Continuing with the Andover Hampshire Wills

I am saddened to see that a bill has been put forward in the Congress of the United States to withdraw themselves from the United Nations. The original intent (and Canada was one of the original signatories to the decision to create the United Nations)  was to prevent wars and give a place to discuss any items that were inflammatory. The United Nations has become involved in so many other aspects of life around the globe with which I myself disagree. Some of the additions have been good - support for children with UNICEF is one. But there are others that are suspect especially because they did not report to the United Nations what was going on in Gaza before the attack on Israel. Supporting Gaza through three generations has not worked and something should have been done there long ago. They are not self-sufficient and have made not any attempt apparently to become self-sufficient and they supported Hamas' barbaric attack on their neighbour. Billions of dollars have gone to them with really nothing to show for it. I would like to see the United Nations continue but there does need to be changes.   

Hamas did not return the body of the mother of the two small children but rather a substitute - that is an insult to the dead and unacceptable. They are such satanic people with no regard for human life.

The Americans are our friends; we share thousands of miles of border with them. The current situation will come to a remedy. Although NAFTA was interesting it has cost Canada most of her manufacturing industries which I think we should restore as quickly as possible. If our neighbour is choosing to close up shop then we need to be as self-sufficient as we were when I was a child. Then trade mostly amounted to driving across the border and buying an American item that we paid duty on when we returned to Canada! It worked. Although I think NAFTA and CUSMA made both countries wealthy in the long run (and Mexico also gained a great deal). God bless the North American continent and all who dwell therein. I think there are tremendous benefits to the United States for us to be an independent country - we will always be their friend. The Conservative party does intend under the leadership of Pierre Poilievre to build CFB Iqaluit, double the number of Rangers and more icebreakers for the North (that should see us come much closer to 5% of GDP). I also like the idea of high speed rail between Quebec City and Toronto (myself I see that also as a military venture to be honest) and the eventual extensions that will come on either end of that. The new pipelines will bring us closer together as provinces and will increase our ability to ship oil and gas around the world. This will be a great time of growth and we must knuckle down to the costs and make it happen. 

Coming along with this will and it had a few surprises for me because I haven't looked at it for a a long time (plus my latin has improved enormously). First of all Robert only names Thomas and Richard as his sons - Richard is executor of the will. The other Blake members mentioned are Andrew who receives a tenement for life (implies a sort of close relationship), Robert who receives a cow. His sister in law receives a ring (husband not identified). William Blake receives a cow. So interesting for sure. I wasn't entirely dependent on him having a son Robert it just struck me when I first read the will that Robert was his son. 

The wills of Thomas and Richard will be next. Over time I will perhaps fill in the blanks but they do not alter anything in this will.

Recorded: 3 Jan 2014
Source: Hampshire Record Office, 1522B-04 

Testator: Robert Blake
Place: Enham, Hampshire, England
Type of Record: Will
Date of document: 16 Dec 1521

[Margin]: 1522B-04 

1. In the name of God, Amen, the 16th day of December 1521 I Robert Blayke, in sound mind and memory  

2. have written my will in this way. First of all, I give and bequeath my soul to the almighty father God, my body to be buried in the cemetery

3.  of the parish Church of Saint Michael of Enham. Also I give and bequeath to the Mother Church 12d. Also I give and bequeath to the Church of Enham

4. xl s  and one cow. Also I give and bequeath to the Church of Andever xl sheep or pork ___ ____ _____ _____

5. have in custody I give and bequeath to my wife  £10 which Johannes Howton owes I give and bequeath  to my wife 10

 6. acres of corn/grain and 20 of barley I give and bequeath to my son Thomas 200 of the same I give and bequeath to Andrew Blake one tenement 

7. free for life I give and bequeath to Thomas Longe one plow and one chamber I give and bequeath to my son Thomas one cart and one whipblade

8. with parts and one part ____ just now I give and bequeath to my son Thomas one good arable sowing property

9. with  ___ and ____ I give and bequeath to Wylliam Gelzeyr one toga I give and bequeath to Richard Golding another toga I give and bequeath to

10.  Robert Tary one shirt I give and bequeath to my only sister in law a ring I give and 

11. bequeath to my son Thomas  two rings I give and bequeath to Robert Galavay one toga I give and bequeath to Thomas

12.  my son two plows I give and bequeath to William Blake one cow I give and bequeath to my son Thomas two chickens

13. and two rams Also William Fuynere owes me first eight bushels of wheat and any bushels 16d I also assign 

14.  to my son Thomas one of the tenements vacant at Rawkyns I also give and bequeath that one presbyter celebrates in the Church and Parish of Enham

15. for the salvation of my soul and for the Church for the space of one year I also give and bequeath to Robert Blake one cow and the remainder

16.  of all my goods, movable and immovable, by testament I also give and bequeath to my son Richard whom I appoint as my true executor that

17. that he may dispose for the salvation of my soul, in the presence of these witnesses, Father John Battey, Thomas Blake, Robert Tarry

18. and others

19.    Also I reserve to my sonne Richarde my farme and my tenemente hereat I do dwelth nowe

This will did not have the Probate details although it could have just been attached to the land records since land was passed or discussed. 

I am quietly working away on this project which combined with the earlier work on the le Blak family may yet prove to converge. I also need to review the will of the Blake family at Speen which works together with this family at Andover. 

The property given to Thomas Blake at Rawkyns is interesting because it remains in this family for a number of generations. 

Transcriber: Elizabeth Kipp
Recorded: 13 Aug 2013
Source: Family Search – 186681, A-658 and Item 195
Testator: Richard Blayke
Place: Knights Enham, Hampshire, England
Type of Record: Will
Date of document: 12 April 1522, probated 23 May 1522
Condition: 16th century English, legible copy

Wrapper: 1522 Rich[ard]us Blake De Enham
Wrapper: P[ro]batu[m] fuit  xxiij de Maij mu[ ]day infra villa de Andev[er]

1  In die no[min]e Ame[n] xij  die m[en]si[s] d’Ap[ri]lis  Anno d[omi]ni M ccccc xxij Ego Richardus blayke cy[m]pos

1. In the name of God Amen 12 day of April AD 1522 I Richard Blake being of

2    me[n]t[i]s sane q[ue] memorie t[ame]n eg[e]r corpore condo et ordino testament[um] meu[m] de mea[m] labor[aci]on[em] volu[n]tat[em]

2. sound mind and memory but sick of body I make and arrange my will voluntarily  following

3    in h[u]nc modu[m] In p[ri]mis et lego A[n]i[m]am mea[m] deo patri o[mni]pote[n]ti be[ate] marie v[ir]gini o[mn]ibus s[anc]tis

 3. in this manner In the first instance, I pray to omnipotent God the Father, to the Blessed Virgin Mary and to all the saints

4    Corpus q[ue] meu[m] sepeliendu[m] in cimitt[er]io p[a]rochialis eccl[es]ie s[anc]ta michaelie archang[e]li de

4.  My body to be buried in the parish cemetery of the Church of Saint Michael the Archangel of

5     enham It[e]m lego mat[ric]e eccl[es]ie winton xij d It[e]m lego p[re]dute eccl[es]ie de enham xl d

5. Enham  I give and bequeath to the Mother Church of Winton xij d I give and bequeath to the poor at the Church of Enham xl d

6    It[e]m do eccl[es]ie p[a]rochiali[s] de Andov[er] xx d It[e]m lego fr[atr]i meo Thome Blayke xl s

6. I give and bequeath to the parochial Church of Andover xx d I give and bequeath to my brother Thomas Blake xl s

7    ut ip[s]e videar ____ mea vlv volunt[at]us suit testam[entu]s in Jurius duslerat et p[er]vient
cum tenementas It[e]m volo q[uod] Uxor[i] mea habeat

7.  so that I may be seen

8    Firmam mea p[ro] tempo exp[re]sso in endentua iux[ta] as[s]ignatorum Roberti Blayke pri[mi]s
9    mei nichi et uxori mee de h[er]edibus u[ost]ris fait It[e]m do p[ar]ochiali presbicto[rum] xl d w[i]t[h]
10    ip[s]e oret p[ro] salute ai[nim]e mee It[e]m volo q[uod] uxor mea h[ab]eat custodia[t] talus mei
11    dura[n]te vita sua et post decessu[m] p[r]imo yedder sup[ra]dict eccl[es]ie de enham It[e]m lego
12    unicuiq[u]e Filiora[m] meor[um] cowes It[e]m do matri mee xl d ac volo q[uod] h[ab]eat victu et
13    vestitu[m] de bo__e meus q[uod] duo vixit It[e]m lego et unicuiq[ue] filior[am] meor[um] unden
14    vacta[ ] et vi[su]m lactu[ ] cum p[er]tin[en]ces Residuum v[er]o omn[ium] bonor[um] meor[um] do et lego uxori
15    mee qua[m] ordino de constituo executore[m] mea[m] et mi[ni]strare ut ipsa h[ab]eat acinde
16    Disponat p[re]sente die mee et sua ep[iscop]a utilitate s[ic]ut ei melius videbit[ur] insutu[r]
17    expedire deo place[r]e et an[im]e mee p[ro]fice[re] d[omi]ni dat[um] die Anno sup[ra]dict[i]s p[ertin]entibus
18    d[omi]no J[o]h[n]e battey curat[e] Thoma Blayke and Richarde Goldyn cum aliis dimis[s]is
19    P[ro]batu[m] fuit xxiij de me[n]sis maij in
20    cum du sup[ra]dicta in Capella infra villa de Andev[er]
21    Ergo fuit B bo____
22    iiij Juin
 

Will of Robert Blake, Enham, Hampshire - Hampshire Record Office 1522B-04, no probate attached

 The testator Robert Blake has sons Thomas and Richard and his will is probated in 1522 according to the indexing of this particular file. However no probate is recorded on the document. He lived at Enham. He mentioned Andrew Blake, William Blake and Robert Blake not noting any relationship. The will of Richard Blayke was written 12 Apr 1522 but as I continue to examine the will I am finding that the possibility is there that this is 1521. I shall have to see if I can find another record to support the idea that this is actually 1521 (although the labelling date is the year of probate so it is possible that documentation placed this into 1522). The hook on the j is a very tiny one and usually in the writing it was more pronounced in the rest of the will if ij was intended. He appears to be giving a ring to his sister (unnamed) although this particular line is difficult to transcribe.

His likely son Thomas’ will is the next to blog and the reason for thinking this is his son is that Robert assigns Rawkins in Knights Enham to Thomas and later Thomas mentions the same property in his will of 1541 passing it to his son John.

I still have a thousand other images of documents to look at for the Blake family which are not wills so can not really draw any conclusions but just continue to put forward what is being found. There is so much information available on the Blake family that I sometimes wonder about my project actually yielding useful results but I must think in small steps in that regard and indeed there has been some progress in my mind on various lines that I could not have separated out before.

This reminds me of an interesting online tree that used to be available but has disappeared in the past couple of years. It referred to a marriage of Robert Blake and Maude Snell in 1486 at Benham, Hampshire and their three sons William, Richard and Thomas – that I have actually found a will mentioning Richard and Thomas as sons of a Robert Blake and including a William (and Andrew) mentioned is perhaps amazing in itself. I did not capture a copy of that webpage to see who had put that information online as it is sometime since I have seen it. Richard is also listed as dying in 1522 in this online chart although his children are not correct if this is the same Richard as blogged earlier (if indeed I am correct that the will actually does read 16 Dec 1521 then this Robert is the father of Richard whose will is blogged below and who does have a brother Thomas):

http://kippeeb.blogspot.ca/2014/02/will-of-richard-blayke-knights-enham.html

where his children were named Robert, Nichi and an unnamed daughter. But the most interesting part of all this would be that if Richard and Thomas were brothers then their children would be first cousins and the daughter Margaret mentioned by Thomas though did die before Thomas' will was probated. Finding two possible generations back before Nicholas and Robert is somewhat mind boggling especially when I am concentrating on the Olympics! Finding this William is very very interesting since he could be an uncle to Nicholas and timewise would be more likely to be the William Blake married to Avis Ripley.

All in all these two latin wills which were an incredible challenge for this non-Latin reader may be providing some interesting details into the Blake family at Knights Enham/Andover back into the mid 1400s. There are 34 documents in the time period 1300 – 1550 listed in the Catalogue of the Archives of the Hampshire Record Office. One in particular must have been before 1582 when William Blake (son of Nicholas) died:

   85037 - Andover Borough
        2 - Courts
            10 - Town suits at Westminster

Alt Ref No    37M85/2/TS/8
Title    Answers of Nicholas Venables, esq, etc about ancient demense lands of Corporation; whereabouts of certain Borough documents
Date    nd [16th century]
Description    Answers of Nicholas Venables, esq, Peter Noyes, sen, gent, Robert Noyes, gent, William Blake, sen, gent, Andrew Twichin, gent, Robert West, gent, William Jervis, gent, William Blake, jun, gent; Joseph Hinxman, gent; Bartholomew Wayte, gent; John West, gent; Joan Blake, widow
'And that the said deeds, charters, evidences & peces of evidences Court Rolles, Court Bookes, Rentals, Escripts, Muniments, terriors, boundaries, & other writings have bin anciently kept and used to be kept in Certaine Coffers & Chests Lockt with great Locks & Keyes in the Common Hall called The Towne hall of Andover aforsaid....' Keys normally kept by bailiff or chamber lain; to be lent out on occasion but with 'such caucion & warnies....'
Venables admits to having in his possession an ancient rental in parchment concerning Manor and notes in paper about legacy of £100 by Richard Venables of London, merchant.

Can we relate that to the Calendar of Patent Rolls since they go back into that time period? All of the records in the 1400s are in London but there is interestingly enough a Richard Blake, citizen and draper of London mentioned 8 Feb 1421. Will tuck that into the back of my mind just as a memory. The early records of Hampshire may yield more information on the catalogue.

One of William seniors daughters Margaret was married to a Jarvis so this is perhaps her husband William Jervis. Joseph Hinxman was the father of one of William senior’s son Richard’s son in law.  Who is Joan Blake widow? Always new doors are opened as each new will is read! Who is Andrew Blake? There is a will for Andrew Blake at Kings Somborne in 1551 with Kings Somborne being 9 miles or 14.5 kilometres from Andover. That may prove to be an interesting will with regard to the Blake family in this area.

An interesting document on latin terms that I wanted to make note of for future reference and this seems like the right place as this will is a real challenge.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Latin_phrases_%28full%29

Names mentioned in the will:

Robert Blake, testator
John Howton, debtor
Thomas Blake, son
Andrew Blake
Thomas Longe
Richard Goldyng
Robert Tary
Robert Galavay
William Gelzeyr
William Blake
William Fuynere
Robert Blake
Richard Blake, son, executor
Johannis Battey, vicar, witness
Thomas Blake, witness
Robert Tary, witness

Transcriber: Elizabeth Kipp
Recorded: 3 Jan 2014
Source: Hampshire Record Office, 1522B-04
Testator: Robert Blake
Place: Enham, Hampshire, England
Type of Record: Will
Date of document: 16 Dec 1521(? or 2)
Condition: 16th century English, legible copy

[Margin]: 1522B-04

1    In die no[m]i[n]e Ame[n] xvj die dece[m]b[r]is An[n]o d[omi]ni M ccccc xx[not sure if this is ij or just j]j Ego Robertij blayke co[m]pos me[n]t[i]s et sane memorye
2    astituo testame[n]tu[m] [i]n hunc mod[u]m In primis do et lego a[n]i[m]am mea[m] deo o[mn]ipote[n]ti q[u]e meu[m] sepeliendu[m] [i]n cimit[t]erio
3    p[ar]ochialj eccl[es]i[a]e s[an]cti michaelj de Emh[a]m It[e]m do et lego matr[ic]e ecclesie xii d It[e]m do et lego ecclesie de enh[a]m
4    xl s et una[m] vaccam It[e]m do et lego ecclesis de andever xl oues vet p[or]cus eap quod e iij lj quas yearly kyne
5    habet i[n] custodia Item do et lego uxori mee x lj q[uod] joh[han]es howton debet It[e]m do et lego uxori mee x quarte
6    ruas frume[n]ti et xx orderij It[e]m do et lego tame filio meo cc omn[ia] It[e]m do et lego andrew blayke una tenem[entum]
7    gra[tia] tenens It[e]m do et lego tamas longe unu[s] diplade et una came[ra]cio It[e]m do et lego tame filio meo una biga[e] and una maplade[?]
8    cu[m] pts et un[u]m par[s] rotap nonap[?] It[e]m do et lego thome filio una ara[bilis] terra que vocato beyety cross sennitatum
9    cu[m] lupamt[?] It[e]m do et lego Wyllia gelzeyr una[m] toga[m] It[e]m do et lego rycardo goldyng alia[m] toga[m] It[e]m do et lego
10    Robarto tary una tunica[m] It[e]m do et lego unicum suor[or] meor[um] videlicet viro[rum] ac mulier[is] una[m] ane[llus] It[e]m do et
11    lego tome filio mee duas diplades ___ ab It[e]m do et lego robarto Galavay una[m] toga[m] It[e]m do et lego tome
12    filio mee duas diplodes It[e]m do et lego Wyllmo blayke una[m] vacca[m] It[e]m do et lego tome filio mee duos pullos
13    et duo verv[ex] It[e]m wyllmo Fuynere debet m[eo] ppt viij modios furme[n]tie et __oliket modio[s] xvi s It[e]m Assigno
14    tome filio mee una t[enement]a que vocat[o] Rawkynys It[e]m do et lego sccpe[?] volo q[uod] una[m] p[re]sbite[r] celebr[at] et in ecclie par[is]h de Enhym
15    p[ro] salute a[n]i[m]e meo et p[ro] ecclie _______ p[ro] spac[iu]m un[ius] anni It[e]m do et lego robarto blayke una[m] vacca[m] et residuum om[n]i[um] bonor[um]
16    meor[um] tam mobilium q[uam] immobilium It[em] do et lego ricardo filio meo quo[s] ordino meos veros executores ut
17    ip[s]e disponat p[ro] salute a[n]i[m]e mee hijs testib[u]s d[omi]no johane battey thoma blayke robarto tary
18    et aliis
19    Also I reserve to my sonne Richarde my farme and my tenemente that I do dwell ine