Will of John Blake, husbandman of South Newton - SWRO P2/2 Reg/186A, probated 6 Feb 1553/54

Another John Blake in the parish of South Newton Wiltshire is testator and the year is 1553/54 (new style) with the will written the 25 Dec 1553 and probated at the end of the year 1553 but in new style this is written 6 Feb 1553/54 since February switched in the new style from being at the end of the year to being the second month of the year. At the top there is a number 186 and this will is in a book rather than a loose sheet of parchment.

On a first read through I wondered if this was the same John Blake as wrote his will in 1546 as he is married to Edyth but he has only two sons Thomas and John. This John Blake of South Newton husbandman has a large family including a sister Maria Graye and daughters Margery, Agnes, Elisabeth, Alys, Christian and Maryan and then sons Walter, Gylys, William, Edward and Robert. The witnesses to the will include John Blake the elder, John Blake the younger and with this John Blake testator there were a lot of John Blakes living in this particular area it would appear. Since this man lives in South Newton and has a son Robert I am left to wonder if Robert is the carpenter mentioned in the John Blake will of 1546. 

This John is a husbandman though so is leasing land and from the earlier will post there is quite a bit of land for common grazing. He would appear to be wealthier than the last John Blake will dated 1546 as he has costly items to give to his children. Silver was an expensive item in those days. No ideas on his age; he doesn't mention that any of his children are married but he also doesn't say they are not married. He doesn't appoint guardians for the underage children which might be a clue that he is older.

Every new will provides new information and new questions to tantalize the brain. There is a burial of a John Blake 11 Aug 1553 on Family Search (B39064-5) but no place mentioned nor the age of the person.

Edythe is his second wife as she has four children herself. He returns all the goods that she had at marriage to her. A couple of words were new to me in this will and I have not really felt that what I have transcribed is other than the exact letters found in the text but some are missing as indicated by a variable type line marking above the word which does not show in this text. I shall watch for this particular wording and correct it later if I am able to discover it.

This will has really stirred my curiosity with respect to the Blake families in South Newton. Are they descendant of the Calne Blake family? The Pedigree Chart only shows the lines that are on the Visitation and there could be many Blake lines missing from that chart even back into the 1400s and 1500s when the Chart has only one Blake line entered. Finding when the earliest records for Blake are in South Newton will be the next step as I work my way through the wills. At the National Archives that appears to be the purchase of property at Stofford by Henry Blake in the 1600s.

The wills seem to be tracing the fortunes of the Blake family in South Newton and they do appear to be accumulating some wealth. 

Transcriber: Elizabeth Kipp
Recorded: 17 Oct 2012
Source:  Swindon and Wiltshire Record Office P2/2 Reg/186A
Name of testator: John Blake
Place: South Newton, Wiltshire, England
Type of Record: Will
Dated: 25 Dec 1553, probated 6 Feb 1553/54 (new style)
Read: Electronic file images
Condition: 16th century, middle English, clear copy (few smudges)
[Header] Testam[ent] Johis Blake de Southe Newton   186

1    In the name of god amen the xxv th day of December
2    the yere of o[u[r lord god m ccccc liij And the Fyrst yere of the Reyngn
3    of Mary by the grace of god quene of England France Ireland
4    defend[e]r of the feythe etc I John Blake of the p[ar]eshe of Southe Newton
5    in the Countie of Wylts[hire] husbandman beyng of good and p[er]fyte memorye
6    but yet sycke in body do make this my testament contaynyng my last
7    wyll in man[ner[ and forme folowyng First I gyve and bequeathe my sowle
8    to Almyghtie god And my bodye to be buryed in the churche yerd of
9    Southe Newton a foresayde It[e]m I gyve and bequeathe to my said p[ar]eshe
10    churche of South Newton xx d It[e]m to the Cathedrall church of
11    Sa[lisbur]y viij d. It[e]m to Wyssheforde brydge xii d It[e]m to my syster Maria
12    Graye one akre of wheate and an other of barley. It[e]m to my dawght[er]
13    Margery v shepe and a payre of sylv[er] croks It[e]m to my dowghter Agnes
14    v shepe and a pyncase It[e]m to my dowghter Elisabeth a payre of beads
15    w[i]t[h] silv[er] garrdyes and v shepe It[e]m to my dowghter Alys A gyrdell
16    w[i]t[h] silv[er] hoks and v shepe It[e]m to my dowghter Christian a sylv[er]
17    croke and a coffer and v shepe It[e]m to my dowghter Maryan a sylv[er]
18    pyn and v shepe. It[e]m to my son walter a masar ij silv[er]sponns a
19    table bo[ar]d a cow and v shepe It[e]m to my son Gylys a bullocke an Akre
20    of wheate and an other of barley and the best yron barr'[?] and v shepe It[e]m
21    It[e]m to my son Will[ia]m a bullocke and v shepe It[e]m to my son Edward
22    one bullocke and v shepe and one Flocke bedd It[e]m to my wyfes iiij
23    cheldren iiij lambes It[e]m to Robert Fry a Cupbo[ar]d It[e]m to my wyfe a
24    ffetherbedd And all the pewter and brass that was hers before It[e]m to my
25    son Robert Blake the other Fetherbedd and all my workyng tolys and my Cart
26    horse w[i]t[h] all the woll that is uppon yt And an yron barr' wall[?] Also
27    my sylv[ere]d sponys and all my weryng rayment my brass pewter and lattyn
28    and my befold[?] w[i]t[h] all other treey[?] vessells as they shall thynke best to be
29    stowed yt a mongest my chylderen as I put my trust in them that ys to
30    say walter graye and John Kyngman whom I make ov[er]seers of this my
32    last will and testament to se yt trewly p[er]formed and fulfylled And they
33    shall have for ther labo[u]rs 20 s betwyxt them It[e]m to B Will[ia]m Toppying my
34    goostly Father vii s The Residwe of all my goods moveable and unmoveable
35    not gyven nor bequeathed I gyve and bequeathe un to Edythe my wyfe and
36    to Robert Blake my son whom I make myne executors the one as farforthe
37    as the other to dispose for the heleht of my sowle And all Christe[ns] Also I
38    wyll that all the forsaid shepe to be delyv[er]ed at shere tyme w[i[t[h] the wooll
39    uppon ther backs Thes keping witness John Blake th[e ]elder John Blake the
40    young[er] and John Makerell

Will of Humphrey Blake, of Bridgwater, National Archives PROB 11/148 Image Reference 426/359, probated 4 Feb 1626

Humphrey Blake did not date his will but it was probated 4 Feb 1626. For probate date I am using the date which appears on the National Archives website and it is new style. I hadn't actually noted that previously. I found it was quite easy to think in Old Style up to the end of December 1752 and then switch to New Style with January of 1753. I didn't want to put a slash second double digit year ending on every record affected. I have made copious notes on this in my own work so hopefully it will be noted if someone else picks up my work one day.

As I move more and more into one name studies my other lines are slowly receding in importance in my mind although when I see a reference to one of those surnames my interest does perk up but I was spending a lot of hours working on some of these lines where no work has been done before. I have in many cases taken the family lines back several generations and will now let someone else run with the effort of uncovering more information which generally involves visiting the individual record centres. I have discovered when it is your personal surname then there is more incentive to following it back as far as possible :)  .

Humphrey Blake of Bridgwater whose will was probated 4 Feb 1626 was the son of Robert Blake and Margaret Symonds and hence traces back to the progenitor of this Blake line Humphrey Blake whose will was probated in 1559 at Over Stowey. Robert was buried 15 Oct 1592 at Bridgewater and Margaret left her will which was probated 7 Nov 1600 and a transcription appears in an earlier blog (http://kippeeb.blogspot.ca/2012/04/will-of-margaret-blake-wife-of-robert.html). Humphrey had one brother William and one sister Anstice who lived to adulthood. He was also the father of Lord High Admiral Robert Blake who, although he served under the Commonwealth (Oliver Cromwell), is still considered to be one of England's greatest Admirals. At the time of the Restoration of King Charles II he was not to receive such high consideration he has returned to his place of honour amongst the great heroes of England.

His wife was Sara Williams (widow, first husband was (unknown) Smithers) and they lived at Bridgwater. Their home is now preserved as a Museum to the great Admiral Blake. They had nine children still living at the time of writing: Robert, Humphrey, William, George, Nicholas, Samuel, Benjamin, Bridgett and Alexander. George is not mentioned in the will which is surprising perhaps. However, George was in the Navy already and living in Plymouth (Devon) possibly he married without consent. However his brothers do remember his children in their wills. Humphrey and Sarah had twelve children in total (1st George and 1st Benjamin died as infants, Edward perhaps died before his father's will) but eight of the nine children are mentioned as adults in the will of Humphrey Blake below.

yDNA studies will tell us so much about the Blake families that I encourage everyone who is interested in discovering more about their deep ancestry in the Blake line to join the Blake yDNA study at FT DNA:

http://www.familytreedna.com/group-join.aspx?code=A70410&Group=Blake

Transcriber: Elizabeth Kipp
Recorded: 24 Apr 2012
Source:  The National Archives PROB11/148, Image Reference 426/359  (images by me)
Name of testator: Humphrey Blake
Place: Bridgwater, Somerset, England
Type of Record: Will
Dated: undated, probated 4 Feb 1626
Read: Electronic file
Condition: smudges, cramped writing, 17th century, bold copy
[In margin] T  Humphrey
[In margin] Blake

1    In the name of God Amen I Humffery Blake
2    of Bridgwater within the dioces of Bathe and Welles beinge at the writinge hereof in
3    good health and perfecte memorie I praise god for it doe make and ordaine this my last
4    will and testament written with myne owne hande as followeth Revokinge all former wills
5    by me at anie tyme heretofore made And first I bequeath my soule unto Allmightie god
6    confidentlie beleevinge that through his aboundant mercyes and the merritts of Christ Jesus
7    my Redeemer and Saviour all my sinns to be freelie pardoned and washed awaie in his most precious
8    Bloudsheddinge, and to be covered with his most perfect Robe of righteoussnes in the great daie of his
9    appearance, when and ever I trust through his unspeakable mercyes to have my por[t]ion of full blisse
10    with his Ellect ones in the Celestiall Jerusalem My bodie I bequeath to the Earth whence it came
11    Item I give to the Cathedrall Church of Wells Five shillinges Item I give to the Church of Bridgwater
12    Fortie shillinges and to the Church of Pawlett twentie shillings Item I give to the poore of Bridgwater
13    Five poundes to be destributed unto them by the discre[t]ion of my Overseers hereafter named and Executors Item
14    I give and grannte unto my sonne Robert and his heires All that my mannor and Lordshipp of Puryton and
15    Crandon with all the landes Tenements Messuages Arrable meadow and Pasture thereonto  belonginge with
16    the appurtenances in the Countie of Som[m]ersett Also one double guilt silver Salt, two silver beere Bowles, two
17    silver Wyne Bowles and one dozen of silver spoones with Lions heads Item I give unto my sonne Humffrey
18    One hundreth poundes to be paide unto him iwthin one yeare next after my decease Item I give unto my sonne
19    William one Chattell Lease of Fouer and twentie Acres or thereaboute ofe Land Meadowe and pasture w[hi]ch
20    I hould of the landes of Mr Lottisham in Puriton aforesaide and hun[n]spill togeather with all my estate terme
21    of yeares and interrest I have therin towardes his Educa[ti]on and defrayinge his charges in Oxenford, The
22    Lease thereof fourthwith to be delivered unto him, And Fortie poundes within one yeare next after my decease
23    Item I give unto my sonne Nicholas one hundreth poundes to be bestowed on him for his better Educa[t]ion
24    within twoe yeares next after my decease Item I give unto my sonne Samuell twentie poundes to bestowe in
25    cattell or Sheepe Item I give unto my sonne Beniamyne One hundreth poundes to be imployed for him
26    within three yeares next after my decease And alsoe those twentie and one yeares which I have in Rever[c]ion ofe
27    Symon Venicom in Nyne Acres of Meadowe and pasture within the Mannor ofe Hampe neere Bridgwater
28    aforesaide Item I give and bequeath unto my daughter Bridgett two hundreth poundes, one silver partt guilt
29    Beaker halfe a dozen ofe silver spoones and one double guilt Wine bowle Item I give unto my sonne Hummfrey
30    my silver Tankerd double guilt and to my sonne William one Silver Wyne Bowle and fouer silver spoones
31    Item I give and gran[n]te unto my sonnes Robert and Humffrey and to theire heires for ever my dwellinge house
32    and the Garden thereonto belonginge with the appurtenances Neverthelesse my Will is that Sara my
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33    Wiefe shall have her dwellinge and aboade in parte of the saide house and use of parte of the saide Garden
34    duringe onelie her widdowho[o]d and noe longer Item I give and bequeath unto my son Alexander One hundreth
35    poundes to be imployed for his best benefitt within two Yeares next after my decease Item I give unto Mr George
36    Wotton Clarke twentie shillinges. The residue of all my goodes and Chattells not herein before given and
37    bequeathed my debts funeralls and legacyes discharged I give and bequeath unto Sara my wief and Humfrey
38    my sonne whom I make my Executors of this my last Will and Testament Humffrey Blake [signed] Sealed and
39    declared in the presence of George Wotton Clarke, George Graye.