Will of Thomas Blake, Penton Mewsey, Hampshire - Family Search 186889-I-604-7-1597 or Hampshire Record Office 1597A-011, probated 10 May 1597

The present testator is Thomas Blake of Penton Mewsey. I obtained this will through the photoduplication program of Family Search and the demographics for the search are: Film# 186889, catalogue designation I-604, year of event 10 May 1597 (proven), and number on film is 7. I received all of this information from Charlou Dolan and in total she listed just over 100 films in her text copies that she sent to me.

Charlou has named this Thomas as a son of Robert Blake (brother to Nicholas Blake and son of Jone Blake who left her will in 1527). Thomas's father would then have died in 1542 (will probated) which would make Thomas at least 55 years of age. Thomas doesn’t name any grandchildren which troubles me with regard to his being 55 years of age and just one of his three daughters married. Plus he would appear to have been still working the farm with his son John and likely he was born before 1542. I am still working on the will of Robert in 1542 and it is in Latin! Robert does say that John and Thomas are his younger sons and the land at Penton was to go to John and Thomas equally after their mother died. Richard, however, is his youngest son. Charlou has placed Thomas as the third son but the will does place him after William (Robert's will). Who else could he be is perhaps the next thought and do I have a will for Agnes their mother. I am suspicious that Agnes is a second wife and these children (Thomas, John the younger and Richard) may be a younger family.

I do have a will for John Blake at Penton Mewsey in 1611 and another for John Blake at Penton Mewsey in 1619 so that Thomas could certainly have been quite elderly and his daughters simply did not marry. I did not find that in the 1500s grandchildren were always mentioned in a will. So I am tending to agree with Charlou that this is probably Thomas son of Robert Blake. But it would be nice to find more proof. 

This will is interesting and Thomas names his daughters Elizabeth Crowch, Agnes Blake and Alice Blake and his son John Blake. He does not name his wife. The inventory is a good view of the possessions of a farmer in this time period.

Transcriber: Elizabeth Kipp
Recorded: 6 Feb 2014
Source: Family Search, 186889-I-604-7-1597 or Hampshire Record Office, 1597A-011
Testator: Thomas Blake,
Place: Penton Mewsey, Hampshire, England
Type of Record: Will
Date of document: 22 Apr 1597, probated 10 May 1597
Condition: 16th century English, legible copy


1    In the name of god Amen The xxij th day of April in the xxxix th yeare of  the raigne of o[u[ most gracious and sov[er]aigne
2    Lady Queene Elizabeth I Thomas Blake of Penton
3    mewsy in the County of South[ampton] and diocese of Wintonj be
4    ing sicke in body but of good memory do make and ordeyne
5    this my last will and Testament all other heretofore made
6    disannulled first I commend my self to gods mercy therow
7    Christ Jesus and my body to Christian burial It[e]m I give and
8    bequeath to Elizabeth Crowch my daughter forty shillings
9    It[e]m to Agnes my daughter forty shillings It[em] to Alice
10    my daughter forty shillings It[e]m to my p[ar]ish church xij d
11    It[e]m to the pore of my p[ar]ish xij d All the rest of my goods
12    moveables and unmoveable cattle and chattels whatsoever
13    I give and bequeath unto John Blake my sonne whome
14    I make sole executor of this my last will and Testament
15    witnesses to this will: John Dobson se[nio]r John Lancaster
16    and John Blake the elder
17    John Blake
18    Probatum fuit testam[entu]m pres[ens]
19    in cor[am] suma per m___
20    Nichaeles Reniges Archin[atus]
21    winton decimo die maij
22    1597 com[m]issaq[u]e fuit admin[istrati]o
23    omnium bonor[um] etc Johann[is]
24    Blake filio et executori
25    soli nominat etc de bene etc
26    iurat p comisse salvo
27    iure ci___scing
    [Page 2]
28    A true Inventarie of all the goodes and chattels
29    of Thomas Blake of Penyton Mewsy in the
30    County of South[ampton] deceased the sixe and
31    twenty day of April in the yeare of o[u]r lord
32    Christ 1597 taken and equally prised by the
33    parties hereunder named of the said Penton
34    the first day of May then next ensewing
35    Imprimis his apparell    xxii s       
36    It[e]m his bedding with thappurtenances and painted clothes about his bed chamber    xl s       
37    It[e]m in his bedchamber ij coffers j old cubbard and j powdring tubb    vij s iiij d       
38    It[e]m in his hall j plank table j old cubbard j forme and ij chayres w[i]th a shelf    xiij s iiij d       
39    It[e]m in his kitchen ij little old brasse pottes    iij s iiij d       
40    It[e]m his pewter vessel is worth    vi s viij d       
41    It[e]m his pan brasse kettle brasse and j small skillit of brasse    xx s       
43    It[e]m his treene dishes and trenchers    iij d       
44    It[e]m his treene vessel of tubbes buckets barrels w[i]th such like    viij s vj d       
45    It[e]m j leather bottles    ij s       
46    It[e]m in the loft ov[er] his bed chamber old yron j up standard and about a bushel of peacevijs   
47    It[e]m in the upper househay and I cowe racke    x s ij d       
48    It[e]m in wod and tymber    xx s       
49    It[e]m ij kyne and 1 bullocke    v l vj s viij d       
50    It[e]m his plowe and cart    xxx s   
51    It[e]m in woll    xx s   
52    It[e]m corne upon the ground    viij l   
53    It[e]m j score of sheepe    vij l vj s   
54    It[e]m iiij bushels of wheat wynowed    xxvj s viij d   
55    It[e]m iij bushels of barly wynowed    xij s   
56    It[e]m wheat unthreshed worth    xxvj s viij d   
57    It[e]m vatches unthreshed    xiiij s iiij d   
58    It[e]m two old sackes    xvj d   
59    It[e]m painted clothes in the hall    xij d   
60    It[e]m sheepe in tamages keeping worth    iij l xv s   
61    It[e]m Nicholas noyce oweth him about    xiij s iiij d   
62    Summe total    xxxix l xiij s v d   
63    prised John Lancaster and John Blake the elder       
64    John Blake       

Will of John Blake, husbandman, Chilhampton, South Newton - P2/8 Reg/149, probated 20 Sep 1610

John Blake is the testator of this will which was written 26 August 1610. This is perhaps a grandson of the John Blake who left his will in 1572 at South Newton who had sons John, William and Thomas Blake. John continues to be a very common forename in the Blake family at South Newton. By 1641/42 there are nine Blake males over 18 (possibly one minor) at South Newton and in total 37 males sign the document so the Blake family there is about 25% of the male population.

There is a Thomas Blaake baptized 10 Mar 1592 at Great Wishford with father John Blaake (C15228-1 Family Search).

In the Protestation Returns for South Newton the following Blake males over 18 signed the return:

John Blake, senior
John Blake, junior,
John Blake, min. (perhaps minor)
Jeffrey Blake,
William Bake
Thomas Blake
Edward Blake
Henry Blake, senior
Henry Blake, junior

Other males at South Newton signing this return:

James Elderton
Robert Miles
Thomas Elderton
Phillipp Pearce
Thomas Austine
George Austine
Ames Durdoll
John Edmonds
Thomas Shergold
Henry Shergold
Charles Shergold
Robert Carpenter
Alexandr Pearcie
Peter Gynes
Peter Webb
Richard Sutton
Edward Holdway, Senior
Edward Holdway, junior
Thomas Beckett
John Bacon
John Noyes
Alexandr Beckett
John Godwin
Richard Watts
John Rawlins
Thomas Peirson
John Still
Christofer Whiteare

Are there a lot of Blake male descendants of the earlier testators at South Newton; it would appear so. Charles Blake is missing from this list and the name Charles always does rather interest me in the Blake family. Henry Blake senior is interesting since a Henry Blake brother is mentioned in the will. Would love to find information between John Blake testator in 1572 and this John Blake in 1610. This information on the Protestation Returns from the original return is kept in the House of Lords Library in England (I have images from the microfilm which I took at Salt Lake City).

Ancestry has 107 Blake entries at South Newton for the 1841 Census at South Newton. South Newton  has two Registration Districts (3 and 4) plus the Workhouse which is another District.

District 3
1. John Blake 30, Susanna Blake 30, Elizabeth Blake 4 and Mary 10 months
2. William Blake 45, Elizabeth Blake 40, Elias Blake 15
3. Stephen Blake 35, Louisa Blake 40, Herbert Blake 15, Mary Blake 13, Francis Blake 11, Harriett Blake 6
4. Rowland Blake 40
5. William Blake 40, Ann Blake 40, George Blake 15, Maria Blake 13, Mary Blake 12, William Blake 9, Henry Blake 7, Samuel Blake 11 mo and Jane Blake 30
6. William Blake 45, Ann Blake 45, Sarah Blake 20, James Blake 15, Eliza Blake 15, William Blake 13, Mary Blake 10, Leah Blake 8, Reuben Blake 6
7. Rachel Blake 15 (FS)
8. Elias Blake 25, Mary Blake 25, Joshua Blake 1
9. Sarah Blake 65
10. William Blake 40, Ann Blake 30, Harriett Blake 15, Sidney Blake 15, William Blake 10, Mary Blake 5, Lydia Blake 3, Henry Blake 2
11. John Blake 75, Mary Blake 70
12. Elizabeth Blake 80, John Blake 60, Ann Blake 20, William Blake 15
13. Mary Blake 13 (FS)

District 4
1. John Blake 54, Anne Blake 50, Solomon Blake 20, Louiza Blake 17, Charlotte Blake 14
2. John Blake junior 25, Ann Blake 25, Henry Blake 8, Jonas Blake 5, Maria Blake 3, George Blake 2
3. Anne Blake 14 (servant)
4. James Blake 38, Maria Blake 35, Samuel Blake 3, Jane Blake 5
5. William Blake 25
6. Simeon Blake 37, Harriet Blake 35, George Blake 16, Eliza Blake 13, James Blake 10, Percival Blake 7, Stephen Blake 4, Hurbert Blake 9, Maria Blake 1
7. Joseph Blake 53, Jane Blake 50
8. William Blake 66, Anne Blake 52, George Blake 18
9. Edward Blake 21
10. William Blake 25
11. Miriam Blake 22 (servant)
12. John Blake 77
13. James Blake 48, Sarah Blake 46, George Blake 20, Mitford Blake 16, Charles Blake 11, Solomon Blake 9, William Blake 6

District Wilton Union Workhouse
1. Henry Blake 70
2. Emma Blake 13
3. Eliza Blake 23

I found 97 entries (missed 10 or they might have been duplicates) for Blake in South Newton census of 1841 with a total of 22 separate families. The three people at the workhouse could be there for many reasons including health care as that was the only hospital often in an area outside of large cities. In 1811 the population of South Newton was 223, Little Wishford 8, Stoford 64, Chilhampton 64, Burden's Ball 112, and North Ugford 45 (total 516). If the population was similar in 1841 then the Blake family represented a sizeable portion of the population in this area roughly 20% which is interesting giving the 25% of Blake males in this area in 1641/42. An interesting webpage on the South Newton area in Wiltshire:
http://history.wiltshire.gov.uk/community/getcom.php?id=204
The Testator John Blake mentions his wife Edith, son Richard and daughters Alice, Elizabeth, Annis and Edith. He also mentions his brother Henry Blake.

There was a marriage 28 Nov 1608 at South Newton of Henry Blake and Alice Walles (I06136-8 Family Search). There was a marriage between Henry Blake and Ellen Homans 20 Sep 1624 at South Newton (I06136-8 Family Search). There was a burial of Henry Blake 7 Oct 1638 at South Newton (I06136-8 Family Search).

Transcriber: Elizabeth Kipp
Recorded: 22 Oct 2012
Source:  Swindon and Wiltshire Record Office P2/8 Reg/149
Name of testator: John Blake, husbandman
Place: South Newton, Wiltshire, England
Type of Record: Will
Dated: 26 Aug 1610, probated 20 Sep 1610
Read: Electronic file images
Condition: 16th century, middle English, clear copy (few smudges)
[Margin] Blake 149

1    In the name of God Amen,
2    The six and twenteth day of Agust Anno Dom[i]n[i] 1610 I John
3    Blake of Chilhampton w[it]hin the p[ar]ishe of Southe Newton in
4    the Countie of Wilts[hire] husbandman, beinge weake in body but
5    p[er]fect in memorie (thankes be to god for it) doe here make
6    my last will and testament in manner followinge First I
7    bequeath my swole into the hands of our Saviour Jesus
8    Christ and my body to be buried in the Churchyard of
9    Southnewton. Item I give to the Church of Southnewton
10    twelve pence. Item I give to my daughter Alice fouer
11    pounds in monie. Item I give to my daughter Elizabeth
12    fouer pounds in monie. Item I give to my daughter Annis
13    fouer pounds in monie to be paye unto these my children
14    by my executrix hereunder named, when they shall come
15    to the age of sixteene, yf  ev[er]y one of them doe or shall
16    live so longe. And yf any of them doe dye before they come
17    to the age of sixteene then theire portion or portions to
18    remayne to the longest liver. Item I give my sonne
19    Richard Blake one bushell of wheate and one bushell of
20    barley. Item I give my daughter Edith Guye one bushell
21    of barley. Item I give my daughter Annis cheldren x pence.
22    Item I give unto my daughter Edith her fouer children
23    each of them twelve pence. Item I appoynt my Execut[rix]
24    to pay unto William Able three shillings fouer pence
25    for a weanelinge calfe due unto him and twelve pence
26    for an old posnett. All the rest of my goods undisposed
27    I give unto my wife Edith Blake whome I doe make
28    sole Executrix of this my last will and testament. In
29    witnes whereof I have hereunto sett my hand and seale
30    the day and yeare first above written. Then I appoynt
31    Henrie Blake my brother and George Simes and
32    Charles Blake ov[er]seers of this my last will and testament
33    unto whome I give twelve pence a peece. Witnesses
34    hereunto Thomas Good, Henrie Blake George Symes,
35    Charles Blake, Thomas Blake, William Crouch