Will of Richard Blake, yeoman, Marston Sicca, Gloucestershire - The National Archives PROB 11/188/332, probated 9 Mar 1641/42

Richard Blake, yeoman is the testator. Marston Sicca is also known as Long Marston. It is 68 miles from Bristol. Long Marston is only six miles SSW of Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire.

Richard does not mention any children in this will. He does mention brothers in law, nieces and nephews and a sister Mary Blake.

Names mentioned in the will:

Richard Blake, testator, Marston Sicca
Thomas Rawlins, godson
William Rawlins, brother in law
William Rawlins, son of William Rawlins
Anne Rawlins, daughter of William Rawlins
William Baxter, brother in law
Thomas Cooper, brother in law
Joseph, son of Thomas Cooper
Robert, son of Thomas Cooper
Thomas, son of Thomas Cooper
Jonathan, son of Thomas Cooper
Mary, daughter of Thomas Cooper
Barbara, daughter of Thomas Cooper
Hester, daughter of Thomas Cooper
Benjamin Cooper, godson, son of Thomas Cooper
John Blake, kinsman, executor
Robert Cooper, kinsman, executor
Robert Cooper, witness
Mary Blake, witness
Thomas Robbins, witness

From a record of an Inquisition Postmortem, page 104, Gloucestershire Inquisitiones Post Morten King Charles 1, edited by W.P.W. Phillimore and George S Fry, London: British Record Society Ltd. 1893.

5 Charles I [1 Apr 1629]

Robert Martyn, gentleman
Inquisition taken at Gloucester Castle 18th December, 5 Charles I [1629], before George Raymond, gent., feodary, John Hanbury, esq., and others, after the death of Robert Martyn gent., by the oath of Henry Merry, William Buckle, William Harris, Giles Bishopp, James Greene, John Kittermuster, John Blanch, Tobias Freeman, John Ellis, Thomas Greeninge, Thomas Jennings, Christopher Windowe, William Bullock, and John Lewes alias Gough, who say that

Robert Martyn was seised of one close of pasture called the greate Yellowes lying in Broadmerston in the parish of Pebworth, containing 50 acres of land, and one messuage and 2 virgates of land called Ullington in Pebworth.

So seized, the said Robert Martyn made his will 29th December, 4 Charles I [1628], at Pebworth, whereby he bequeathed to Robert Cooper, son of Thomas Cooper of Pebworth, the said close, to hold to him and his heirs. To Martin Cooper, another son of the said Thomas, he demised the said messuage to hold to him and his heirs. He appointed Thomas Martyn, and Edward Martyn, his kinsmen, to be his executors. One acre of the said close is held of the King in chief by the 100th part of a knight’s fee, and is worth per annum, clear, 4 d. Of whom or by what service the residue of the said close is held the jurors know not; it is worth per annum, clear, 50 s. Of whom or by what service the said messuage and land are held the jurors know not; they are worth per annum, clear, 20 s.

Robert Martyn died at Pebworth 1st April last past ; Richard Blake, son of Richard Blake, and Alice his wife, one of the sisters of the said Robert; John Ward, son of Thomas [sic] Ward, another sister [sic] of the said Robert; Joan, wife of Jervase Yate, another sister of the said Robert; Margaret Gardner, widow, and Mary, wife of Thomas Cooper, sisters of the said Robert, are his coheirs, and at the taking of this inquisition they were aged respectively: Richard Blake, 15 years; John Ward 30 years and more ; Joan Yate, 21 years and more ; Margaret Gardner 21 years and more ; and Mary Cooper 21 years and more.

Inq. p. m. 5 Charles I, part 2, No. 78 [1629]

A most helpful inquisition as it identifies this Richard Blake and Alice Martyn his wife. This Richard identifies Thomas Cooper as his brother in law and Mary the wife of Thomas Cooper is Mary Martyn sister to Richard’s wife Alice. But what has happened to the son Richard Blake who was 15 years of age in 1629 (and would now be 27 years of age if living).

There is a marriage of Richard Blake and Elizabeth Yate 13 Jul 1640 at Preston upon Stour (4 miles from Marston Sicca). Will have to determine which Richard Blake this actually is although it appears to be the father Richard Blake rather than the son who was 15 years of age in 1629.

Transcriber: Elizabeth Kipp
Recorded: 19 Apr 2014
Source: The National Archives, PROB 11/188/332
Testator:  Richard Blake, yeoman
Place: Marston Sicca, Gloucestershire, England
Type of Record: Will
Date of document: 17 Aug 1641, probated 9 Mar 1641/42
Condition: 17th century English, legible copy

[Margin]: T[estament] Richardj
[Margin]: Blake

1    In the Name of God Amen The seaventeenth
2    day of August in the yeare of our lord god 1641 Richard Blake
3    of Marston Sicca in the County of Gloucester yeoman being sicke and weake
4    in body but of perfect memory thanckes be to almighty god doe make this my
5    last will and testament in manne[r] and forme following that is to saye First I
6    bequeath my soule into the hands of all mighty god trusting by faith and hope in their
7    only merits and passion of Jesus Christ to attaine eternall life and my body
8    to the earth And as for my worldly goods I doe bequeath them as followeth Imprimis
9    I give and bequeath unto the Church of Marston Sicca twenty shillings Item
10    I give and bequeath unto the poore of Marston Sicca the somme of twenty shillings
11    Item I give and bequeath unto my Godson Thomas Rawlins the sonne of my
12    brother in Lawe William Rawlins the sonne of Fyftie pounds Item I give and
13    bequeath unto William Rawlins and Anne Rawlins two other of my brother in
14    lawe William Rawlins his Children the somme of forty pounds a peece
15    Item I give and bequeath unto my brother in lawe William Rawlins and
16    his wife the somme of five pounds a peece Item I give and bequeath
17    unto my brother in lawe William Baxter and his wife the somme of ten pounds
18    a peece Item I give and bequeath unto my sister Mary Blake the somme of
19    two hundred and forty pounds Item I give and bequeath unto Joseph Cooper
20    Robert Cooper Thomas Cooper and Jonathan Cooper foure of the sonnes of
21    my brother in lawe Thomas Cooper the somme of eighteene pounds a peece
22    Item I give and bequeath unto Mary Cooper Barbara Cooper and Hester
23    Cooper daughters of my brother in Lawe Thomas Cooper the somme of eighteene
24    pounds a peece Item I give and bequeath unto my godsonnes six shillings
25    eight pence a peece Item I give and bequeath unto my brother Coopers
26    three servant men and two servant maides five shillings a peece Item my
27    will and desire is that yf either of my brother Rawlins Children shall
28    dye before they accomplish the age of one and twenty yeares or be
29    married that then the legacies bequeathed shalbe equally devided to the
30    other All the residue of my goods Cattles Chattles debts money plate
31    right and tytle whatsoever not given nor bequeathed I give and bequeath
32    unto Beniamine Cooper my godson one other of the sonnes of my brother
33    in lawe Thomas Cooper whome I make and appoint sole executor of this
34    my last will and testament to recreate my debts pay my debts and to
35   fulfill this my will with a charge to be guided in the paying of the sayd
36    legacies before men[t]ioned dureing his nonage by my brother in lawe Thomas
37    Cooper And I doe appoint and request my kinsmen John Blake and
38    Robert Cooper to be overseers of this my last will and testament In
39    Wittnes whereof I have putt to my hand and seale Richard Blake in the
40    p[re]sence of Robert Cooper Mary Blake Thomas Robbins his marke

Vincent at Spetisbury

The Vincent family at Spetisbury remains completely unknown to me. Ann Vincent married John Knight 9 Jun 1783 at Spetisbury. John Knight was not the son of William Knight and Mary Dashwood it would appear but was he a brother to William Knight father of Ellis Knight who married Eleanor daughter of John Knight and Ann Vincent? That is one of the puzzles that I hope the Dorset registers for the 1700s (once they are up on Ancestry) might help to solve. Most Knight researchers do make this connection and I have accepted their statements but remain unconvinced although do have the family lore of a cousin relationship between Ellis and Eleanor.

The OPC Dorset site does offer a list for the marriages at Spetisbury in the 1700s and I find:

9 Aug 1792 John Vincent and Elizabeth Evans married with Thomas Knight as a witness (Thomas though was often a witness so probably doesn't mean anything particularly)

2 Apr 1793 Joseph Vincent of Dewlish and Elizabeth Meader married (Thomas Knight witness)

24 Jul 1796 George Florance and Elizabeth Vincent married

26 Mar 1799 Benjamin Garrett and Amelia Vincent married (Henry Knight witness and again he was often so)

The next Vincent marriages are into the 1830s. I am curious why the marriage of John Knight and Ann Vincent in 1783 does not appear as other researchers have given me this information. From 1754 onwards where the listing of witnesses is recorded there is often a member of the Knight family with the earlier Knight being Henry. By 1774 the Knight member is Thomas. and by 1794 we are back to Henry Knight. 

The militia list of 1787 for Spetisbury lists two John Knight - one is a bricklayer with 1 child and the second is a servant bricklayer (apprentice perhaps?). There is also a William Knight bricklayer. By 1787 John and Ann Knight appear to have just the one child Eleanor Knight. Is the date of their marriage in error (and the place). The mention of a Vincent at Dewlish attracted my interest. There are a lot of Vincent marriages at Dewlish but not a marriage for John Knight and Ann Vincent. There are eight children attributed to this couple by other researchers:

Eleanor Knight baptized 12 Dec 1786 at Spetisbury (married to Ellis Knight and my 2x great grandparents)

Elizabeth Ann Knight born circa 1790 and married to Ambrose Cousins 31 Mar 1818 at Spetisbury

Thomas Knight born circa 1794 at Spetisbury

Jemina Knight born circa 1798 at Spetisbury married to Thomas Randall 22 Aug 1825 at Spetisbury

Benjamin Knight born circa 1799 at Spetisbury married to Caroline Loader 26 Sep 1820 at Spetisbury

Joseph Knight born circa 1800 at Spetisbury married to Ann Robbins 23 Sep 1822 at Corfe Mullen

James Knight born circa 1802 at Spetisbury married to Frances Butcher 16 Aug 1829 at St Pancras (London)

Samuel Knight born circa 1806 at Spetisbury

I am left to ponder whether these are all their children and the next research day for Vincent may find the earlier registers for Dorset online at Ancestry.