes Master Keeper or Comissary of the Prerogative
24 Court of Cant lawfully Constituted by the oath of Avis Blake the Relict of the
25 said deceased, sole Executrix named in the said Will To whome Admon of all
26 and singular the goods chattels and debts of the said deced was graunted She being
27 First by commission sworne truly to Administer the same according to the tenore and
28 effect of the said Will
The farm house at Rockford is a Grade II building dated 17th century and thus could be the home of Michael Blake in 1659 when he died. Look at the aerial view.
http://gohistoric.com/places/rockford-farmhouse-ellingham-harbridge-ibsley
A search of the catalogue at the Hampshire Record Office did reveal an inventory for a William Blake of Ellingham in 1702 which I might look at some time but no will listed.
Ellingham is 1.7 miles from Ringwood, 9 miles from Downton, Wiltshire, 15 miles from Laverstock and Ford, Wiltshire, and 17 miles from South Newton, Wiltshire.
The present testator identifies his wife as Avis, his son as Thomas, his daughters as Sarah and Avis Sanders and his grandchildren as Michael Russel and Michael Blake.
The next will is for the likely father of Michael Blake the present testator.
Transcriber: Elizabeth Kipp
Recorded: 11 Jan 2014
Source: The National Archives PROB 11/299/430
Testator: Michael Blake, Yeoman
Place: Rockford, Ellingham, Hampshire, England
Type of Record: Will
Date of document: 1 Apr 1659, probated 19 Jul 1660
Condition: 17th century English, legible copy
[Margin]: Michael
[Margin]: Blake
1 In the name of God Amen The first day of April in the
2 yeare of our Lord God one thousand six hundred Fifty nine I Michaell Blake
3 of Rockford in the parish of Ellingham and county of South[amp]ton Yeoman anc-
4 jent in body but thancks bee to God of perfect memorie doe make and ordaine this
5 my last Will and Testament in manner and forme following first and principally
6 I give and bequeath my soule into the hands of my Lord and Master Jesus Christ
7 my onely Creator and Redeemer and my body to bee buried in the yard of the parish
8 Church of Ellingham Item I doe give unto my wife my Lease at Gorley in the
9 parish of Ibsley Iteme, I doe give unto my daughter Sarah the house and orchard thereof
10 of the stand in the wood thereof dureing the terme of ye Lease And I doe give unto
11 my daughter Sarah forty pounds to bee paid unto her two yeares after my decease
12 Item I doe give unto my daughter Avis Sanders widow tenne poundes Item I doe
13 give unto my grandchild Michaell Rusell tenne poundes Item I doe give unto my
14 grandchild Michaell Blake five poundes Item I doe give unto my sonne Thomas
15 Blake two table boards ands cupboard and chest after my wife’s decease And the rest
16 of all my household goods I doe give unto my two daughters after my wife’s decease to
17 bee equally within dores divided betweene them fairlie And I doe make Avis my wife my sole
18 Executrix of all the rest of my goods and Chattells and monies of this my last Will
19 and Testament Michaell Blake his marke Signed Sealed in the presence of us
20 Katherine Coles Thomas Hide
21 This will was proved at London the nineteenth day of July in the yeare of
22 of our Lord God one thousand six hundred and sixty Before his Right H[on]orable
23 William Mericke doct of Lawes Master Keeper or Comissary of the Prerogative
24 Court of Cant lawfully Constituted by the oath of Avis Blake the Relict of the
25 said deceased, sole Executrix named in the said Will To whome Admon of all
26 and singular the goods chattels and debts of the said deced was graunted She being
27 First by commission sworne truly to Administer the same according to the tenore and
28 effect of the said Will
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Will of Robert Blake, Gentleman, Ash Prior, Somerset - The National Archives PROB 11/804/495, probated 29 Nov 1753
The testator is the Robert Blake baptized 24 May 1710 at Ash Prior the son of John and Sarah Blake. He is also the brother of Joseph Blake whose will was blogged:
http://kippeeb.blogspot.ca/2013/10/will-of-joseph-blake-ash-prior-somerset.html
Their sister Betty married Richard Cridland and the Cridland family is mentioned in the will below. Also Susannah his sister who is 17 years younger than he is and in 1752 when the will is written is only 25 years of age and the need to provide her with the money from his father’s will has resulted in his taking out a mortgage. Robert is then 42 years of age so was 37 when his first son was born. Baptism of Robert Blake son of Robert and Elizabeth Blake 21 Jan 1747 at Ash Prior, Somerset. Baptism of John Blake son of Robert and Elizabeth Blake 12 Nov 1752 at Ash Prior, Somerset.
The parents of Robert the testator and Joseph his brother along with the other children baptized to this couple Mary 17 Jan 1706; buried 15 Nov 1722, Betty 22 Feb 1714, Anne 12 Jul 1717, Sarah 2 May 1720 and Susannah 11 Feb 1727 were John Blake and Sarah Uppam (of Ash Prior) and they were married 15 Jan 1705 at Bicknoller (5 miles west of Overstowey). Unfortunately nothing is known of this John. Was he related to the family at Overstowey (Bicknoller is just 5 miles from Overstowey).
There is a webpage with the poor law rate for 1659, 1688, 1693, 1705, 1717, 1718, 1771, 1787 and 1819:
http://www.paulhyb.homecall.co.uk/parishes/bickcw.txt
Blake entries include:
1771 Mr John Blake late Dobels
1771 Thos Blake Williamses
1787 Mr Blake for Woolson
1787 Mr Blake for Dobles
1819 Joan Blake at Woolston (for herself)
1819 George Blake (Wm Sully owner) Bottom at ?
Perhaps that answers my question somewhat as there are no entries for Blake at Bicknoller before 1771. Why did John Blake and Sarah Uppam marry at Bicknoller? A mystery.
Another interesting comment that John Blake of Lower Weacombe (near Bicknoller) by will dated 1716 left £100 to provide clothing for the poor. This is a will that would have been most interesting but is not the will of John Blake married to Sarah Uppam. I wonder if this will still exists in some form since it is mentioned in British history online:
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=117147
Bicknoller is part of the larger parish of Stogumber. We know that Richard Blake married to Grace Napcot had property at Stogumber and they had two sons John and Richard. Richard left his will which was probated in 1666 and he was married to Ann Jessop; blogged:
http://kippeeb.blogspot.ca/2013/10/will-of-richard-blake-gentleman.html
This John died in 1716 and the last child of John and Sarah Blake was born/baptized in 1727 (Susannah) so not the correct John for this family.
Working through now and going back to the will of Robert Blake yeoman of Halse as this family in the will below also has property at Halse:
http://kippeeb.blogspot.ca/2013/10/will-of-robert-blake-yeoman-of-halse.html
is the John son of Robert in this will the father of this Robert? Once I get all these wills done then I will start to enter all the material into Legacy and see if I can find any linkages back to the Humphrey Blake family at Overstowey.
I am beginning to wonder if my information gathering is getting too huge for me to keep it all straight in my mind. I think I am reaching that point but would like to finish Somerset before I start to bring these wills together in a more rigorous fashion.
Transcriber: Elizabeth Kipp
Recorded: 28 Oct 2013
Source: The National Archives, PROB 11/804/495
Testator: Robert Blake, Gentleman
Place: Ash Prior, Somerset, England
Type of Record: Will
Date of document: 4 Feb 1752, probated 29 Nov 1753
Condition: 18th century English, legible copy
[Margin]: Robert
[Margin]: Blake
1 In the Name of God Amen
2 I Robert Blake of Ash Pryors in the County of Sommerset
3 Gent do this fourth day of February One Thousand Seven
4 hundred fifty and two make this my last Will and Testament
5 as followeth Imprimis I Give devise and bequeath unto my
6 Good Friends John Fraunces of Coombflorey in the County aforesaid
7 Esquire and Tho: Cridland of the same place and county Gentleman
8 and to the survivor of them and to the heirs and Executors
9 of Such Survivor all my Lands Tenements and hereditaments
10 Both real and personal situate lying and being in the parishes
11 of Ash Pryors Halse Storgursey and Stowey and also all that
[Page 2]
12 Estate which I lately purchased of the Bishop of Bath and Wells lying
13 and being in the parish of Huish all which lands and Tenements are in
14 the County aforesaid and all Such as are in any other place whatsoever
15 and all my estate and interest therein Subject however to the Sum of
16 Nine hundred and thirty pounds and to Mr Cridland of Coombflorey Sen[io]r
17 on a Mortgage to him of all my Estates Real and personal in the parish
18 of Halse in the County aforesaid which Sum of Nine hundred and thirty
19 pounds I borrowed of him the said Mr Cridland as well to pay my said
20 Sister Susanna Blake her portion as also to purchase two lives of the
21 Bishop of Bath and Wells on my Estate at Huish and my Will is
22 that my Sister Susannah be paid her portion of Five hundred
23 pounds at the end of Six Months from the date of the notice I Gave
24 her of the payment of it which will be on the 25th of July next there
25 being in the hands of Mr Cridland five hundred pounds part of
26 the Mortgage Moneys for that purpose as will appear by a
27 declaration of his in my custody and also Subject to the payment
28 of all other my just debts and Legacies and I do hereby charge
29 all my Lands Tenements personal Estate and hereditaments with
30 the payment of the same Upon Trust nevertheless that the said
31 John Fraunceis and Tho: Cridland and the Survivor of them do
32 receive the rents and profits thereof and pay out of the same
33 unto my Wife Elizabeth the Sum of Forty pounds per annum
34 by quarterly payments during her natural Life On Condition
35 however that my said Wife doth relinquish her right and title
36 to all dower of Such Lands as She is dowable of which right if
37 she refuses to relinquish then and in such case my Will is that
38 the above charge of Forty pounds per annum payable to my Wife
39 and all other Sums hereinafter mentioned to be payable to her
40 shall be absolutely void nor Shall She have any benefit thereof
41 and also allow my Son Robert Blake for his education and
42 maintenance as much as they my Trustees shall think fit
43 until he arrives to the age of twenty One and when he attains
44 that age then my Trustees to be seized of all my before
45 mentioned Lands Tenements personal Estate and hereditaments
46 to the use of my said Son Robert and the heirs Male of
47 his Body lawfully begotten and for want of heirs Males of
48 his Body so begotten then to the issue Female of his Body
49 lawfully begotten and for want of such issue then to my
50 Trustees and to the Survivor of them and to the heirs and
51 Executors of Such Survivor Upon Trust that they permit my
52 Brother Joseph Blake to receive the rents and profits of all
53 my above mentioned Estates for and during the Term of Ninety and
54 nine years or for Such part of the Term as Shall run out in
55 his life time and from and after the Term aforesaid or Such
56 number of years as Shall expire in his life time then to my
57 Trustees aforesaid the Survivor of them the heirs and Executors
58 of Such Survivor to be Seized to the use of the heirs Males of the
59 Body of my said Brother lawfully begotten and for want of
60 heirs Males to the issue Female of my Said Brother lawfully
61 begotten and if he dies leaving no issue behind him then my Said
62 Trustees and the Survivor of them to be Seized to the use of the said John
63 Cridland and Richard Cridland Sons of Richard Cridland of Milverton
[Page 3]
64 Gent their heirs Executors and Assigns forever not as joint Tenants but
65 as Tenants in Common but my intention and Will is that if my Wife
66 happens to be with Child at the time of my death that Such Child shall if my
67 Son Robert dyes without issue inherit all my before mentioned Lands
68 Tenements personal Estate and hereditaments in the same manner and
69 with the same Limitations as my son Robert Blake is to inherit by this
70 Will and I do hereby give Such Child with which my Wife shall be
71 ensient at the time of my death Five hundred pounds to be paid
72 when Such Child Shall attain the age of Twenty One as also twenty
73 pounds per annum to be paid Quarterly for its maintenance and
74 education which Sum of Five hundred pounds and also Twenty pounds
75 per annum my Said Trustees and the Survivor of them are to raise out
76 of my Estates before mentioned by Sale Mortgage Lease or otherwise
77 but if my Wife is not with Child at the time of my death then my
78 Will is that Ten pounds per annum more to be added to the Forty pounds
79 before directed to be paid to my Wife making in the whole Fifty pounds
80 which sum my Trustees are to pay her Quarterly as long as she lives
81 and if my Said Son Robert Blake shall happen to dye without issue
82 and living his Mother than then and from that period of time my
83 Will is that Ten pounds per annum more be added to the Fifty pounds
84 above mentioned making in all Sixty pounds which Sum my
85 Trustees and the Survivor of them are to pay in manner and form
86 aforesaid and in case the Sum of Sixty pounds or any part thereof
87 Shall be behind and unpaid by the Space of two Months is Shall
88 be lawful for my said Wife Elizabeth to enter on such part of
89 my Lands and Tenements as I can charge with the payment
90 of the said Sixty pounds and take them into her own possession
91 until the said Sum of Sixty pounds or any part thereof be
92 satisfied and paid and I do will that my Wife shall have the
93 Great Parlour hall and Little parlour of my house with Chamber
94 over and also the best Garden and Green Courts until my
95 Son Robert comes to the age of Twenty One and I do hereby
96 devise the Guardianship of my Son to my Trustees and the
97 Survivor of them and I do hereby charge all my Real
98 and Personal Estate for the indemnification of my Trustees
99 from all charges they or either of them may be put to in the
100 execution of the Trust hereby reposed in them and I do also will
101 that my Quick and dead Stock be Sold by my Trustees aforesaid
102 whom I make Executors of this my last Will Rob[er]t Blake
103 Signed Sealed published and declared by the said Robert Blake
104 the Testator to be his last Will and Testament in the presence
105 of us who Subscribed our names as Witnesses in the presence of
106 the said Robert Blake and at his request Edward Bryant
107 Upton Manning Rob[er]t Coles
108 Whereas my Son John was not born at the time of
109 making my above Will and thereby no provision was made for
110 him now my Will further is and I do hereby order my Trustees
111 above named to raise the Sum of Six hundred pounds out of any
112 or all the Estates above mentioned by Sale Mortgage or Lease
113 and also the farther Sum of Twenty pounds per Annum the
[Page 4]
114 Sum of Six hundred pounds to be paid him when he shall attain
115 the age of Twenty One and the said Sum of twenty pounds to be paid
116 him Yearly for his Maintenance and Education until he shall attain
117 that age and then the Sum of Twenty pounds per Annum to cease and
118 in case my Son Robert dies without issue of his Body lawfully
119 Begotten that then my Son John shall inherit all my Real and
120 personal Estates in the Same manner as his Brother was to inherit
121 Rob[er]t Blake Signed Sealed published and declared to be a Codicil
122 to the above Will in the presence of us who subscribed our Names
123 in the Testators presence and at his request Geo: Farewell Edw[ar]d
124 Bryant Upton Manning
125 This Will was proved at London with a Codicil annexed
126 the Twenty Ninth day of November in the year of Our lord One
127 Thousand Seven hundred and fifty three before the Right honourable
128 Sir George Lee Knight doctor of Laws Master Keeper or Commissary
129 of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury lawfully constituted by the
130 Oath of John Fraunceis Esquire and Thomas Cridland the Executors
131 named in the said Will To whom Administration was granted of all and
132 Singular the Goods Chattels and Credits of the said deceased being first
133 Sworn by Commission duly to administer the same.
http://kippeeb.blogspot.ca/2013/10/will-of-joseph-blake-ash-prior-somerset.html
Their sister Betty married Richard Cridland and the Cridland family is mentioned in the will below. Also Susannah his sister who is 17 years younger than he is and in 1752 when the will is written is only 25 years of age and the need to provide her with the money from his father’s will has resulted in his taking out a mortgage. Robert is then 42 years of age so was 37 when his first son was born. Baptism of Robert Blake son of Robert and Elizabeth Blake 21 Jan 1747 at Ash Prior, Somerset. Baptism of John Blake son of Robert and Elizabeth Blake 12 Nov 1752 at Ash Prior, Somerset.
The parents of Robert the testator and Joseph his brother along with the other children baptized to this couple Mary 17 Jan 1706; buried 15 Nov 1722, Betty 22 Feb 1714, Anne 12 Jul 1717, Sarah 2 May 1720 and Susannah 11 Feb 1727 were John Blake and Sarah Uppam (of Ash Prior) and they were married 15 Jan 1705 at Bicknoller (5 miles west of Overstowey). Unfortunately nothing is known of this John. Was he related to the family at Overstowey (Bicknoller is just 5 miles from Overstowey).
There is a webpage with the poor law rate for 1659, 1688, 1693, 1705, 1717, 1718, 1771, 1787 and 1819:
http://www.paulhyb.homecall.co.uk/parishes/bickcw.txt
Blake entries include:
1771 Mr John Blake late Dobels
1771 Thos Blake Williamses
1787 Mr Blake for Woolson
1787 Mr Blake for Dobles
1819 Joan Blake at Woolston (for herself)
1819 George Blake (Wm Sully owner) Bottom at ?
Perhaps that answers my question somewhat as there are no entries for Blake at Bicknoller before 1771. Why did John Blake and Sarah Uppam marry at Bicknoller? A mystery.
Another interesting comment that John Blake of Lower Weacombe (near Bicknoller) by will dated 1716 left £100 to provide clothing for the poor. This is a will that would have been most interesting but is not the will of John Blake married to Sarah Uppam. I wonder if this will still exists in some form since it is mentioned in British history online:
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=117147
Bicknoller is part of the larger parish of Stogumber. We know that Richard Blake married to Grace Napcot had property at Stogumber and they had two sons John and Richard. Richard left his will which was probated in 1666 and he was married to Ann Jessop; blogged:
http://kippeeb.blogspot.ca/2013/10/will-of-richard-blake-gentleman.html
This John died in 1716 and the last child of John and Sarah Blake was born/baptized in 1727 (Susannah) so not the correct John for this family.
Working through now and going back to the will of Robert Blake yeoman of Halse as this family in the will below also has property at Halse:
http://kippeeb.blogspot.ca/2013/10/will-of-robert-blake-yeoman-of-halse.html
is the John son of Robert in this will the father of this Robert? Once I get all these wills done then I will start to enter all the material into Legacy and see if I can find any linkages back to the Humphrey Blake family at Overstowey.
I am beginning to wonder if my information gathering is getting too huge for me to keep it all straight in my mind. I think I am reaching that point but would like to finish Somerset before I start to bring these wills together in a more rigorous fashion.
Transcriber: Elizabeth Kipp
Recorded: 28 Oct 2013
Source: The National Archives, PROB 11/804/495
Testator: Robert Blake, Gentleman
Place: Ash Prior, Somerset, England
Type of Record: Will
Date of document: 4 Feb 1752, probated 29 Nov 1753
Condition: 18th century English, legible copy
[Margin]: Robert
[Margin]: Blake
1 In the Name of God Amen
2 I Robert Blake of Ash Pryors in the County of Sommerset
3 Gent do this fourth day of February One Thousand Seven
4 hundred fifty and two make this my last Will and Testament
5 as followeth Imprimis I Give devise and bequeath unto my
6 Good Friends John Fraunces of Coombflorey in the County aforesaid
7 Esquire and Tho: Cridland of the same place and county Gentleman
8 and to the survivor of them and to the heirs and Executors
9 of Such Survivor all my Lands Tenements and hereditaments
10 Both real and personal situate lying and being in the parishes
11 of Ash Pryors Halse Storgursey and Stowey and also all that
[Page 2]
12 Estate which I lately purchased of the Bishop of Bath and Wells lying
13 and being in the parish of Huish all which lands and Tenements are in
14 the County aforesaid and all Such as are in any other place whatsoever
15 and all my estate and interest therein Subject however to the Sum of
16 Nine hundred and thirty pounds and to Mr Cridland of Coombflorey Sen[io]r
17 on a Mortgage to him of all my Estates Real and personal in the parish
18 of Halse in the County aforesaid which Sum of Nine hundred and thirty
19 pounds I borrowed of him the said Mr Cridland as well to pay my said
20 Sister Susanna Blake her portion as also to purchase two lives of the
21 Bishop of Bath and Wells on my Estate at Huish and my Will is
22 that my Sister Susannah be paid her portion of Five hundred
23 pounds at the end of Six Months from the date of the notice I Gave
24 her of the payment of it which will be on the 25th of July next there
25 being in the hands of Mr Cridland five hundred pounds part of
26 the Mortgage Moneys for that purpose as will appear by a
27 declaration of his in my custody and also Subject to the payment
28 of all other my just debts and Legacies and I do hereby charge
29 all my Lands Tenements personal Estate and hereditaments with
30 the payment of the same Upon Trust nevertheless that the said
31 John Fraunceis and Tho: Cridland and the Survivor of them do
32 receive the rents and profits thereof and pay out of the same
33 unto my Wife Elizabeth the Sum of Forty pounds per annum
34 by quarterly payments during her natural Life On Condition
35 however that my said Wife doth relinquish her right and title
36 to all dower of Such Lands as She is dowable of which right if
37 she refuses to relinquish then and in such case my Will is that
38 the above charge of Forty pounds per annum payable to my Wife
39 and all other Sums hereinafter mentioned to be payable to her
40 shall be absolutely void nor Shall She have any benefit thereof
41 and also allow my Son Robert Blake for his education and
42 maintenance as much as they my Trustees shall think fit
43 until he arrives to the age of twenty One and when he attains
44 that age then my Trustees to be seized of all my before
45 mentioned Lands Tenements personal Estate and hereditaments
46 to the use of my said Son Robert and the heirs Male of
47 his Body lawfully begotten and for want of heirs Males of
48 his Body so begotten then to the issue Female of his Body
49 lawfully begotten and for want of such issue then to my
50 Trustees and to the Survivor of them and to the heirs and
51 Executors of Such Survivor Upon Trust that they permit my
52 Brother Joseph Blake to receive the rents and profits of all
53 my above mentioned Estates for and during the Term of Ninety and
54 nine years or for Such part of the Term as Shall run out in
55 his life time and from and after the Term aforesaid or Such
56 number of years as Shall expire in his life time then to my
57 Trustees aforesaid the Survivor of them the heirs and Executors
58 of Such Survivor to be Seized to the use of the heirs Males of the
59 Body of my said Brother lawfully begotten and for want of
60 heirs Males to the issue Female of my Said Brother lawfully
61 begotten and if he dies leaving no issue behind him then my Said
62 Trustees and the Survivor of them to be Seized to the use of the said John
63 Cridland and Richard Cridland Sons of Richard Cridland of Milverton
[Page 3]
64 Gent their heirs Executors and Assigns forever not as joint Tenants but
65 as Tenants in Common but my intention and Will is that if my Wife
66 happens to be with Child at the time of my death that Such Child shall if my
67 Son Robert dyes without issue inherit all my before mentioned Lands
68 Tenements personal Estate and hereditaments in the same manner and
69 with the same Limitations as my son Robert Blake is to inherit by this
70 Will and I do hereby give Such Child with which my Wife shall be
71 ensient at the time of my death Five hundred pounds to be paid
72 when Such Child Shall attain the age of Twenty One as also twenty
73 pounds per annum to be paid Quarterly for its maintenance and
74 education which Sum of Five hundred pounds and also Twenty pounds
75 per annum my Said Trustees and the Survivor of them are to raise out
76 of my Estates before mentioned by Sale Mortgage Lease or otherwise
77 but if my Wife is not with Child at the time of my death then my
78 Will is that Ten pounds per annum more to be added to the Forty pounds
79 before directed to be paid to my Wife making in the whole Fifty pounds
80 which sum my Trustees are to pay her Quarterly as long as she lives
81 and if my Said Son Robert Blake shall happen to dye without issue
82 and living his Mother than then and from that period of time my
83 Will is that Ten pounds per annum more be added to the Fifty pounds
84 above mentioned making in all Sixty pounds which Sum my
85 Trustees and the Survivor of them are to pay in manner and form
86 aforesaid and in case the Sum of Sixty pounds or any part thereof
87 Shall be behind and unpaid by the Space of two Months is Shall
88 be lawful for my said Wife Elizabeth to enter on such part of
89 my Lands and Tenements as I can charge with the payment
90 of the said Sixty pounds and take them into her own possession
91 until the said Sum of Sixty pounds or any part thereof be
92 satisfied and paid and I do will that my Wife shall have the
93 Great Parlour hall and Little parlour of my house with Chamber
94 over and also the best Garden and Green Courts until my
95 Son Robert comes to the age of Twenty One and I do hereby
96 devise the Guardianship of my Son to my Trustees and the
97 Survivor of them and I do hereby charge all my Real
98 and Personal Estate for the indemnification of my Trustees
99 from all charges they or either of them may be put to in the
100 execution of the Trust hereby reposed in them and I do also will
101 that my Quick and dead Stock be Sold by my Trustees aforesaid
102 whom I make Executors of this my last Will Rob[er]t Blake
103 Signed Sealed published and declared by the said Robert Blake
104 the Testator to be his last Will and Testament in the presence
105 of us who Subscribed our names as Witnesses in the presence of
106 the said Robert Blake and at his request Edward Bryant
107 Upton Manning Rob[er]t Coles
108 Whereas my Son John was not born at the time of
109 making my above Will and thereby no provision was made for
110 him now my Will further is and I do hereby order my Trustees
111 above named to raise the Sum of Six hundred pounds out of any
112 or all the Estates above mentioned by Sale Mortgage or Lease
113 and also the farther Sum of Twenty pounds per Annum the
[Page 4]
114 Sum of Six hundred pounds to be paid him when he shall attain
115 the age of Twenty One and the said Sum of twenty pounds to be paid
116 him Yearly for his Maintenance and Education until he shall attain
117 that age and then the Sum of Twenty pounds per Annum to cease and
118 in case my Son Robert dies without issue of his Body lawfully
119 Begotten that then my Son John shall inherit all my Real and
120 personal Estates in the Same manner as his Brother was to inherit
121 Rob[er]t Blake Signed Sealed published and declared to be a Codicil
122 to the above Will in the presence of us who subscribed our Names
123 in the Testators presence and at his request Geo: Farewell Edw[ar]d
124 Bryant Upton Manning
125 This Will was proved at London with a Codicil annexed
126 the Twenty Ninth day of November in the year of Our lord One
127 Thousand Seven hundred and fifty three before the Right honourable
128 Sir George Lee Knight doctor of Laws Master Keeper or Commissary
129 of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury lawfully constituted by the
130 Oath of John Fraunceis Esquire and Thomas Cridland the Executors
131 named in the said Will To whom Administration was granted of all and
132 Singular the Goods Chattels and Credits of the said deceased being first
133 Sworn by Commission duly to administer the same.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Will of Jenkins Buller, Gentleman of Nether Stowey - The National Archives PROB 11/1270/21, probated 8 Jan 1796
Jenkins Buller the testator is the son of Edward and Sarah Buller baptized 25 May 1732. Jenkins Buller buried 8 Oct 1794 (62 years of age). His parents were Mr Edward Buller married to Mrs Sarah Jenkins 12 Jun 1729 at Crowcombe (the Mr. and Mrs. denoting gentry). Their children were as follows:
Mary Buller daughter of Edward and Sarah baptized 2 Sep 1730
Jenkins Buller son of Edward and Sarah baptized 25 May 1732
Richard Buller son of Edward and Sarah baptized 17 May 1734; buried 3 Sep 1735
Richard Buller son of Edward and Sarah baptized 12 Jan 1737
Elizabeth Buller daughter of Edward and Sarah baptized 12 Jan 1737
Meandering through the Somerset Record Office Catalogue I found a document (DD\AH/2/5/1 (C/2270) Marriage Settlement between William Silke and Anne Buller and it states that Edward, Gregory and Anne Buller are all siblings (20 Jun 1732).
Richard Jenkins Poole was the son of Thomas and Elizabeth baptized 27 Dec 1770. Their daughter Sarah was baptized 17 Aug 1764. Thomas Poole and Elizabeth Buller were married 18 Jul 1763 and all of these services took place at Nether Stowey. I did not find a marriage for his older sister Mary or his brother Richard. There was a Mary Buller buried 23 Sep 1785 and several burials for a Richard Buller at Nether Stowey.
This particular family has daughtered out it would appear as Jenkins Buller has left no heirs and his brother Richard is not mentioned in the will. The nephew inheriting the largest part of the property is Richard Jenkins Poole which does perhaps tell the story. His father Thomas Poole was a tanner and he became quite prominent in Nether Stowey.
Is it possible to determine the parents of Edward Buller father of Jenkins and looking at the Nether Stowey Records :
Edward Buller son of Richard and Jane baptized 6 Jan 1691
appears to be the only Edward Buller baptized there. The father being Richard is interesting. Certainly Jenkins was named for his mother's family and then the naming of the second son as Richard could perhaps lead us back to Richard Buller and Jane Dyer married 6 Feb 1689. There were three Buller families in this time period at Nether Stowey - Richard and Jane; George and Sarah, and Gregory and Jane. Were these three men brothers - no we know from the marriage agreement that only Edward and Gregory are brothers to Anne who married William Silke 13 Jul 1732 at Nether Stowey? The Visitation for the Buller family still does not come down far enough to link these men back to the Lillesdon Buller family. John Buller who married Elizabeth Rogers and died 12 Jan 1592 (there is an Inquisition Post Mortem which I may just look at the next time we are at Kew) which might assist but he is listed as having sons George (son and heir born circa 1549), John, Robert, Benjamin and Richard. There is still a gap of 50 plus years since Gregory, Richard and George would likely have been born between 1660 and 1670 or earlier so not likely the sons of the above mentioned five brothers. Plus there are other lines coming down on the Visitation that do not extend as far as this particular one. One can see my dilemma as to which line my Christopher Buller belongs or was he descendant of the Warwickshire Buller family?
An interesting set of wills that is not exactly answering my question but does point out that the Buller family of Liddesdon other than Alexander Buller who moved to Cornwall has not been investigated to any great degree.
Children of these three couples baptized at Nether Stowey:
John Buller son of Gregory and Jane baptized 9 Jul 1690
Edward Buller son of Richard and Jane baptized 6 Jan 1691
Thomasin Buller daughter of Gregory and Jane baptized 12 May 1692
Sarah Buller daughter of Richard and Jane baptized 17 Nov 1692
Gregory Buller son of Gregory and Jane baptized 6 Jun 1694
Richard Buller son of Richard and Jane baptized 20 Dec 1694
George Buller son of George and Sarah baptized 22 Aug 1695
Elizabeth Buller daughter of Gregory and Jane baptized 26 Oct 1696
Jane Buller daughter of Richard and Jane baptized 3 Oct 1697
Richard Buller son of Gregory and Jane baptized 18 Aug 1698
Jane Buller daughter of Gregory and Jane baptized 24 Jan 1700
Anne Buller daughter of Richard and Jane baptized 8 May 1701
Sarah Buller daughter of Gregory and Jane baptized 22 Jul 1702
James Buller son of Gregory and Jane baptized 27 Jul 1704
Constance Buller daughter of Richard and Jane baptized 28 Mar 1705
An interesting entry in the marriage register at Nether Stowey:
Richard Bullar and Thomasine Gogan of Chedsey married 5 Oct 1654
and one of the daughters of Gregory is named Thomasine.
Transcriber: Elizabeth Kipp
Recorded: 8 Mar 2013
Source: The National Archives, PROB 11/1270/21
Testator: Jenkins Buller, Gentleman
Place: Nether Stowey, Somersetshire
Date of document: 28 Dec 1792, probated 8 Jan 1796
Read: Electronic copy images
Document quality: 18th century English, legible copy
[Margin]: Jenkins
[Margin]: Buller
1 In the Name of God Amen
2 I Jenkins Buller of Nether Stowey in the County of
3 Somerset Gentleman do make publish and declare theis
4 my last will and Testament in manner and form following
5 (that is to say) first I desire that I may be decently
[Page 2]
6 Interred if possible on a Sunday in manner following
7 I desire that three pounds and three shillings may
8 be expended in a Coffin and second that the Clergyman
9 of the said parish and the apothecary may attend
10 my funeral and that each of them may have a
11 handsome black wede hat band and a pair of the
12 best Gloves each hatband and Gloves to cost twenty
13 shillings I desire that the six following persons
14 may carry me to Church (if they are to be p___ced)
15 if not any other Men in the payment of the Coffin maker Thomas
16 Cussons David Murray Thomas Verrier Francis Fry
17 and Morris Coles each of them together with the
18 Clerk to have a wede hat band and a pair of
19 good Gloves each hat band and Gloves to cost ten
20 shillings and six pence I desire that the sexton
21 for the Grave and bell may have seven shillings
22 and six pence in money and that my Executor
23 herein after named do give twelve pair of Men's and
24 twelve pair of Women's Gloves to such persons as
25 he may think fit I Give to my Niece Sarah
26 Poole my Gold watch and Seals I Give and Devise
27 unto my Nephew Richard Jenkins Poole his heirs and
28 assigns all that my freehold Messuage or Tenement
29 with the Lands and hereditaments thereto belonging
30 commonly called or known by the name of Chalkoce and
31 also all that my other Messuage or Tenement and
32 hereditaments adjoining or near to the said last
33 mentioned Messuage and premises commonly called Seagers
34 and also all that my one undivided fourth part or
35 share the whole in four equal parts or shares
36 divided of and in all that tenement with the Lands
37 hereditaments and premises thereto belonging commonly
38 called Four heirs ground and also all that my other Tenem[en]t
39 with the Lands hereditaments and premises thereto belonging
40 commonly called or known by the name of Freemans
41 Tenement together with all and singular the appurtenances to the
42 same premises respectively belonging all which properties are
43 situate lying and being in the parish of Spaxton in the said
44 County To hold all and every the above mentioned Messuages or
45 Tenements Lands hereditaments and premises with their several and
46 respective rights Members and appur[te]nants to the said Richard Jenkins
47 Poole his heirs and assigns for ever subject and charged nevertheless
48 to and with the payment of the sum of seven hundred
49 pounds and I do hereby expressly order and direct that the
50 said sum of seven hundred pounds shall be raised and
51 levied as soon as conveniently may be after my decease out
52 of the said Freehold Messuages or Tenements and hereditaments
53 before devised to the said Richard Jenkins Poole and be
54 applied by my Executor herein after named as far as the
55 the same will extend towards the payment of my just debts
56 also I give and bequeath unto the said Richard Jenkins
57 Poole all that copyhold piece of Ground commonly called
[Page 3]
58 Popham's ten acres situated within the parish of Stogursey
59 in the said County To hold the same to the said
60 Richard Jenkins Poole his Executors Administrators and
61 Assigns for and during all the Estate and Interest I may have
62 therein at the time of my decease I give and bequeath
63 unto my said Niece Sarah Poole her Executors Adm[inistrat]ors
64 assigns all these my two Leasehold Tenements Closes of land
65 and premises with the appurtenances thereto respectively
66 belonging commonly called or known by the several names
67 of Marlpits and Scores situate lying and being within the
68 parish of Nether Stowey aforesaid To hold the same unto
69 her the said Sarah Poole her Executors Adm[inistrat]ors and assigns
70 for and during all the Estate right title terms or terms and
71 Interest I may have of all or to the same premises
72 respectively at the time of my death but subject
73 nevertheless and charged to and with the payment of the
and to be charged with the said sum of two hundred pounds and the
74 sum of two hundred pounds shall be raised and levied
75 as soon as conveniently may be after my decease out of
76 my said Leasehold Tenements so devised to the said Sarah
77 Poole as aforesaid and be applied as far as the same
78 will extend towards the payment of my just debts I
79 Give and bequeath for and towards the support of the
80 Sunday Schools established in the said Parish of Nether
81 Stowey the sum of ten shillings and six pence per annum
82 to be paid by my Executor yearly and every year so
83 long as the instruction shall continue I give and bequeath
84 the like sum of ten shillings and six pence per annum
85 towards the support of a benefit Society or poor Mans
86 Chist lately established in the said parish of Nether
87 Stowey to be likewise paid by my Executor yearly and
88 every year so long as the said benefit Society shall
89 continue undissolved and as to for and concerning all and
90 every other my Freehold and Leasehold Messuages Ten[ement]s
91 Lands hereditaments and premises whatsoever and where
92 soever situate whereof I now and or shall or may
93 at the time of my decease be any wise seized
94 possessed of or entitled unto either in possession reversion
95 remand or expectancy or otherwise have power together with
96 all other my personal and Testamentary Estate and Effects what
97 soever and wheresoever not herein before disposed of after
98 payment of my just debts provided the said several
99 sums herein before charged on and to be raised out of
100 my said Freeholds
101 and
[Page 4]
102 and Leaseholds Estates and applied as far as the same
103 sums will extend towards the accomplishment thereof
104 should prove insufficient to discharge then funeral expences
105 and Legacies I Give and Devise and bequeath the same unto
106 my Nephew Thomas Poole the younger his heirs Executors
107 Adm[inistrat]ors and assigns To hold the same unto the said Thomas
108 Poole the younger his heirs Executors Adm[inistrato]rs and assigns
109 for ever and I do hereby make ordaine Constitute and
110 appoint the said Thomas Poole the younger Sole Executor
111 of this my Will In Witness whereof I the said Jenkins
112 Buller the testator have to this my last and Testament
113 comprized in or written on three sheets of paper to
114 the two first sheets set my hand and to this third and
115 last sheet my hand and Seal the eighth day of
116 September in the year of our Lord One thousand
117 Seven hundred and ninety five Jenkins Buller
118 Signed Sealed published and declared by the said
119 Jenkins Buller the Testator as and for his last will and
120 Testament in the presence of us who at his request in
121 his presence and in the presence of each other have
122 subscribed our names as witnesses thereto Tho[ma]s Price
123 David Murray Jos R Poole
124 This Will was proved at London on the eighth
125 day of January in the year of our Lord one thousand
126 seven hundred and ninety six before the Right Honorable
127 Sir William Wynne Knight Doctor of Laws Master Keeper
128 or Commissary of the prerogative Court of Canterbury
129 lawfully Constituted by the oath of Thomas Poole the
130 younger the Nephew of the deceased and Sole Executor
131 named in the said Will to whom administration was
132 Granted of all and singular the Goods Chattels and Credits
133 of the said deceased having been first sworn by Commission
134 duly to administer
Mary Buller daughter of Edward and Sarah baptized 2 Sep 1730
Jenkins Buller son of Edward and Sarah baptized 25 May 1732
Richard Buller son of Edward and Sarah baptized 17 May 1734; buried 3 Sep 1735
Richard Buller son of Edward and Sarah baptized 12 Jan 1737
Elizabeth Buller daughter of Edward and Sarah baptized 12 Jan 1737
Meandering through the Somerset Record Office Catalogue I found a document (DD\AH/2/5/1 (C/2270) Marriage Settlement between William Silke and Anne Buller and it states that Edward, Gregory and Anne Buller are all siblings (20 Jun 1732).
Richard Jenkins Poole was the son of Thomas and Elizabeth baptized 27 Dec 1770. Their daughter Sarah was baptized 17 Aug 1764. Thomas Poole and Elizabeth Buller were married 18 Jul 1763 and all of these services took place at Nether Stowey. I did not find a marriage for his older sister Mary or his brother Richard. There was a Mary Buller buried 23 Sep 1785 and several burials for a Richard Buller at Nether Stowey.
This particular family has daughtered out it would appear as Jenkins Buller has left no heirs and his brother Richard is not mentioned in the will. The nephew inheriting the largest part of the property is Richard Jenkins Poole which does perhaps tell the story. His father Thomas Poole was a tanner and he became quite prominent in Nether Stowey.
Is it possible to determine the parents of Edward Buller father of Jenkins and looking at the Nether Stowey Records :
Edward Buller son of Richard and Jane baptized 6 Jan 1691
appears to be the only Edward Buller baptized there. The father being Richard is interesting. Certainly Jenkins was named for his mother's family and then the naming of the second son as Richard could perhaps lead us back to Richard Buller and Jane Dyer married 6 Feb 1689. There were three Buller families in this time period at Nether Stowey - Richard and Jane; George and Sarah, and Gregory and Jane. Were these three men brothers - no we know from the marriage agreement that only Edward and Gregory are brothers to Anne who married William Silke 13 Jul 1732 at Nether Stowey? The Visitation for the Buller family still does not come down far enough to link these men back to the Lillesdon Buller family. John Buller who married Elizabeth Rogers and died 12 Jan 1592 (there is an Inquisition Post Mortem which I may just look at the next time we are at Kew) which might assist but he is listed as having sons George (son and heir born circa 1549), John, Robert, Benjamin and Richard. There is still a gap of 50 plus years since Gregory, Richard and George would likely have been born between 1660 and 1670 or earlier so not likely the sons of the above mentioned five brothers. Plus there are other lines coming down on the Visitation that do not extend as far as this particular one. One can see my dilemma as to which line my Christopher Buller belongs or was he descendant of the Warwickshire Buller family?
An interesting set of wills that is not exactly answering my question but does point out that the Buller family of Liddesdon other than Alexander Buller who moved to Cornwall has not been investigated to any great degree.
Children of these three couples baptized at Nether Stowey:
John Buller son of Gregory and Jane baptized 9 Jul 1690
Edward Buller son of Richard and Jane baptized 6 Jan 1691
Thomasin Buller daughter of Gregory and Jane baptized 12 May 1692
Sarah Buller daughter of Richard and Jane baptized 17 Nov 1692
Gregory Buller son of Gregory and Jane baptized 6 Jun 1694
Richard Buller son of Richard and Jane baptized 20 Dec 1694
George Buller son of George and Sarah baptized 22 Aug 1695
Elizabeth Buller daughter of Gregory and Jane baptized 26 Oct 1696
Jane Buller daughter of Richard and Jane baptized 3 Oct 1697
Richard Buller son of Gregory and Jane baptized 18 Aug 1698
Jane Buller daughter of Gregory and Jane baptized 24 Jan 1700
Anne Buller daughter of Richard and Jane baptized 8 May 1701
Sarah Buller daughter of Gregory and Jane baptized 22 Jul 1702
James Buller son of Gregory and Jane baptized 27 Jul 1704
Constance Buller daughter of Richard and Jane baptized 28 Mar 1705
An interesting entry in the marriage register at Nether Stowey:
Richard Bullar and Thomasine Gogan of Chedsey married 5 Oct 1654
and one of the daughters of Gregory is named Thomasine.
Transcriber: Elizabeth Kipp
Recorded: 8 Mar 2013
Source: The National Archives, PROB 11/1270/21
Testator: Jenkins Buller, Gentleman
Place: Nether Stowey, Somersetshire
Date of document: 28 Dec 1792, probated 8 Jan 1796
Read: Electronic copy images
Document quality: 18th century English, legible copy
[Margin]: Jenkins
[Margin]: Buller
1 In the Name of God Amen
2 I Jenkins Buller of Nether Stowey in the County of
3 Somerset Gentleman do make publish and declare theis
4 my last will and Testament in manner and form following
5 (that is to say) first I desire that I may be decently
[Page 2]
6 Interred if possible on a Sunday in manner following
7 I desire that three pounds and three shillings may
8 be expended in a Coffin and second that the Clergyman
9 of the said parish and the apothecary may attend
10 my funeral and that each of them may have a
11 handsome black wede hat band and a pair of the
12 best Gloves each hatband and Gloves to cost twenty
13 shillings I desire that the six following persons
14 may carry me to Church (if they are to be p___ced)
15 if not any other Men in the payment of the Coffin maker Thomas
16 Cussons David Murray Thomas Verrier Francis Fry
17 and Morris Coles each of them together with the
18 Clerk to have a wede hat band and a pair of
19 good Gloves each hat band and Gloves to cost ten
20 shillings and six pence I desire that the sexton
21 for the Grave and bell may have seven shillings
22 and six pence in money and that my Executor
23 herein after named do give twelve pair of Men's and
24 twelve pair of Women's Gloves to such persons as
25 he may think fit I Give to my Niece Sarah
26 Poole my Gold watch and Seals I Give and Devise
27 unto my Nephew Richard Jenkins Poole his heirs and
28 assigns all that my freehold Messuage or Tenement
29 with the Lands and hereditaments thereto belonging
30 commonly called or known by the name of Chalkoce and
31 also all that my other Messuage or Tenement and
32 hereditaments adjoining or near to the said last
33 mentioned Messuage and premises commonly called Seagers
34 and also all that my one undivided fourth part or
35 share the whole in four equal parts or shares
36 divided of and in all that tenement with the Lands
37 hereditaments and premises thereto belonging commonly
38 called Four heirs ground and also all that my other Tenem[en]t
39 with the Lands hereditaments and premises thereto belonging
40 commonly called or known by the name of Freemans
41 Tenement together with all and singular the appurtenances to the
42 same premises respectively belonging all which properties are
43 situate lying and being in the parish of Spaxton in the said
44 County To hold all and every the above mentioned Messuages or
45 Tenements Lands hereditaments and premises with their several and
46 respective rights Members and appur[te]nants to the said Richard Jenkins
47 Poole his heirs and assigns for ever subject and charged nevertheless
48 to and with the payment of the sum of seven hundred
49 pounds and I do hereby expressly order and direct that the
50 said sum of seven hundred pounds shall be raised and
51 levied as soon as conveniently may be after my decease out
52 of the said Freehold Messuages or Tenements and hereditaments
53 before devised to the said Richard Jenkins Poole and be
54 applied by my Executor herein after named as far as the
55 the same will extend towards the payment of my just debts
56 also I give and bequeath unto the said Richard Jenkins
57 Poole all that copyhold piece of Ground commonly called
[Page 3]
58 Popham's ten acres situated within the parish of Stogursey
59 in the said County To hold the same to the said
60 Richard Jenkins Poole his Executors Administrators and
61 Assigns for and during all the Estate and Interest I may have
62 therein at the time of my decease I give and bequeath
63 unto my said Niece Sarah Poole her Executors Adm[inistrat]ors
64 assigns all these my two Leasehold Tenements Closes of land
65 and premises with the appurtenances thereto respectively
66 belonging commonly called or known by the several names
67 of Marlpits and Scores situate lying and being within the
68 parish of Nether Stowey aforesaid To hold the same unto
69 her the said Sarah Poole her Executors Adm[inistrat]ors and assigns
70 for and during all the Estate right title terms or terms and
71 Interest I may have of all or to the same premises
72 respectively at the time of my death but subject
73 nevertheless and charged to and with the payment of the
and to be charged with the said sum of two hundred pounds and the
74 sum of two hundred pounds shall be raised and levied
75 as soon as conveniently may be after my decease out of
76 my said Leasehold Tenements so devised to the said Sarah
77 Poole as aforesaid and be applied as far as the same
78 will extend towards the payment of my just debts I
79 Give and bequeath for and towards the support of the
80 Sunday Schools established in the said Parish of Nether
81 Stowey the sum of ten shillings and six pence per annum
82 to be paid by my Executor yearly and every year so
83 long as the instruction shall continue I give and bequeath
84 the like sum of ten shillings and six pence per annum
85 towards the support of a benefit Society or poor Mans
86 Chist lately established in the said parish of Nether
87 Stowey to be likewise paid by my Executor yearly and
88 every year so long as the said benefit Society shall
89 continue undissolved and as to for and concerning all and
90 every other my Freehold and Leasehold Messuages Ten[ement]s
91 Lands hereditaments and premises whatsoever and where
92 soever situate whereof I now and or shall or may
93 at the time of my decease be any wise seized
94 possessed of or entitled unto either in possession reversion
95 remand or expectancy or otherwise have power together with
96 all other my personal and Testamentary Estate and Effects what
97 soever and wheresoever not herein before disposed of after
98 payment of my just debts provided the said several
99 sums herein before charged on and to be raised out of
100 my said Freeholds
101 and
[Page 4]
102 and Leaseholds Estates and applied as far as the same
103 sums will extend towards the accomplishment thereof
104 should prove insufficient to discharge then funeral expences
105 and Legacies I Give and Devise and bequeath the same unto
106 my Nephew Thomas Poole the younger his heirs Executors
107 Adm[inistrat]ors and assigns To hold the same unto the said Thomas
108 Poole the younger his heirs Executors Adm[inistrato]rs and assigns
109 for ever and I do hereby make ordaine Constitute and
110 appoint the said Thomas Poole the younger Sole Executor
111 of this my Will In Witness whereof I the said Jenkins
112 Buller the testator have to this my last and Testament
113 comprized in or written on three sheets of paper to
114 the two first sheets set my hand and to this third and
115 last sheet my hand and Seal the eighth day of
116 September in the year of our Lord One thousand
117 Seven hundred and ninety five Jenkins Buller
118 Signed Sealed published and declared by the said
119 Jenkins Buller the Testator as and for his last will and
120 Testament in the presence of us who at his request in
121 his presence and in the presence of each other have
122 subscribed our names as witnesses thereto Tho[ma]s Price
123 David Murray Jos R Poole
124 This Will was proved at London on the eighth
125 day of January in the year of our Lord one thousand
126 seven hundred and ninety six before the Right Honorable
127 Sir William Wynne Knight Doctor of Laws Master Keeper
128 or Commissary of the prerogative Court of Canterbury
129 lawfully Constituted by the oath of Thomas Poole the
130 younger the Nephew of the deceased and Sole Executor
131 named in the said Will to whom administration was
132 Granted of all and singular the Goods Chattels and Credits
133 of the said deceased having been first sworn by Commission
134 duly to administer
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Somerby's errors still reverberating in Blake family research
I strongly suspect that Horatio Gates Somerby had no idea of how far reaching his genealogical frauds would eventually be. At a bare minimum sixteen books have been published on the Blake family of Boston (can be seen at the New England Historic Genealogical Society Library in Boston) which either use his results or contradict those results. For the most part though these books accept Somerby's work as correct and simply connect their families back to the information which he created in the mid 1800s.
Usually his connections were back to royalty but in the case of the Blake family, he took them back to the Blake family of Calne, Wiltshire known to be there in the late 1200s. He did this by connecting them to the Andover Hampshire Blake family (my own line) with a fraudulent marriage between William Blake and Mary Coles giving them children Humphrey, Nicholas and Alice. In reality, Nicholas at Enham, Andover, Hampshire was the son of a Mr. Blake (forename unknown thus far) and Joan Blake (his widow). Joan Blake (widow) left a will in 1527 where she mentions her children Robert, Nicholas and Elizabeth (married to a Mr. Mylne). No mention of a Humphrey. Nicholas and Robert in their turn also left wills mentioning their children and the witness to Robert's will was Nicholas (Robert died in 1542 and Nicholas in 1547).
The interesting part of Somerby's creations is that he may have seen the Pedigree Chart which I have mentioned earlier and is located at the Swindon and Wiltshire Record Office (can be purchased from them as images at a very reasonable cost). However, the furtherest back ancestor he names as Robert de Blakeland and the chart shows Richard Blague/Blaake/Blake as being the furtherest back. The interesting question for me is were these men the same person? Robert de Blakeland is a bit of a red herring in all of this. He is supposed to have paid a subsidy in 1286 on Blakelands (now Blacklands near Calne Wiltshire). I haven't pulled up that information yet to look at it. All in Latin and my skills are at best rather weak in Latin so it has waited whilst I improve.
How to rid the world of Somerby's errors though is an interesting dilemma and one that has been discussed in The American Genealogist (TAG). Fortunately, the author Paul C Reid has written an article in 1999 exposing the fraud of Somerby with the Blake family and others. Clifford L Stott in the NEHGS Register has written an article on Humphrey Blake and his descendants also mentioning the fraud of Somerby. By constantly writing articles and blogging on these errors it may yet be possible to undo the fraudulence of Somerby's genealogical forays. That he did it solely for money, is perhaps the greatest crime of all. To have done it innocently could at least be understood by future genealogists but simply to make money is such a crime perpetrated against all of us who try to do a competent job of our family history.
I am often having to deny people who write me asking for a genealogical descent chart particularly for William Blake and Mary Coles who never existed as far as I am able to determine. Certainly William Blake is not listed as a son of Robert Blake and Avis Wallop his supposed parents. His supposed children William Blake and Robert Blake along with their widowed mother are not in the Andover Hampshire area living on supposed Wallop estate (Eastontown). There is a Robert Blake at Enham just as there is a Nicholas Blake at Enham but they are the sons of Joan Blake (widow) and forename unknown Mr. Blake. It is the son of Nicholas Blake, William who first notes himself as living at Eastontown in his will. Nicholas and his wife Margaret have only four children: William the eldest, Edmund (minor at the time of his father's death in 1547) and two daughters Alice married to Mr. Godwyn and Elizabeth married to Mr. Monday. Edmund does have a son Steven but I have not been able to trace this line down. William's line is very large at Andover; he and his wife Elizabeth (unknown) have ten children. Robert, brother to Nicholas, is married to Agnes (unknown) and they have six sons.
My initial thought was that all of the Blake lines at Andover traced back to these two men, however the pedigree chart at Wiltshire and Swindon Record Office gives another William Blake also at Eastontown but married to Avice Ripley. Since the eldest son of William (John) married a Margaret Blake daughter of William Blake I was not surprised to find that there could be another Blake family at Andover and I am pursuing this notion that there was another William Blake there at the same time as William son of Nicholas since William does name his wife as Elizabeth. Could they be the same William? It would mean that his eldest son John married his half-sister Margaret. I doubt that happened. It was frowned upon by the Catholic Church and it is unlikely that one would record it on a Pedigree Chart.
My strongest suspicion is that there is a small error in connection on the chart and that Margaret was the daughter of William Blake and Avice Ripley and able to trace her line back to the Blake family at Calne. John who is shown as connected to this marriage was actually the son of William Blake and Elizabeth also of Eastontown (there were several farms at Eastontown according to ancient maps) but the connection back for him was to William and then Nicholas and unknown Blake married to Joan (widow in 1527). The Visitation which was used to create the chart is somewhat unclear on the parentage of William and it is from these Visitations that the chart was created.
The desire to have the male Blake line go back directly to the Calne Blake family may have been just too tempting (the female Blake line through Margaret definitely did do so I believe). Hence this small error crept in and allowed the descendants to use the coat of arms of the Wiltshire Blake family which included the Blake/Baynard/Bellet/Durrant family crests. It was Richard Blake Esquire, Captain of the Trained Bands in County Middlesex in 1662 who first used this crest on his Visitation although by then the Baynard crest had been forgotten and assumed to be an unfinished Blague/Blake crest. John is correctly identified as the progenitor of the family from Essington, County of Southampton. The Visitation is also signed.
How to prove that I am correct is the mystery at the moment. I am searching out material to either support my hypothesis or eliminate it. That is all that we can do as the successors of Horatio Gates Somerby's frauds.
Usually his connections were back to royalty but in the case of the Blake family, he took them back to the Blake family of Calne, Wiltshire known to be there in the late 1200s. He did this by connecting them to the Andover Hampshire Blake family (my own line) with a fraudulent marriage between William Blake and Mary Coles giving them children Humphrey, Nicholas and Alice. In reality, Nicholas at Enham, Andover, Hampshire was the son of a Mr. Blake (forename unknown thus far) and Joan Blake (his widow). Joan Blake (widow) left a will in 1527 where she mentions her children Robert, Nicholas and Elizabeth (married to a Mr. Mylne). No mention of a Humphrey. Nicholas and Robert in their turn also left wills mentioning their children and the witness to Robert's will was Nicholas (Robert died in 1542 and Nicholas in 1547).
The interesting part of Somerby's creations is that he may have seen the Pedigree Chart which I have mentioned earlier and is located at the Swindon and Wiltshire Record Office (can be purchased from them as images at a very reasonable cost). However, the furtherest back ancestor he names as Robert de Blakeland and the chart shows Richard Blague/Blaake/Blake as being the furtherest back. The interesting question for me is were these men the same person? Robert de Blakeland is a bit of a red herring in all of this. He is supposed to have paid a subsidy in 1286 on Blakelands (now Blacklands near Calne Wiltshire). I haven't pulled up that information yet to look at it. All in Latin and my skills are at best rather weak in Latin so it has waited whilst I improve.
How to rid the world of Somerby's errors though is an interesting dilemma and one that has been discussed in The American Genealogist (TAG). Fortunately, the author Paul C Reid has written an article in 1999 exposing the fraud of Somerby with the Blake family and others. Clifford L Stott in the NEHGS Register has written an article on Humphrey Blake and his descendants also mentioning the fraud of Somerby. By constantly writing articles and blogging on these errors it may yet be possible to undo the fraudulence of Somerby's genealogical forays. That he did it solely for money, is perhaps the greatest crime of all. To have done it innocently could at least be understood by future genealogists but simply to make money is such a crime perpetrated against all of us who try to do a competent job of our family history.
I am often having to deny people who write me asking for a genealogical descent chart particularly for William Blake and Mary Coles who never existed as far as I am able to determine. Certainly William Blake is not listed as a son of Robert Blake and Avis Wallop his supposed parents. His supposed children William Blake and Robert Blake along with their widowed mother are not in the Andover Hampshire area living on supposed Wallop estate (Eastontown). There is a Robert Blake at Enham just as there is a Nicholas Blake at Enham but they are the sons of Joan Blake (widow) and forename unknown Mr. Blake. It is the son of Nicholas Blake, William who first notes himself as living at Eastontown in his will. Nicholas and his wife Margaret have only four children: William the eldest, Edmund (minor at the time of his father's death in 1547) and two daughters Alice married to Mr. Godwyn and Elizabeth married to Mr. Monday. Edmund does have a son Steven but I have not been able to trace this line down. William's line is very large at Andover; he and his wife Elizabeth (unknown) have ten children. Robert, brother to Nicholas, is married to Agnes (unknown) and they have six sons.
My initial thought was that all of the Blake lines at Andover traced back to these two men, however the pedigree chart at Wiltshire and Swindon Record Office gives another William Blake also at Eastontown but married to Avice Ripley. Since the eldest son of William (John) married a Margaret Blake daughter of William Blake I was not surprised to find that there could be another Blake family at Andover and I am pursuing this notion that there was another William Blake there at the same time as William son of Nicholas since William does name his wife as Elizabeth. Could they be the same William? It would mean that his eldest son John married his half-sister Margaret. I doubt that happened. It was frowned upon by the Catholic Church and it is unlikely that one would record it on a Pedigree Chart.
My strongest suspicion is that there is a small error in connection on the chart and that Margaret was the daughter of William Blake and Avice Ripley and able to trace her line back to the Blake family at Calne. John who is shown as connected to this marriage was actually the son of William Blake and Elizabeth also of Eastontown (there were several farms at Eastontown according to ancient maps) but the connection back for him was to William and then Nicholas and unknown Blake married to Joan (widow in 1527). The Visitation which was used to create the chart is somewhat unclear on the parentage of William and it is from these Visitations that the chart was created.
The desire to have the male Blake line go back directly to the Calne Blake family may have been just too tempting (the female Blake line through Margaret definitely did do so I believe). Hence this small error crept in and allowed the descendants to use the coat of arms of the Wiltshire Blake family which included the Blake/Baynard/Bellet/Durrant family crests. It was Richard Blake Esquire, Captain of the Trained Bands in County Middlesex in 1662 who first used this crest on his Visitation although by then the Baynard crest had been forgotten and assumed to be an unfinished Blague/Blake crest. John is correctly identified as the progenitor of the family from Essington, County of Southampton. The Visitation is also signed.
How to prove that I am correct is the mystery at the moment. I am searching out material to either support my hypothesis or eliminate it. That is all that we can do as the successors of Horatio Gates Somerby's frauds.
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