Cleaning will be finished today

Just the top floor to clean and then done once again for the week. Yesterday I cleaned the main floor as I decided to do three days of cleaning this week. I also shoveled the porch and patio at the front. I think that was a good plan not to have the company shovel the porch and patio as it does get me outside in the fresh air at least occasionally. 

I continued to work on the Pedigree Chart yesterday and may do some more today on the first image. I discovered British History Online is doing an upgrade to their system which allows me to continue searching but I could not become a member of the site although do have a login now. I did a little searching on Dorrant and Bellet. The Pedigree Chart has scant information on these two lines that appear to have married into the Blake family of Wiltshire. The Baynard family is well established and known in the Visitations and other documents as well as having wills for many of the members of the family in this timeline which I have transcribed. I wonder if that was the upward movement of the Norman family le Blak (still not yet proven the idea that the le Blak family of Wargrave, Berkshire was the Blake family of Calne) actually marrying into the Baynard family - Roger Blake and his sister Anne married into the family. Roger married Mary Baynard and Anne married  Robert Baynard but they are great grandchildren of Philip Baynard and Henry Blake (the second set of circles on the first image). This first image does proves to be rather interesting. There is also a Blake Pedigree Chart held by the Blake Museum in Bridgwater which is equally interesting and has ten images available online at the Museum site. 

First Image of the Blake Pedigree at the Blake Museum in Bridgwater:

I have discussed this particular set of data before on my blog. We can see the same or similar marriages and I think this was prepared in the latter part of the 1800s. The second image (referred to as Sheet No. 2) does have a slightly different look at the Blake family of Andover than this Pedigree Chart.

Second Image of the Blake Pedigree at the Blake Museum in Bridgwater (I have cropped it from the original image to show the Andover Hampshire material):

 In a way it is like the author of this second Pedigree Chart has anticipated and noted the problems with having a William Blake at Eastontown as the son of Roger Blake and Mary (Baynard) Blake and devised a connection further back descendant of Henry Blake married to Margaret (Bellet) Blake. There is actually a simpler connection I think even further back with a John of Enham marrying Alicia (la Blak) daughter of Richard le Blak who lived at Wargrave likely whilst they were living at Wargrave and that would have been in the early 1300s and that would eliminate the inconsistencies with the wills of the Blake family of Andover created by these two charts. I will discuss this chart line by line as well since I have a lot of information from the wills to help to simply and revise this portion.

So that is my purpose in the next month to examine the extant material and see what is available. I have really three sets of thought all based likely on family lore. The First Pedigree Chart created by the College of Arms with information provided by the Daniel Blake family using the Visitations and family data which is not found online was a simple direct connection back to William Blake of Eastonton but he is not given the right set of parents according to the wills. The Second Pedigree Chart created by I think Edward Blake of Crewkerne, Somerset who did provide information to Horatio Gates Somerby so likely why this information in the Second Pedigree Chart resembles that idea and the Blake is an unknown coming out of Wiltshire to Andover and a son of Henry Blake if one follows the traceback to the first page of this second Pedigree (great grandfather of Roger Blake said to be the father of William Blake of Eastonton). This second chart does utilize the power of the wills as far back as they would take you although I need to verify the information on this chart with the extant wills. I have transcribed all of them. This Second Pedigree Chart links the Somerset Blake family to the Calne Blake family and again this is hinted at in the first Pedigree Chart which we will reach eventually. My thought remains the simplest that the Andover Blake family is linked through a female line way back in the early 1300s. This would fit in with my grandfather's thought that such a relationship could have existed (as family lore did exist but he tended to be somewhat skeptical of it I think) but more likely with the Blake family of Berkshire as in retrospect he appeared aware of a relationship between these families from earlier times. As I researched I did recall his mentioning that (I was only eight when he passed although he was quite lucid to the end of his life; just fell asleep a lot while he was telling me stories!). I loved it though to sit and listen to him and would do that for hours as my father used to take me to the office and let me sit and chat with him whilst he was working. My grandfather used to keep the equipment sorted for him and he also built scaffolding when he needed that for construction. Proving the link between the Somerset Blake family and the Calne Blake family I will leave to others. I sometimes think where there is "old" family lore one has to look at it as a possibility but finding the information when you are looking back into the 1600s and earlier can be quite difficult. My grandfather though was quite positive that we were not related to Lord High Admiral Robert Blake of Bridgwater (I think that was still important in the 1800s but time tends to gloss over these things!). But that was likely more of a political statement clearly separating his Blake family from Cromwell. Isn't history fascinating really? Between my new found depth of vision and all of this history ( my cousin George Dekay (he asked me to write a Profile for the Pincombe family for the book he was editing) certainly set me on a different path than I had planned for my retirement) I am totally distracted for sure and the days pass by rather quickly. I continue to see more items in that oil painting of the winter scene in Canada. The painter is certainly obscure and the painting itself of little value but the picture is tremendous.

I also want to get back to my son in law's family which traces back to 30+ of the early families in Quebec (and some Acadian further back with some of those lines now in New Orleans). I do have a Pedigree Chart for my lines back which includes my son in law's lines but I still need to extract more data that is available. Most of the families I have taken back to France at least one generation. With all of Edward's work on the Kipp side (his early colonial ancestors are many and for the most part they remained in the United States until the 1820s/1830s when free land became available in Upper Canada although his Kipp line came in 1800 from Northeast Town in Dutchess County New York (on the 1790 census)), the lines for my daughters tend to be mostly in North America back into colonial days except for my father being born in England and coming to Canada as a nine year old with his parents in 1913 (my mother's family arrived in 1818 for the earliest settler but each subsequent marriage in that line was with an English immigrant - amazing really). A link between the Kipp family and Thomas Horner does give one a thought on why Isaac Kipp made the move to Canada in 1800 (free land was available then as well for settlers although a lot of them tended to be loyalist but with a father in law that was patriot I think that was unlikely (Isaac was born in 1764 and finding his birth parents knowing his baptism/birth has been impossible but the yDNA match with descendants of the Kip family of New York/New Amsterdam did make the way back obvious!). I am not an expert though on the Kipp family and his work is online on Edward's website. Interestingly many members of this Kipp family are now back in the United States have gradually moved back from the middle 1800s to the present.

I also worked extracting more atDNA matches from My Heritage and this will be a long process as I found at least ten new ones on the first page of my matches alone. I figure that I need to read through the first 35 pages of matches to eliminate anyone who does not match me by at least (or one of my siblings) 20 cM on one length. Many of these matches are in the fourth cousin range with total matches of between 40 and higher cM. But I am back into working on what I wanted to do although I do need to send the Companion Charting Book for the Siderfin Family to repositories and the Guild. So will also get that done soon. 

Teatime and then breakfast. The day moves quickly. It is minus 11 degrees celsius and cloudy. A sort of normal January although not quite as much snow cover as usual. It is this lack of snow cover which is the largest problem.

Visitations of Blake families in Somerset and Wiltshire

There are two extant Visitations of which I am aware that refer to the Blake family in Somerset. I have included the two below but there are another four where a female Blake member has married into another family mentioned in the Visitations.

The Supplement to the Visitation of Somerset in 1623 has added to it at a later date a coat of arms which include the arms of the Blake, Dorrant, Billett and Williams families although there was a word description of the arms that headed up the Visitation. Robert Blake and his wife Margaret daughter of Symonds are the first family in the Visitation with their son Humphrey Blake of Planchfield, Somerset with his wife Sarah daughter and coheir of Humphrey Williams of Wales. Then the children of Humphrey and Sarah are listed, 1 Robert Blake, General at sea died in August 1657 and honorably interred in Henry the 7 Chapel the 4 Sep 1657 (bachelor), 2 Humphrey brother and heir, 3 William Doctor of Physics, 4 George, 5 Nicholas, 6 Benjamin, 7 Alexander,  and a sister married to Burridge. This Supplement is unsigned.

 The Visitation of Somerset 1672 has an entry for Blake of Bridgwater. Again the coat of arms are identified but only the Blake coat of arms is mentioned: Arg., a chevron between 3 garbs sa., a mullet for a difference. The first entry is for Robert Blake of Bridgwater in County Somerset, Gentleman, will probated 1592; married to Margaret daughter of Symonds (her will probated 1600) and had issue. The second entry is their son Humphry Blake of Bridgwater Gent married Sarah daughter and coheir of John Williams of Pawlett in County Somerset Gent and had issue. The next entries are the children of Humphrey (four are mentioned which include 1 Humphry eldest son  married Sarah daughter of William Cely of Bridgwater and had issue Humphry and William; 2 Nicholas (to follow), 3 Beniamin Blake of Bridgwater Gent 3rd Son aet 50 anno 1670 married Elizabeth daughter of Sidrach Blake of Stepney in County Middlesex (relict of Timothy Wilson) and had issue. The next entries are the children of Beniamin and Elizabeth namely Sidrach son and heir aet 18 anno 1672, Beniamin 2nd son, Sarah and Elizabeth; 4 Alexander Blake 4th son. The next major entry is Nicholas Blake (identified as the 2nd son of Humphry Blake and Sarah Williams above and he married Jone daughter of John Question of Dunstar in County of Somerset. This Visitation is signed by Ben Blake and Nic Blake.

I have the 1565 and the 1623 Visitations of Wiltshire with one being a purchased CD and the other a download from Internet Archive.

The Blake and Baynard family are intertwined in this time period and I will recount the Baynard family first. I have mentioned their wills in other blogs as I was trying to learn more about the Blake family with the Baynard wills at that time.

Baynard of Lackham have their arms listed and the line begins with Edmond Baynard of Essex county marrying Elianor daughter and heir of Sir John Blewett of Lackham Wiltshire. The Baynard line continues down to Phillip Baynard of Lackham, Esquire, (3rd great grandson of Edmond Baynard above). Phillip married Jane daughter of Nicholas Stukeley of Aston, Devon and they had two children mentioned Robert, son and heir (he married Anne Blake daughter of Robert Blaake of Cawne, Wiltshire) and daughter Mary married to Roger Blaake of Pynhilles, Wiltshire (son of Robert Blaake of Cawne, Wiltshire).

The Visitation of Wiltshire, 1565, has Blake of Hilcott as the heading with arms: Argent, a chevron between three garbs Sable, a crescent for difference. Robert Blaake of Cumberford, Wiltshire, Esquire married Avys daughter of Wallop of Hampshire County and by her had issue, Gilbert and Alexander, died both sans issue; Robert; and John; Elizabeth; Alys; and Jone. Next entry is son Robert Blaake of Cawne, Wiltshire (3rd son and heir of Robert) married Margerett daughter of Sir Thomas Englefeild of Englefeild, Berkshire and by her had issue Roger son and heir; Ann married to Robert Baynard of Lackham,, Wiltshire. The next entry is for Roger Blaake of Cawne, son and heir of Robert, married Mary daughter of Philip Baynard of Lackham and by her had issue, Thomas son and heir; Robert, 2nd son; John, 3rd son; Sibell, married to Henry Bull of county Wiltshire; Jone, married to Anthony Goddard of Hartham, Wiltshire, gent; Mary, married to Edward Langrige of Langrige, Southampton (now Hampshire), gent. The next entry is for Thomas Blaake of Pynnell, Wiltshire, son and heir or Roger, married Edyth daughter of Thomas Jvy of West Keinton, Wiltshire, Esquire and by her hath issue Roger, son and Heir; Michell; Gyles; Francis; and others. Continuing to the next entry for Robert Blaake of the Borough of Cawne, second son of Roger and brother of Thomas, married Alis daughter of Robert Smyth of Lacocke, Somerset, and had issue; Roger, son and heir; Anthony, second son ; Jone and Marye. The last entry is for John Blaake of Hilcott, Wiltshire, third son to Roger and brother to Thomas and Robert married Jone, daughter of Clarke of Shawe, Wiltshire and at this time of recording they do not have any children.

I have the wills for many of these Blake men but have yet to transcribe them. A future project as I slowly withdraw from my earnest pursuit of all my lines to concentrate on Blake and Pincombe. Observing the above Visitation one can see that a number of Blake males are being mentioned but not traced down. This Visitation does offer another clue looking at the Rolfe family of Enford. Sara Blake daughter of John Blaake of Essingborne, Hampshire married William Rolfe. This John is a rather interesting individual. Who is this John Blake? Is he the grandson of Roger Blake married to Mary Baynard? There isn't a William mentioned as a son of Roger although a pedigree chart at the Wiltshire Office records such a son William married to Avis Ripley. Is this Esseborne Manor which is located between Andover and Newbury? Was there an earlier manor house where there is now a Hotel called Esseborne Manor Hotel? At a later time this is referred to as Essingham/Effingham. There is also a place in Surrey called Effingham (near Dorking).

The Visitation of Wiltshire, 1623, has an extensive Baynard family record which includes once again Robert Baynard of Lackham, son and heir, will probated 12 Oct 1537 and married to Anne daughter of Robert Blake of Calne, Wiltshire and Mary Baynard marrying Roger Blake of Phinhills in Calne, Wiltshire. This is a three page Visitation with lots of information on the Baynard family. The Blake family Visitation is 1.25 pages long but equally full of information and again the arms: argent, a chevron between three garbs sable; a crescent for a difference. The chart begins with Robert Blake of Quemberford, Wiltshire, Esquire married to Avis daughter of Wallop, Southampton (now Hampshire) County with children: daughters Elizabeth, Alice and Joane and sons 1. Gilbert; 2. Alexander (both sans issue); 3. Robert of Calne, Wiltshire married to Margaret daughter of Thomas Inglefield, Berkshire; 4. John, of Nether Wallop, Southampton and Calne died 2 Mar 1503/4 seized of Pynnelles; Inq postmortem 20 Oct 1504, Will probated 24 Apr 1504 married first to unknown and had two daughters Alice married to John Dauntesey and Joan married to Thomas Wroughton and married second Margaret, widow of John Dauntsey of West Lavington (children not mentioned). The line continues with Robert (2nd son) married to Margaret Inglefield and their children Roger Blake of Calne, Wiltshire, Esquire; will probated 16 Nov 1557 married to Mary daughter of Phillip Baynard of Lackham, Wiltshire, Esquire and daughter Anne married to Robert Baynard, Lackham, Wiltshire, Esquire. The children of Roger Blake and Mary Baynard are then listed: Sibell wife of Henry Bull, Wiltshire; Jone wife Anthony Goddard of Hartham, Wiltshire; Mary wife of Edward Langrige, Southampton; John Blake of Hilcott, Wiltshire (has three sons) married to  Joane Clarke, of Shaw, Wiltshire; Robert, 2nd son, of Calne, Wiltshire married to Alice daughter of Robert Smith of Lacocke, Wiltshire with children 1. Roger, 2 Anthony, 1 Joane and 2 Mary and Thomas Blake, 1st son, of Pennells, Wiltshire, Esquire married to Edith daughter of Thomas Ivye of West Keinton, Wiltshire, Esquire. The children of Thomas and Edith are the next generation listed: sons Giles, Francis and Roger Blake of Pennells, son and heir, married Wraxed daughter of John Gastrill of Tadbery Graynes, Gloucestershire. The children of Roger and Wraxed are listed with elizabeth married to Powell Clishold, Francis married to Phill Bull/Butt of chipnam, Wiltshire; Roger 2nd son, 30 years of age, and Henry Blake of Pennells, Wiltshire, living 1623 and married 1 Francis daughter of Francis Pigott of Collweeks, Buckinghamshire with daughter Joane age in 1623 and married second to Abigall daughter of Henry Stringer of London with children Henry son and heir 6 years in 1623, Roger 2nd son age 5 in 1623, Abigall 2nd daughter aged 1 year in 1623.

Obviously the linkage that appears to be between the Wiltshire and Somerset Blake families is further back then 1565 and land records will need to be explored to really understand any relationship between these families.

Blake

The Blake family (my maiden name) continues to attract my genealogical research. I mentioned the Wiltshire chart that I purchased and I have done some more research and thinking about it and derived the following argument with regard to it.

The marriage of William Blake and Avice Ripley is placed in the Roger Blake/Mary Barnard family in this chart. I have now added William as a son to the Roger Blake/Mary Barnard family in my charting although he is not mentioned in the Visitation but is on the chart (the will of Roger Blake does not list all of his sons only his eldest Roger). I will try to find more evidence for the names of Roger's sons when we are at Kew and reading all those wills. No Ripley wills on line at Kew in this time period that would be of an assistance. Then having the line go down from William Blake and Avice Ripley to Margaret Blake marrying John Blake of Andover works with the existing will information and Visitations. However the line actually goes from William Blake/Avice Ripley to John Blake on the Wiltshire charty .

The Wiltshire chart uses the visitation of the Blake family in Surrey. They begin with John (rather than going back to the earlier Visitations of their family in Hampshire which shows John as the son of William Blake at Eastontowne. Did they do that because there was some doubt as to their direct line back? The Hampshire Visitation is not my William Blake as the children listed on the Hampshire Visitation are not as per the will that I have for William Blake (hence my first thought that there were two William Blakes at Eastontowne). Although he could have married twice he doesn't mention that in his will and he is known to be the son of Nicholas Blake not Roger Blake.

Two William Blakes is possibly the source of the error on the Wiltshire Chart. William Blake as the father of John wasn't repeated on the Visitation in Surrey but the family crest included the Baynard coat of arms which isn't in my line at Andover and is probably the line for Margaret Blake married to John Blake. The probable error was then carried onto the large chart although with some confusion because Margaret is named as the daughter of William in the chart as well as having the line from this same family go down to her husband John Blake!

The Surrey Blake family by not including William as the father of John were perhaps trying to eliminate that confusion of which William Blake. Possibly that is why they had the College of Arms create this massive chart for them looking for their ancestral line. The coat of arms in the Surrey visitation is said to be incomplete but the fourth lower right quarter is the chevron of the Baynard family (I think they have fleur de lis in the chevron but do not know positively.) I wonder if the order has any meaning in heraldry as they are numbered in order with Blake first then Dorrant then Billet and then Baynard which does logically follow the actual line of descent.

Although this family knew their founding families in the crest they must not have remembered Margaret Blake as the daughter of William Blake and Avice Ripley (although the chart does mention that she was the daughter of William Blake aforesaid and he is the only one that that could apply to!). The circle around Margaret's name includes the comment: daughter of William Blake aforesaid; the circle around John's name simply states that he is from Eastontown Andover and eldest son. Indeed he is the eldest son of William and Elizabeth Blake of Eastontown according to that William's will. I think that the line was simply drawn in the wrong place between the two generations (in both the Visitation of Hampshire and the Wiltshire Chart). Margaret, I believe, is the daughter of William Blake and Avice Ripley with John being her husband and the son of William and Elizabeth Blake all of Eastontown. The Hampshire Visitation does not state the name of the wife of William but the children are likely those of William Blake and Avis Ripley. Finding the will of this William may help to solve this mystery.

Perhaps now is the time to transcribe my Wiltshire Blake wills from the 1500s. I put them aside (and they have just popped back into my memory!) because I did not see any "real" connection between the Blake family of Andover and that of Calne until I found the Surrey Visitation last winter.

It will be interesting to see if I am correct. The Margaret Blake/John Blake line has their eldest son Thomas Blake married to Eleanor Hall and they are one set of the 12x great grandparents of Diana, Princess of Wales.

Blake family chart - 2

I continued looking at the Blake family chart I purchased from the Wiltshire Record Office. I have now concluded that the first two couples on the chart in two of the lines (Blake and Baynard) are continuous generations. It would appear that the Blake family can be traced back to this Richard Blaque als Blaake als Blake who gave land to the Knights Templar (since they were disbanded by the Pope in 1312 this may well bring the Blake line back even further since it is known that Robert de Blakeland paid taxes at Calne in 1286.

According to the other researcher (I have not done the work) Barrie Blake in Australia, Robert Le Blake was b c 1190 and he d after 1272. He married Johanna La Blake and they have two sons Adam Le Blake and Richard Le Blake. On his webpages (http://blakeheritage.synthasite.com/iframe1.php) can be found this lineage and from him I have the information: "Whilst my records show Richard as the Sub-treasurer to the Dean of Wells Cathedral, they also show his father, Robert, as Bailiff to the Bishop of Wells." On the chart there is the statement: R[ichar]d Blake gave certain Lands in Essex to the Knights Templars in the Reign of King Edw[ard] I which may be seen by the Records in the Tower of London _____ E_??_r. 31 Ed I a? 77. Edward I reigned from 1272 to 1307. The subsidy paid to Edward I by Robert de Blakeland was in 1286. I now need to check the records to see if this was actually Richard Le Blake paying this subsidy. The land that Richard gave to the Knights Templar was in Essex which is a good deal away from Wells and from Calne.

I suspect if I have the time and ability to collect Blake records that we could find out a great deal about this family in the early history of England at least back to 1000 plus. However, I am still concerned with finding a little more proof for my linkage from William Blake (the Clerk) to John Blake (his son) and to Thomas Blake (my known 6x great grandfather and the son of John Blake at Andover). That is in the 1600s! I am still curious about William Blake attached to the Roger Blake family. I am now noticing that the crest attached to the Blake/Blague family at Surrey which is quartered is using the Blake/Blague crest in the top left, the Durrant/Dorrant top right, the Bellet/Billet bottom left and the Baynard bottom right. However, the Visitation notes (put in at a later date as they are in square brackets) that the lower right is unknown calling it an incomplete Blake/Blague crest. Since the chart was made from the Visitations, the College of Arms would have recognized the lower right crest as Baynard and attached William to Roger's family as this is the first time that the Blake/Baynard family married. That works for the dates. Interesting actually and with it being over 150 years earlier there would not have been anyone living to really answer that question.