Pincombe and Blake

The last few days have produced a flurry of activity in my two main one name studies - Blake and Pincombe. I received emails from two descendants of each of these families that have provoked more thought on their lines.

In the case of the Pincombe family, the email request is from Australia and I am still learning about the Pincombe family now located in Australia. My 2x great grandfather's brother George went to Australia and died there. He did not have any children whilst living there though so I would be going back one more generation to find anyone in Australia related to me (5th cousin or greater likely). The person in question was a William Pincombe who married Emma White at the parish church of St Pancras in 1852. Fortunately I do have that marriage and know that his father was George Pincombe (deceased in 1852) and Giles White was the father of Emma also deceased in 1852. There was a substantial Pincombe/Pinkham family in Middlesex in this time period that was descendant of Arthur Pincombe who had migrated to Middlesex in the 1700s. It will be this family that I will investigate initially as the family lore says that William was born in Middlesex but there is also some controversy which may have him born in Devon. Since the records in Australia (thus far) indicate Middlesex my effort will be directed towards the family that is known to me in Middlesex and descendant of Arthur Pincombe who was christened 26 Dec 1761 at Robourough by Torrington and buried 19 Apr 1823 at St Mary Whitechapel, Stepney, London. Arthur married twice, first Elizabeth Milton 13 Oct 1784 at St James Westminster, London  and second Ann Smale. From his second marriage, there was a son George Pincombe baptized 29 Aug 1802 at St Mary Whitechapel. I will first either eliminate or prove that this is the George for whom we are looking.

In the case of the Blake family, I have been corresponding with a descendant of the Charles Blake family living in the United States. Probably I have received more requests about this particular Blake line than any other from individuals who live all over the world including never having left England. Charles Blake appears in the Abbots Ann, Hampshire, England records that are available on the FamilySearch site first with his marriage to Mary Prince 4 Sep 1736. Mary was the daughter of James Prince and Ruth Burger. Charles was buried 28 Oct 1783 at Abbots Ann. They had only one child recorded in FamilySearch and I am still in the process of transcribing Abbots Ann so have not found any more either. Their son Charles was baptized 24 Jun 1737 at Abbots Ann and buried there 31 Oct 1800. Charles married twice.

His first wife was Jane Gilbert (baptized 3 Oct 1740 at Abbots Ann) and Jane was also descended from the Blake family through her father John Gilbert. John Gilbert was the son of John Gilbert and Sarah Kidgell with Sarah being baptized 28 Mar 1690 at Abbots Ann (married to John 3 Feb 1707 at Abbots Ann). Sarah's father was Richard Kidgell baptized 24 Sep 1661 and Richard's father was John Kidgell. John's father's name was Kidgell and his mother was Elizabeth Blake. This Elizabeth Blake was the daughter of unknown Blake married to Elizabeth Hinxman (baptized 17 Jul 1593 at Andover). My suspicion is that the unknown Blake was the son of Thomas Blake (brother to my Richard Blake). The brother of Elizabeth Blake was a merchant at Oxford according to his mother's will of 1688.

The second wife of Charles was Hannah Powell and they were married 17 Aug 1779 at Abbots Ann. From the two marriages there were nine sons in total who lived to adulthood. I have corresponded with descendants of a number of these sons but not all of them.

A will left by John Blake malster at Abbots Ann is full of genealogical information and can be found on my website. Both my ancestor Thomas Blake at Upper Clatford and Charles Blake are mentioned in the will with considerably more attention (and bequests) being paid to the descendants of Charles Blake making me think that there is more of a blood connection to John. I do know the connection to John for my Thomas as he was his uncle. The mother of Thomas was Joanna King and it was her sister Mary King that married John Blake malster at Abbots Ann. Whether or not I am also related to John Blake on the Blake side is unknown to me at this time.

I then extracted the Poor Law Records for Abbots Ann to find the Blake family there and indeed there was a Robert Blake there as early as 1727 when he was Churchwarden and paying the poor rate. The lands on which he paid this tax ended up being later assessed to Charles and John Blake leading me to suspect that Charles and John were sons of Robert Blake. Perhaps aiding with matching up families is the entry of 1812 where Ann Blake (sister to my Thomas) is paying the poor rate as per the terms of John's will where Ann was to remain on the property with various codicils pertaining to that.

There was a Robert Blake married to Elizabeth Russell 15 Jul 1694 at Andover where they baptized:

Blake Sarah       daughter       Blake Robert Elizabeth 1696 March 10
Blake Joannah   daughter       Blake Robert Elizabeth 1700 February 12
Blake Mary        daughter       Blake Robert Elizabeth 1702 December 21
Blake Edward     son               Blake Robert Elizabeth 1711 August 12
Blake Thomas     son               Blake Robert Elizabeth 1714 July 2
Blake Jane          daughter        Blake Robert Elizabeth 1717 July 22

There is the rather large gap between 1702 and 1711 where the birth of Charles could have occurred but where is the question. Edward does appear on this list and he is also in the tax list at Abbots Ann living on Coles which was formerly held by Robert Blake. I did find a John Blake baptized to Robert 22 Feb 1714 at Penton Mewsey (he was born 14 Feb 1714) but the priest has not given the mother's name unfortunately. This does appear to be rather close to the baptism of Thomas on July 2 but February would follow July as this is old calendar  but it is still only seven months later. However, it is a possibility. But still no Charles baptism found yet. The Abbots Ann parish registers are still in the process and the period that I am most interested in is very faint and poorly organized unfortunately. Plus I am only up to 1613 in the register thus far.

The ongoing debate for me is which to put first. I would like to complete my proofreading of Bishops Nympton and have those records online to reduce the number of requests for this information but I am also quite dedicated to the idea of transcribing Abbots Ann which is just one set of registers for the Andover Registration District that I am working on.

I must admit that I tend to always mention yDNA testing to people these days because I do believe that is the only way to sort these families in both of my one name studies.

Blake family at Abbotts Ann in 1568

Transcribing Parish Registers is just always so meaningful. I have looked at Abbotts Ann before (probably four years ago now) and I missed the baptism of Thomas to Robert Blake 2 September 1568. Whether there will be more entries for Blake remains to be seen but finding them at Abbotts Ann is very interesting. Now who is this Robert baptizing children at Abbotts Ann? Is he the son of Robert Blake and brother to Nicholas Blake? This Robert Blake (brother to Nicholas) left a will in 1542 which I have not yet transcribed. I actually need to acquire it and hope to do that one of these days. I hadn't expected to find someone so early on but the earlier the better actually.

Checking Abbotts Ann wills reveals:

1533B/28  Will of Simon Prince (Prynce) of Abbotts Ann, Hampshire  1533
1629A/44  Will and inventory of William Kidgell (Kiggill) of Little Ann, Abbotts Ann, Hampshire  1629
1685A/054  Will and inventory of John Kidgell of Little Ann, Abbotts Ann, Hampshire, yeoman  1685
1720A/062  Will of Richard Kidgell (Kidgel) of Little Ann, Abbotts Ann, Hampshire, yeoman  1720
1729A/113  Will of Robert Prince of Abbotts Ann, Hampshire, yeoman  1729
1753A/077  Will of James Prince of Abbotts Ann, Hampshire, yeoman  1753
1760B/32  Will of James Prince of Abbotts Ann, Hampshire, innkeeper ('innholder')  1760
1806A/059  Will of William Marshman of Abbotts Ann, Hampshire, yeoman  1806
1815A/53  Will of George Marshman of Abbotts Ann, Hampshire, Farmer  1815

All of which could provide information on the Mary Prince who married Charles Blake in 1736 at Abbotts Ann and the Jane Gilbert who married Charles Blake in 1761. Jane Gilbert is descendant of the Kidgell family. The Marshman family is rather interesting as I rather think this is the kindsman mentioned in John Blake (1796)'s will.

However, I deviate from 1568 but it does rather excite my mind to discover that there was a Blake family early at Abbotts Ann. That this time frame is good for a grandson of Robert Blake brother to Nicholas Blake. Interestingly nothing is known about Robert the eldest son of Robert Blake except he may have left a will at Andover

1522B/04  Will of Robert Blake (Blayke) of Knights Enham, Hampshire  1522
1542B/06  Will of Robert Blake of Enham, Andover, Hampshire  1542
1545B/022  Will of Robert Blake of ?Wallop Street, Lockerley, Hampshire  1545
1547B/006  Will of Robert Black (Blacke) of Christchurch, Hampshire  1547
1554U/03  Will and inventory of Robert Blake of Street, Lockerley, Hampshire  1554
1593A/009  Will and inventory of Robert Blake of Dibden, Hampshire, shipwright  1593
1601B/08  Will of Robert Blake of Knights Enham, Hampshire, husbandman  1601
1605A/07  Will of Robert Blake of Andover, Hampshire, victualler  1605

This list of wills for Robert Blake from 1522 to 1605 is an especially interesting one. I have transcribed the will of Henry Blake at Christchurch earlier and perhaps Robert Black (Blacke) is his ancestor. Did the name become Blake; were they originally Blacke? yDNA testing might help to solve the riddle of Andover and the Blake families there. Who leaves the will in 1522 - which Robert is this? Robert, brother to Nicholas, leaves a will in 1542 at Enham. The Lockerley Robert Blake is also a mystery and I have some of their wills to work on later but this is the earliest one and I do not have it either. Dibden is near Southampton and no idea on whom this Robert Blake is. The Robert Blake leaving a will at Enham in 1601 though is most interesting as is the Robert leaving a will at Andover in 1605 and a victualler. The Robert Blake family carried on this victualler type of business through the 1600s - is John a descendant of this family?

Back to transcribing now that I have a few thoughts in my mind about the Blake family that could be here at Abbotts Ann in the mid 1500s. The road to Abbotts Ann comes up through the Wallops so that getting to Abbotts Ann was probably not all that difficult; certainly as we drove up the highway through the Wallops towards Andover none of the small villages that dot the area to the south and west of Andover seemed very far away from each other. Stunningly beautiful countryside which reminded me of Ontario. I see why my grandfather was comfortable living in London Ontario; going out in the countryside was very much like living in Upper Clatford. Especially as we lived right on the outskirts of London when I was a child. Going to the end of our block and looking to the south was all farm land with just a couple more streets of houses. Now looking south London is solid right to the 401 highway.

Blake and Hinxman Families - 2

I continued looking at the wills for the Blake and Hinxman families yesterday and comparing with the family tree that I have constructed for the Blake and Hinxman lines at Andover. Locating John Blake who died in 1796 at Abbotts Ann is part of that puzzle. Possibly he was married in Andover 9 Jun 1747 to Mary Dowling. Having located this marriage on the IGI I will investigate the Dowling family. A cursory glance reveals a Mary Dowling baptized at Upper Clatford 24 Nov 1728 with parents George Dowling and Ane. There is a George Doling married to Anne Lashley 4 Aug 1717 at Abbotts Ann. Needless to say all of these places are very close together and in the will of John Blake he remembers the Church at Upper Clatford as well as the Church at Abbotts Ann. Perhaps one more check back on this Dowling family in the IGI. There is a George Dowling (son of William and Alise Dowling) baptized at Goodworth Clatford 24 Nov 1695. There are three William Dowling marriages so that is the end of that thought on the IGI for the moment. None of these marriages leads to a Blake connection though. Looking at John Blake with a wife baptized 1728, I searched the IGI for a John Blake baptized 1720 + or - 10 years. There are no "extracted" entries for a baptism of a John Blake in the Andover area between 1710 and 1730. There are two patron entries that are interesting - Andover and Penton Mewsey. The Penton Mewsey family I do have some data on and this is a Blake family that were maltsters. Interesting thinking and will draw out some information from the registers to look at some of these possibilities - I have the registers for Abbotts Ann, Penton Mewsey and I am in the midst transcribing the registers for Andover. Likely I will let this sit for a bit until I reach this time period with the Andover Register. What I was looking for was a link between the King family at Upper Clatford and the Blake family at Abbotts Ann because they remember each other's children in their wills.

Few people have worked on the Hinxman family thus far. My correspondent on the Blake family and one descendant of the Jane Hinxman/Samuel Noyse family appear to be the only two on ancestry. There is on World Connect, however, a rather large listing of the Noyse family although the Noyse family at Andover does not appear to be linked into the rather extensive listings of the Noyse families in England. But no information on the Hinxman family. The Hinxman family is quite small on the census (less than 50 on 1841, 1851 and 1861) and mostly at West Deane Wiltshire. I do not actually think my answers lie with this family now that I have looked at their wills since they do not mention William Blake or his descendants. Ellener mentions only her brothers Peter and Nicholas and her two sisters married to Bayley and Savage. By the time of her will in the 1650s William and John have both died (her brothers), her sisters Elizabeth Hapgood (deceased) and Dorothy Burmington (not mentioned). Richard her brother is not mentioned although still known to be alive. None of her siblings children are mentioned. This has its pros and cons - not mentioning william's children doesn't mean that the links do not exist but on the other hand, a listing of these children in someone's will would be very handy - William b 1647, John b 1649.

One interesting fact is known that there were three Blake children all born between 1709 and 1717 (likely) who appeared to be linked in some way. My ancestor Thomas was baptized in 1709 at Andover and appears to be the only son of Thomas Blake and Mary Spring. John Blake who died in 1796 at Abbotts Ann was likely born in this time interval (he likely married in 1747 so could have been born as late as 1725 or 1726 but he was already established as a maltster and that might have been a challenge at a youngish age). Charles Blake (the other key to the puzzle of John Blake Maltster at Abbotts Ann's Will in 1792) married Mary Prince in 1737 at Abbotts Ann. The Prince family were landowners. the father of Charles Blake is also unknown and he was likely born by no latter than 1717. Edward Blake at Abbotts Ann has the longest history at Abbotts Ann but is not the father of either of these two since his children are baptized in the 1750s at Abbotts Ann. I need to look at Edward Blake and see if I can link him back to one of the Blake lines at Andover.

John Blake is the only one of the three men (John Blake, Charles Blake and my Thomas Blake) still alive when he wrote his will in 1792 but he remembers the child of Charles (also Charles) and the grandchildren of these two men. He does not, however, give anything to the second family of Charles (his first wife was Jane Gilbert whom I discussed earlier and her connection back to the Blake family). The Elizabeth Blake who is the ancestor of Jane Gilbert and whose mother was Elizabeth Hinxman is another clue in the puzzle. Finding the marriage of Elizabeth Hinxman to an unknown Blake would be most helpful as she is the mother of Thomas and Elizabeth Blake. Elizabeth married a Monk and then a Kidgell and it is from the Kidgell line that the Gilbert connection emerges. Not remembering the second set of children is quite significant I think and points back to the Gilbert connection as being the more important link to John Blake. But what is the link for my Thomas Blake? His mother Joanna King's father Thomas King remembers the daughter of John Blake in his will. But looking at John Blake's wife Mary Dowling who was actually baptized at Upper Clatford (John remembers the Church at Upper Clatford in his will) I do not find any link to the King family since Thomas King married Mary Carter. There does not appear to be a linkage there. Ann Blake (sister to Thomas Blake at Upper Clatford) appears to be keeping house for John Blake at Abbotts Ann but I wouldn't think that that would be a sufficient reason to remember her two brothers.

More things to ponder as I work my way back. I haven't really touched the Blake family for a long time but the contact from another Blake researcher has inspired me once again to look deeper at all the information and see what kind of linkages that I can find and especially I would like more evidence for the connection from William (b 1615) to John (b 1649) to Thomas (b 1685) to Thomas (b 1709). All baptisms at Andover and the registers appear to logically link these families but I am only up to the early 1630s for my line by line transcription. Surprises may lie in wait for me in this line.

Today I shall continue transcribing some of my records that I am finding to be most interesting and I want to read all the material that the other researcher has sent to me. I will construct more family trees on paper as visualizing the information is easiest for me on a large floor chart.

Blake and Hinxman families

I am continuing to try and sort out the Blake and Hinxman families at Andover, Kings Enham, Knights Enham, Eastontown amongst others.

With the will of Elizabeth Blake (signed 11 June 1688 and probated in 1689), I now have a connection that is helpful with my Blake family one hundred years later. Elizabeth Blake is the widow of Blake and the mother of Thomas Blake (merchant at Oxford, Oxfordshire) and Elizabeth Kidgell (married to John Kidgell) and the mother of William Monk and Peter Monk (earlier marriage to unknown Monk). John and Elizabeth will have a son Richard who has a daughter Sarah who married John Gilbert. Their son John Gilbert had a daughter Jane who married Charles Blake. This is the Blake family mentioned in John Blake (malster Abbotts Ann d 1796)'s will and receiving his personal effects. Elizabeth Blake also says that her kinsmen are William Hinxman and Nicholas Hinxman and these two men are the sons of Joseph Hinxman and Elliner Blake. I am collecting evidence looking at showing that Elizabeth Blake was born Elizabeth Hinxman and was a cousin to the children of Joseph Hinxman and Elliner Blake.

Elizabeth's son Thomas is a merchant at the City of Oxford and he has a son Thomas that is less than 21 years of age. I do not know Elizabeth's husband's name other than he is a Blake. The relationship between Elizabeth and William and Nicholas Hinxman is quite tantilizing. Are they her cousins? Is she the daughter of William Hinxman brother to Joseph Hinxman. Which Blake did she marry? Her son lives at the City of Oxford and is a merchant - I wonder if he is a mercer or draper? I shall continue to look at the relevant wills. At 3.50 pounds (UK) I now own about 100 wills or more.