Showing posts with label Inner Temple. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Inner Temple. Show all posts

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Will of William Blake Esquire of the Inner Temple, London - National Archives PROB 11/193/426, probated 5 Jul 1645

Reading through this will it is possible to determine that William is the son of William Blake of Hales House in the county of Middlesex, Justice of the Peace and Mary who was the daughter of Henery Beverley of London (she was born in Yorkshire). William Blake of Hales House (father of the testator) is a son of John Blake and Margarett Blake of Eastontowne and brother to Sara married to William Rolfe. The particular visitation that I am looking at for Middlesex is unsigned. It lists two children for William Blake and Mary Beverley namely William and John (John died young without issue). On the Pedigree Chart for the Blake family held at the Swindon and Wiltshire Record Office, William is shown as married to Mary Beverley but their children are not entered. Sir William Blake of Kensington (his full title) lived at Hales House and his inventory was prepared dated 2 Feb 1630/31 so we know that he died before that date. According to Boyd's Inhabitants of London William Blake and Mary Beverley were married 26 Nov 1602 and they were living in St Dunstan West parish and it was by License of the Bishop of London

The testator has been married twice with the first marriage in 1623 to Margaret Newsam and the second marriage in 1627 to Anne Bay. Mary is his daughter from the first marriage and Christopher and Ann are his children from the second marriage.

It does seem from the will that there is a rather sad story attached to this will. William would still be a relatively young man in 1645 just 40 years old. He was an alumuni of Broadgates Hall, Oxford entitled to arms as the son of William of Kensington. He was master of the Fine Office and buried at the Temple Church 27 June 1645. He was aged 15 years when he matriculated 15 Mar 1620/21 and a student of the Inner Temple 1624. He appears to have married very young in 1623 (only 18 years of age). Christopher named as his son and heir apparent which is interesting in itself but did not follow his father to Oxford or the Inner Temple.

I have just updated the Blake-Andover file on World Connect to include quite a few of the wills and this is a five generation chart beginning with (unknown) Blake married to Jone Blake who left her will in 1527 at Enham and looks at their descendants for four generations.

http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=blake-andover

It is always nice to place people into their genealogical niche although it would be lovely to know more about this line other than that he is a grandson of John Blake and Margarett Blake of Eastontown. It is through his brother Thomas' line that the future King of England descends as Diana, Princess of Wales through her father Lord Spencer traces back to the Blake family of Eastontown.

Transcriber: Elizabeth Kipp
Recorded: 26th October 2010
Source: The National Archives PROB 11/193/426
Testator: William Blake Esquire of the Inner Temple
Place: London, England
Type of Record: Will
Dated: 1 May 1645, probated 5 Jul 1645
Read: Electronic copy
Condition: scan, smudges, old English writing good, contrast medium

[Margin]: T[estat]m[ent] William
[Margin]: Blake

1    In the name of God Amen, The
2    First day of May Anno D[o]m[ini] 1645 and in the one and twentieth yeare
3    of the raigne of our Soveraigne Lord Charles by the grace of god king
4    of England Scotland France and Ireland defender of the faith etc I
5    Wm Blake of the Inner Temple London Esquire being in health of body and
6    of good and perfect minde and memorie thankes be given to allmighty god
7    and calling to remembrance the mortalitie of my flesh doe make and declare
8    this my last will and testament in manner and forme following that is to
9    say First and principally I com[m]itt and com[m]end my soule into the hands of
10    allmighty god whoe gave it w[i]th assured hope and confidence of ye remission
11    of my sinnes by the merrits death and passion of my lord and Saviour
12    Jesus Christ. My bodie being of the masse and substance of the earth to the
13    earth I com[m]itt and to be interred in the Temple Church And as touching
14    such worldly goods and substance as god in mercie hath blessed me withall
15    in this life I doe give and bequeath the same in manner and form following
16    that is to say Imprimis my will is that my office com[m]only called the Fine Office
17    be forthwith sould or otherwise ordered by my executors hereafter men[t]ioned
18    whose best care I earnestly desire may be used in the same; that the
19    Proffite thereof may be disposed in manner following That is to say I give
20    and bequeath to my daughter Mary Blake the somme of five hundred pounds
21    of lawfull money of England for her por[t]ion and preferment And to
22    my daughter Ann Blake for her undutifull and direspective carriage to
23    me renounceng me and my care over her adhering to her mother to be
24    bred up in all lewdnes and dissolutenesse of life I give and bequeath fiftie
25    pounds of like lawfull money Provided that yf either the same Anne or Marie
26    or any for them shall at any tyme hereafter sue or raise any suite to be
27    com[m]enced by them or by any other in their names against my executors for any
28    arrears of annuitie payable or pretended to be heretofore lyable to be
29    payed out of the proffits of my said office to my mother Dame Mary Blake
30    deceased her executor or assignes Then my will is that her por[t]ion that
31    shall sue or cause any suite as aforesaid be reduced to five pounds and
32    noe more to be allowed then by my executors for their intire por[t]ions Item
33    I give and bequeath to Ann Badger of Westminster widdow and relict of
34    Wm Badger gent the sum of twentie pounds of lawful money of England
35    Item my will is that my wife Anne Blake shall not meddle or have any
36    Thinge to doe with my office or proffits of the same or any thinge thereto
37    belonging her ioyncture being made good unto her and enioy it soe longe
38    as it pleases god - lasciuiosa et miatiata uxor nee ofsa mia quidom haves -
39    But that my executors shall have the sole ordering and dispossing of my children
40    and of my said office to the uses here expressed or for my other use toucheing
41    the settling of the said ioynture Item I give and bequeath all the rest and
42    residue of my estate reall and p[er]sonall (my funerall discharged with mourning
    [Page 2]
43    only for my legatees and for Mrs Dorothie Tokfeild daughter of the aforenamed
44    Anne Badger and my executors here expressed, one obligation of four hundred
45    pounds principall debt to th[e ]aforesaid Anne Badger and one other obligation of one
46    hundred pounds principall debt to Silvester Boston Taylor wholy excepted)
47    To Christopher Blake my sonne and heire apparant excepting alsoe five pounds
48    a peece to my executors besides their necessary expenses in the prosecu[t]ion of
49    this my will Lastly I doe make nominate and ordaine my loveing freinds Wm
50    Rolfe John Goodwyne and Wm Methalde Esquires Executors of this my
51    Last will and testament In witness whereof I the said Wm Blake heretofore-
51    unto set my hand and seale the day and yeare first above written Wm Blake
52    Sealed published and pronounced in the p[re]sence of Willi: Beverley Richard
53    Ball M[y] [w]ill the interlynenge in this will were entirely mad and altered
54    before the sealing hereof.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Will of Peter Blake of the Inner Temple - National Archives PROB 11/144/56, probated 7 Jul 1624

This Peter Blake testator of the following will is well known to me in terms of his family line. He is on the Blake Pedigree Chart held at the Swindon and Wiltshire Record Office and was the son of William Blake and Avice Ripley. On this chart he was listed as the third son with John being the eldest and William the second son. They have one sister Agnes married to Roger Hyde according to the chart. His initial reference to Arthur, Roberte, Francis, William and Richard Blake is helpful in placing him as well as they are the grandsons of his brother John married to Margaret Blake. His nephew (and the eldest son of John and Margaret) was married to Eleanor Hall. I think he is actually the brother of Margaret and that John is the son of William Blake and Elizabeth also of Eastontown. Because of the marriage of John and Margaret I do not feel that these two William Blakes (both listed as being at Eastontown) are the same person - I just feel strongly that there were two Blake families at Eastontown.

The reference to his cousins William Blake and William Rolfe is also interesting Sarah was the eldest and only daughter of John and Margaret Blake and she married William Rolfe son of Thomas Rolfe of Enford, Wiltshire. Confusion arises because Peter refers to William as his cousin instead of his nephew in law. The William Blake he refers to as cousin appears to be William Blake of Halehouse and from the Visitation of Middlesex (1634, 1663) this William is said to be the son of John and Margaret Blake (he married Mary Beverley) and was a Justice of the peace in Middlesex County. This visitation is unsigned with no dating so it is difficult to use with respect to establishing a time line. William son of John and Margaret would be a nephew to the testator. Why he refers to these two men as his cousins and the children of Thomas as the children of his nephew is perhaps just a measure of the time. Peter in 1624 is probably fairly old. Two of his great nephews are old enough to be executors (so 21 years of age or more) and that is Arthur and Robert. Trying to put an age to Peter is helpful at this point in time.

Moving to the Visitation of Surrey 1662-68 the youngest son of Thomas and Eleanor Blake is the respondent and signer for this visitation. He has a daughter 10 months old in 1662 and he is Captain of the Trained Bands in the County of Middlesex. Putting his age around 30 years would give him a date of birth of 1632 which is incorrect as he is listed as one of the legatees in his great Uncle's will (present testator Peter Blake) and so was born at least by 1624 and hence at least 38 years of age in 1662. He is the sixth child in that family and giving two years difference in age approximate between children would see the eldest Sara being born by 1612 or earlier and hence the marriage of her parents in 1611 or earlier. Giving her father the age of 25 at marriage would place his date of birth around 1586 or earlier which brings us back to John and Margaret Blake and Thomas was their eldest son with a likely older daughter Frances and thus John and Margaret were likely married by 1583 or earlier which then takes us back to William Blake who left his will in 1582 and did not mention any grandchildren which may just be a clue with regard to ages. If John was 25 when he married Margaret he would have been born by 1558 and all of the children of William Blake leaving his will in 1582 were adults. John was the eldest child of ten children and estimate two years between children and John was likely born by 1540. Perhaps one can understand why William was so precise in stating that the property which he was passing to John should then pass on to the next son and then the next son and all five sons are mentioned since none of them at this point appear to have any children!

One other clue may be helpful and that is from the Oxford University Alumni 1500 - 1886 on Ancestry which lists a Peter Blake being awarded his BA 10 Oct 1564. The average age was 18 to 20 for full matriculation but could be as low as 14 which would give a date of birth for Peter of 1544 - 1546. and would make him 78 years old when his will was written and probated. There are not enough details though in the Oxford Alumnus to determine that this is the Peter Blake of the Inner Temple who left his will in 1624.

His comment that Thomas Blake of Eastenton was Thomas Blake the elder is also interesting. None of Thomas' sons were called Thomas (Arthur, Robert, Francis, William and Richard). There was another Thomas Blake at Eastontown and he was the son of  William Blake and Elizabeth (unknown) the parents I believe of John Blake married to Margaret Blake who was I believe a sister to Peter Blake. However, that Thomas would have been older than this Thomas. Another Thomas at Eastontown was the son of William (next oldest brother to John)' son. These were the children of William Blake and Anne Tutt namely Nicholas, Thomas, Sara, Anne and Mary. The only problem with that is this William is also not the son of William Blake and Avis Ripley but rather the son of William and Elizabeth Blake at Eastontown although does appear to be so on the Pedigree Chart. The William brother to Peter Blake does not have any information on the Visitation for Middlesex other than Willm. Blake vide Southampton which literally means William Blake "see" or "refer to" Southampton.  Could this be a William Blake who lives at Southampton the city? That thought has just occurred to me. I have the Hearth Tax for 1665 which is 41 years later but there are two William Blakes living in Southampton one at St Lawrence and the other at All Saints (within the bar). Unfortunately these William Blakes did not leave any wills maintained at The National Archives.There are wills for William Blake held by the Hampshire Record Office in the period following 1665 but not for the Southampton area (meaning City not county).

There was also a Peter Blake son of William and Elizabeth Blake about whom I have no other information than that he was still living in 1682 when his father's will was written and probated. He does not appear to be mentioned by his brother's in their wills but for the most part they do not mention siblings. Some researchers believe that the Peter Blake testator in this will is the son of William and Elizabeth rather than the son of William Blake and Avis Ripley as shown on the Blake Pedigree Chart. His relationship to John Blake and Margaret Blake remains quite similar in that he is a brother/brother in law to them. 

One might think that the other Blake families descendant of William and Margaret Blake at Eastontown might mention this Peter in their wills if they were related but they do not plus William brother to this Peter lived in Middlesex at Hale's House whereas the William son of William and Elizabeth Blake lived in the Andover area. Hence I do continue to believe that there are two distinct William Blake families at Eastontown (three farms are shown at Eastontown on the old maps) and that they may or may not be related. They become related indirectly through the marriage of John Blake and Margaret Blake.

The dating of this will and the date of probate are a bit strange but that is how they read. It could be that there was a transcription error in the will and it should have been June instead of July. Impossible to tell that nearly four hundred years later!

Transcription: Elizabeth Kipp
Recorded: 26th October 2010
Source: The National Archives, PROB 11/144/56
Testator: Peter Blake
Place: Inner Temple, London, England
Type of Record: Will
Dated: 22 Jul 1624, Probated 7 Jul 1624
Read: Electronic copy
Condition: scan, smudges, old English writing good, light, 17th century

T[estator] Petri Blake

1    In the name of God Amen
2    The two and twentieth daie of July in the two and twentieth yeare of the Raigne of our Soveraigne
3    Lord Kinge James etc Anno D[o]m[in]i one thousand six hundred twentie foure. I Peter Blake of the Inner
4    Temple London Esq[uire] being sick in bodie but of perfect memorie thanks bee therefore given unto
5    God doe therefore make and ordaine this my last will and testament in manner followinge
6    (That is to saie First and principallie I commend my soule unto Almightie God and my heavenly
7    Father Trusting through Jesus Christ my Redeemer to receive remission of sinnes and life everlasting
8    And my bodie to the earth from whence I came to be buried in Christian Buriall, thereto remaine
9    untill the resurrection of all fleshe which I believe and expecte. And as touching my Temporall
10    estate First I give and devise unto Arthure Blake Roberte Blake Francis Blake William Blake
11    and Richard Blake sonnes of my nephew Mr. Thomas Blake the elder of Eastenton in the Countie of
12    South[amp]ton, and to their heires All my Messuages Lands tenements rents and hereditaments whatsoev[er]
13    with their appurtenances in Andover in the County of South[ampto]n (except hereafter excepted)
14    And my will and meaning is That if and of the said parties before named shall dye before hee
15    attaines to the age of one and twentie yeares. That then the said lands and premisses shall whollie
16    remaine and bee unto and amongst the survivor and survivors of them in equall parts provided
17    alwaies that the yearlie somme and paiement, or rent charge, of six pounds of currant Englishe
18    monie shal[l ]be issuing and paieable out of the premisses yearlie for the releife of the poore of the
19    severall parishes of Andever S[ain]te Dunstane in the west, London, and Ludgershill in Wiltesh[ire] Whereof
20    the more parte to bestowed on the poore of Andever in such wise in particular as I have related
21    to my cosen Rolfe in the severall cradies of bread weaite and monie Provided that it shal[l ]be lawfull
22    to the severall Churchwardens of eavery of the said parishes for the time beinge for not payment
23    of the said yearlie sommes to them intended by this my will at the feast of Th[e ]annunciation yearly
24    to distraine upon the said lands and premisses for the same as the lawe will permitt Provided
25    alwaies and my will and meaning is That my Cozen William Blake Esq[uire] and William Rolfe
26    and the survivor of them, during the minoritie of the said Legatees and of everie of them shall have
27    the whole disposition and manageing of the rents and profitts of the premisses respectively
28    to the use of the said to be accomptable when they shall severallie come to the age of one
29    and twentie yeares, Item I give to the poore of S[ain]te Dustone twentie shillings to be delivered
30    att the Churche doore of the Temple on my funerall daie where I desire to bee buried Item I
31    give to my cozen William Blake the elder of Halehouse, and to the heires males of his bodie and
32    ye remainder to my executors and their heires my towne house in Andever in the tenure of one
33    Binsen and Hitchcock with the appurtenances upon condition, That the same be nowe
34    built acording to the covenants betwene me and Barnard Calverte Item my will and meaning
35    is that the said somme or yearlie paiement, by me intended to the said poore of Andever, shal[l ]be
36    distributed to them, of the poorest sorte, such as shal[l ]be thought fitt by the Bayliffe and
37    Churchwardens there, Item I give to the said Arthure Roberte William Francis and Richard
    [Page 2]
38    Blake all my goodes and chattells whatsoever, to be disposed as aforesaid during their minority
39    and I doe hereby name and ordaine them the said Arthure Roberte Francis William and Richard
40    Blake executors of this my last will and testament, And my said Cozens William Blake and
41    William Rolfe to be overseers In Witness whereof I have hereunto sett my hand and seale the daie
42    and yeare above said. The mark of P. Blake Sealed, published and declared the daie and
43    yeare within written as the last will and testament of the said Peter Blake in the presence
44    of Will: Rolfe Hen: Carswall The marke of Margaret Johnson