Clearing snow and looking at the Wiltshire Wills

Snow all plowed by the company and I cleared the patio and porch. There was a lot of snow - perhaps the full 40 centimetres. Earthquakes in California - strange time of year for earthquakes. I wonder why there are so many. No damage or injuries reported fortunately.

Continuing with South Newton which I rather think is likely the Calne Blake family moving out from Calne to the south.  

South Newton (19 miles WSW of Andover, 30 miles S of Calne).

The Blake family at South Newton continues from the 1500s  to the present. A freehold in Stoford (close to South Newton) was purchased by Henry Blake (between 1693 and 1704) and in 1704 Henry passed it to John Blake and John sold it in 1720 (British History Online). Could this be the Calne Blake family? Certainly Henry was a forename in the Blake family of Calne at the time of the destruction of the family home at Pinhills in 1643. But there were Blakes at South Newton in the 1500s. 

Thomas Blake, 1550, Stofford, South Newton (wife Alice Blake 1566)  This couple had a son William Blake with a son John Blake mentioned in the will of Alice 1566 and a daughter Miriam also mentioned. Thomas in his will mentions children: William, Robert, Johane, John and Maryan. 

John Blake, 1545, Stowford, South Newton, wife is Edithe father of Thomas, the son of Thomas is Robert, father of John (has a number of grandchildren). 

John Blake, 1554, South Newton, children mentioned: daughters:Margery, Elisabeth, Alys, Christian, Maryan, sons: Walter, Gylys, William, Edward, Robert. Wife is Edythe (second wife, she has children as well not mentioned by name). He does not appear to be at Stowford/Stofford although he is a husbandman.

John Blake, 1572, Stoweford, South Newton (wool merchant). children mention: son: John, William, Thomas, daughter Johan, Alyce, granddaughter Grace (daughter: Johan deceased). 

 In that four of these Blake families are living in the same estate area, one might conjecture that they are related and Stoford is a freehold with more information on a purchase there in the latter part of the 1600s/early 1700s. They do not however, mention each other particularly in their wills. They could be all related when one remembers that first cousins are close; second cousins are kin but beyond that there is not much relationship in these days for the most part.

Warminster (22 miles SWS of Calne) Two distinct Blake families at Warminster. One is likely descendant of the Calne Blake family but one could not say that the other isn't related for the same reason as above. 

Thomas Blake, 1584 (brother to a William Blake no will located), Thomas has just one child over 21, namely John, with Edward, Barbara and Edith all under 21.

 William Blake, 1538, Warminster, married to Syssley, sons Harry, Stephyn, Thomas, Nycholas and John, daughters Elizabeth, Agnes. This family of Blake I think is descendant of the Blake family of Calne. Similar forenames and they own land. This is the oldest will of the group of Blake wills in Wiltshire that I downloaded and transcribed maybe 10 years ago (they ranged from 1538 into the early 1700s). 

Stephan Blake 1564 (brothers Nicholas and John mentioned, no wills located, son of William Blake 1538). This is likely given the siblings mentioned. The forenames are common in the Calne Blake family). So you can see the movement southward and it is tempting to see this as moving out from Windsor into the various parts of the country. 

West Lavington (14 miles S of Calne, 10 miles E Warminster)

Thomas Blake 1573 (brothers Robert Blake and John Blake, a Robert Blake is mentioned in one of the Warminster wills).  Thomas is a merchant (brother John is at Earlestoke close by). This will is a jewel as it mentions so many local names in this time frame (owed money to Thomas). Both John and Robert have children and he does not. 

Erlestoke (3 miles E of West Lavington, 15 miles S Calne, 9 miles NE of Warminster)

John Blake 1574, Erlestoke (brothers Robert and John (not unusual in the Blake family to have a John Blake the elder and John Blake the younger). He only mentions daughters so male line daughtered out. 

Deverill Longbridge ( 3 miles S of Warminster)

John Blake 1538, Deverill Longbridge (he mentions three sons Thomas, William and John and three daughters Alice, Margaret and Philip). He is a clothier. He does not mention siblings although a contemporary to William at Warminster who left his will in 1538.

Platyford (now in Hampshire near Southampton and 13 miles SE of Salisbury, 46 miles SSE of Calne, 33 miles SE Warminster) 

Richard Blake 1572, Plaitford/Platyford (Husbandman, son Thomas and daughter Aldyce). Interesting as in correspondence with a possible Blake descendant of the Calne Blake family (could not at that persuade him to test) he hinted at the idea that the Calne Blake family had moved both westward into Gloucestershire and southward towards the New Forest area.

Thomas Blake, 1565, Playtford (Hsubandman, father of Richard 1572). He mentions sons Richard and John, daughter John and Elizabeth. Also mentions siblings Nycholas, Robert and Edith. A reminder of the Blake family at Warminster in particular the will of William 1538. This does seem like the Calne Blake family again as they moved south towards the New Forest area. 

That completes the Blake wills from the 1500s in Wiltshire. I will look at Hampshire today more out of curiosity as at the time of transcribing wills in Hampshire I did not necessarily record any thoughts on siblings mentioned in the will with regard to kinship. I want to check that. Since I did recall ten years ago my grandfather's thoughts on the family lore of ancient relationship to the Calne Blake family although far more on the very ancient relationship that his Blake line had with Andover area. Perhaps even back then he was more attached to the idea of being ancient British than Norman. Certainly my brother found that very interesting and did recall our grandfather expressing his opinion on the long period of time that his family had been in the Andover area. Grandpa was both a proud Canadian and a proud Englishman (and they can be compatible especially if you are born in England). I think it was interesting that on his death certificate it said Canadian (this was in 1953 so just six years after Canadian citizenship was created by Statue).

Interesting, looking at the painting today I can see these small plants (probably 15 to 20 cm tall) under the trees have ice clinging to their branches and obviously not flat against the tree. I couldn't differentiate the little plants before but the extra is I would  not have seen the gap behind them where they stand in front of the large tree. Amazing really, I do understand now why people sit and look at pictures for hours now although I do not plan to do that. 

Looking at Wiltshire Wills

I discovered yesterday that Dad's Cookies sold in Canada are actually made here.  That is good news as they are my favourite cookie.

To the best of my knowledge I have collected all the Blake Wiltshire Wills although will also check to see if there are more available from earlier but I think I have them all. All of these wills have been blogged by me and I generally put in anything that I found of interest when I blogged the will.

 Martyn/Martin/Marten (9.5 miles sw of Salisbury, 32 miles from Calne)

William Blake 1545 / Agnes Blake 1563 - Lived at Marten, Wiltshire. From the two wills their children appear to be John, Elizabeth, Agnes and Alys. Since I follow only the male line John is the one of interest.

John Blake 1582 / Elizabeth Blake 1583 - Lived at Marten, Wiltshire. John is the son of William and Agnes above and he and his wife had daughters so this line daughtered out. Marten is south of Salisbury so it is difficult to say that this is a line coming down from Calne or a line coming across from Hampshire or up from Christchurch/Southampton. But no one in the male Blake line is descendant of this couple. 

South Newton (19 miles WSW of Andover, 30 miles S of Calne).

The Blake family at South Newton continues from the 1500s  to the present. A freehold in Stoford (close to South Newton) was purchased by Henry Blake (between 1693 and 1704) and in 1704 Henry passed it to John Blake and John sold it in 1720 (British History Online). Could this be the Calne Blake family? Certainly Henry was a forename in the Blake family of Calne at the time of the destruction of the family home at Pinhills in 1643. But there were Blakes at South Newton in the 1500s.

Dental appointment interrupted my day and I am getting older as I found that I needed a long rest after that appointment. 

Last night heavy snow which we definitely need but it looks like it could be 40 cm so a fair amount but we are headed towards March when we do get our heaviest snows. 

Today more work on the Wiltshire/Hampshire/Berkshire/Dorset Blake wills. It is a number of years since I transcribed all of the Wiltshire wills and likely the same for the rest. It is good to have the blogs to review though as I put quite a bit of time into each one pulling out available data at the time. 

I am still thinking that I should write an article on the Blake yDNA for the Guild Journal in hopes of attracting more testers as finding one with a proven paper trail back to the Calne Blake family could prove interesting. I still need to find the work I did on the French yDNA. I remember doing it and not that long ago and I did find some interesting details when I did it I recall. 

The new ethnicity reports that My Heritage has created - Ethnicity Estimate v2.5: The Long-Awaited Improved DNA Ethnicity Model are now available and most interesting. There was also an Ancient Report which I did find very interesting as it located my grandfather Blake as a Western Hunter Gatherer in the British Isles very early on. Intriguing really and we do have to listen to these stories by peoples who lived in places for a very long time. Their knowledge base is huge and often so detailed as it was passed down through the families (and I do realize now in my old age that that was exactly what my grandfather was doing - passing it on because we were so far from where my Blake family lived in England).  As my brother next older to me in age and I met through the last 15 years of his life from 2007 on we met regularly (three to four times a year) in London (my home town) where we talked about our family and especially he was interested in the yDNA. It all sort of came together after my mother passed away. She had reminded me of my intense interest in DNA as a child and certainly it did drive me towards Chemistry at University. But she had also talked to him about DNA and that people were testing so the combination came together not long after she passed as we started emailing each other and then I spotted the Sorenson Genomics Testing and mentioned it and he was keen. In all Edward, my brother and I tested our DNA with Sorensen Genetics and I just started to collect all the data that came forward. At that time there were a couple of matches with Doug and other Blake descendants primarily in Australia as I recall but also in the United States. They did not carry it forward into FT DNA as that offer was suggested and I did do that with all three of our tests and then so much testing since on all of the kits. I must go in and have a look at my siblings also on My Heritage and Edward for the new ethnicity reports. It is amazing how differently we all inherited from our four grandparents - me especially as I am totally different from everyone except my brother next in age to me but younger. He and I are the most similar but he still does not match me that closely. Interesting how that happens - I simply inherited a very large percentage from my paternal grandmother and none of them did. I was around 36% ?/Rawlings and they all tend to be in the neighbourhood of 12 to 18% with all of them inheriting strongly in the Blake line. The same in the maternal line with me inheriting quite strongly in the Buller line and a number of them inherited in the Taylor line (which does have Irish matches) and then in the Pincombe they inherited far more than I did with me inheriting strongly in the Routledge/Gray side. I think it is mostly Routledge for me as my Scot percentage tends to look like it is a generation closer than actual. So always very interesting. My Heritage is growing rapidly and I still have not done the work of inserting all my new matches into my database to work on the phasing of my grandparents and great-grandparents which I liked to update every year but it is now three years since I made a big update. The reality is that it was really the DNA (and my cousin wanting the Pincombe Profile for his book) that brought me into genealogy finally in 2003. I did have the experience though through the years of helping Edward at the repositories as he searched for his family's records both in Ontario and then in the New England States. It took us simply everywhere in New England and then to Utah to the Family History Library and to the Allen Country Library in Indiana as well as the Library of Congress in Washington. I have seen so many of these repositories including of course NEHGS and NYGBS where we spent many days going through their collections. Our very first trip to the United States to discover information was in 1973 I think. We had exhausted all the information at the Ontario Archives and Library and Archives Canada by then. Then there was Kew in London, England - a fantastic resource which I occasionally toy with the idea of going and spending a bit of time there. But you can buy scanned records from them which at 79.5 years of age works very well for me.

Tea finished and the day is ahead of me.

 

Cleaning accomplished and on to the work week

Today I plan to continue working on the phasing project as well as the Blake book. I want to transcribe the two documents that I bought. They both seem to be interesting but will they support my  premise about the Blake family of Calne being descendant of Richard le Blak who is found on the Pipe Rolls in Wargrave (near Windsor) Berkshire in 1301 with his daughter Alice and possibly a son John. they are all living at Wargrave. There isn't a Robert le Blak listed but estimating his age in another blog came up with a birth after 1301. The coincidence of choosing a Richard le Blake at the top of the Blake Pedigree Chart created by the Daniel Blake family of London in 1690 with additions into the 1700s is interesting. The success of this family in the 1300s not surprising for a family of Norman origin and Richard le Blak had requested a market permit in 1274 whilst living in Rouen, Normandy. Was there another Blake family that could be the Calne Blake family in this area. It does not appear so by the records. The wills of the Blake family I have transcribed from the Wiltshire Archives and they include:

 Agnes Blake 1563 (Martin, widow of William Blake d 1545, their son John Blake)

Alice Blake 1566 (widow of Thomas Blake 1550, South Newton)

Elizabeth Blake 1583 (Marten, widow of John Blake 1582)

John Blake 1538 (Deverill Longbridge (near Warminster))

John Blake 1546 (South Newton)

John Blake 1554 (South Newton,  brother to John Blake 1546, John Blake the elder and John Blake the younger mentioned in will)

John Blake 1572 (South Newton, son of John Blake 1546?)

John Blake 1574 (Erlestoke, brothers Robert and John)

John Blake 1582 (Martyn, widow Elizabeth 1583, son of William and Agnes)

Richard Blake 1572 (Playtford, brother to Thomas and Nycholas)

Roger Blake 1557 (Pinhills, Calne, married to Mary 1570, Robert

Stephan Blake 1564 (Warminster, brothers Nicholas and John)

Thomas Blake 1550 (South Newton, his widow Alice left her will in 1566)

Thomas Blake 1565 (Playtford, brother Richard and Nycholas)

Thomas Blake 1573 (West Lavington, brothers Robert Blake and John Blake)

Thomas Blake 1584 (Warminster)

William Blake 1538 (Warminster, father of Stephan)

William Blake 1545 (Martin/Marten, wife Agnes Blake d 1563)

Mary Blake 1570 (Pinhills, Calne, widow of Roger Blake)

My blogs on these wills discuss the different lines (none of these places are that far from Calne) but are they all related? This is already two hundred years after Robert le Blake is found as a juror at Hungerford in 1338 on an Inquisition Postmortem. 

So on to the two documents which are both from the 1300s. I do trust the Pedigree Chart to a certain extent when it is discussing Robert Blake and Avis (Wallop) (Malewyn) Blake grandparents of Roger Blake above at Pinhills. That locates the family back into the 1400s. Various items that look at the business dealings between Robert le Blake and the Malewyn family in the 1300s/1400s are perhaps the linkage that helps to connect but time will tell on that. 

Robert Dale (Richmond Herald (appointed in 1721)) at the College of Arms in 1693 commented on the Blake family of Quemberford (reproduced in the Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine, Volume 9 (Pages 223-224) published in 1866 and available on the Internet.Archive.org website:

 http://archive.org/details/wiltshirearchaeo09arch

 A Robert Dale is quoted by Clarence Hopper:

 His notes on the Blague/Blake/Blaake family

Dorsetshire, 27. Blague, alias Blaake, now [Thomas] Blake of Quemberford [Quemerford], Calne and Pynhills - 1st, arg. a chevron between 3 garbs, sab. (this is the usual arms associated with the Blake family [at Calne]). 2nd, arg. on a pile, az. 3 martlets, sil. both by this name. Crest on a chapeau, gu. turned up erm. a martlet, arg. Kent 83.

Blague of Lacock, a second branch from Quemberford. Kent 83

Blague of Hilcot, a third house from Calne. Kent 83

This fits in with the Visitation of 1565 which states that Roger Blake and Mary Baynard had three sons - Thomas at Pynnell, Robert at Lacock and John at Hilcott which matches the information found in the Wiltshire Arms and Descents article mentioned above.

Roger's father was Robert Blake married to Margaret (Englefield) and this Robert was a known son of Robert Blake and Avis (Wallop) (Malewyn) Blake. Avis Blake's Inquisition Postmorten in 1474/1475 (C 140/48/6) helps to date this family as her youngest son John was at Least 40 years of age or more. This brings the known Blake line back closer to the beginning of the 1400s. More on this as Robert Blake husband of Avis had a Fulling Mill and there is a record in 1416 that refers to that. What needs to be determined is can we relate the John Blake (Parliamentary Archives) to this Robert Blake both listed as of Quemberford in this early part of the 1400s? Time will tell and I must do Yoga and breakfast. The morning is evaporating even for this early riser. 

My only thought on the economy is diversification of our trading partners especially other Canadian provinces (eliminate the barriers). Plus we need to encourage our local industries once again as they have been lost during NAFTA/CUSMA - it is hard for a country that is so much smaller to compete against much larger companies - buy Canadian is the slogan. An American company operating here yes we buy; it needs to be made here by Canadian workers. Our unemployment at 6.7% is too high and we need to get our youth who have been trained in the trades back to work. This is good work and good money and it requires all the skills and much better talent for sure than any office job. Plus it is much healthier for our young not to be sitting in an office all day. There is money to be made in the trades. Don't create a company and then sell it to the American competition; keep it in the family and always Canadian! But that being said we have enjoyed items that came to us because of NAFTA/CUSMA but we need to protect Canadian industry as much as the Americans protect their industry. A closer economic union as Premier Ford has suggested is interesting and we can look at it.

As far as our border goes I doubt that anything can squeak across without being spotted against the white snow.  Plus it is freezing cold up here (minus 23 degrees celsius at 7:00 a.m. in the city) and not much survives out in that cold on foot. Even the animals have hibernated underground or they went south - they do not need passports!

 

 

Blake families of America

For the most part I do not attempt to separate out Blake families in America. It isn't that I do not think it could be done but so many books have been published and the desire to be descendant of the Blake families in Massachusetts so strong that I tend to avoid the discussions.

Finding the will of Charles Blake in Maryland was really very very interesting. He was apparently, according to some published family lore, educated in Paris at a Roman Catholic Institution. His descendants appear to still be in Maryland in 1790 and it would be easy to continue pulling them from the census records.

Why, in the late 1600s would someone choose to be educated in Paris? The Restoration of the Monarchy has eliminated the Puritan influence of the Cromwell era but restored the Church of England as the religion of the land. In neither realm would a Roman Catholic adherent have felt comfortable.

I did toy with the idea that this Charles who left his will in 1732 might be from the Wiltshire Blake family (namely the South Newton area) but I did find this family still quite intact in the Wiltshire area in the latter part of the 1600s when Charles was already in London. There was a Blake family in London in this time period and they created the Blake Pedigree Chart held by the Swindon and Wiltshire Record Office as well as by the actual creator of the Pedigree the College of Arms.

I do have an electronic copy of that chart and there was a Charles son of Thomas Blake of Finkley and Finkley was near Andover, Hampshire and he did live in London according to the chart. This chart was initially prepared in 1690 when Charles Blake, the testator of the 1732 will, was known to be living in London. Unfortunately this line was not traced down any further. This family was not wealthy but they were likely comfortable.

Interesting query on the Blake family at South Newton

I received a query on the Blake family at South Newton. I find this Blake line to be particularly interesting for my own line.  South Newton, Wiltshire lies 19 miles WSW of Andover, Hampshire  and 13 miles West of Over Wallop, Hampshire.

There is a Blake family at Over Wallop, Hampshire  (this information received from another researcher partially):

William Blake and Ann baptized children at Over Wallop. Could this be the William Blake who married Ann Whitaker 5 Dec 1751 at Saint James Trowbridge? Over Wallop though is 30 miles from Trowbridge. However they did not baptize a child at Over Wallop until Jul 1754. The following adds to the information sent to me but doesn't answer the query but since I have looked it up I decided to blog it so that I do not lose it!

James baptized 7 Jul 1754
Thomas baptized 9 Apr 1756; buried 27 Sep 1757
Thomas baptized 23 Jul 1758
Elizabeth baptized 9 Mar 1760; married John Lansley 8 May 1780 at Over Wallop
Richard baptized 21 Mar 1762
Mary baptized 8 Mar 1767; buried 16 Dec 1769

James married Mary Browning 28 Jul 1776 at Over Wallop, Hampshire and baptized children at Over Wallop:

James baptized 7 Sep 1777; married Esther Hayter 12 Dec 1818 at Over Wallop
John baptized 27 Jan 1782
William baptized 23 Nov 1783

Richard married Phoebe Northover 13 Nov 1793 at Broad Chalke, Wiltshire (7 miles from South Newton) and baptized some of their children at Over Wallop [ ] items from researcher:

[Ann baptized 10 May 1794 St Thomas, Salisbury (8 miles from Broad Chalke) ]
[John baptized 25 Dec 1795 at Ebbesbourne Wake (3 miles from Broad Chalke)]
[William baptized 21 Sep 1800 Ebbesbourne Wake] (was he buried at Over Wallop 3 Feb 1803?)
Charles baptized 10 Apr 1803
Sarah baptized 27 Dec 1805
Letitia baptized 18 Sep 1808; buried 25 Jun 1826 at Over Wallop
Thomas baptized 27 Jan 1811; buried 19 May 1811 at Over Wallop
Harriet baptized 3 May 1812[; buried Dec quarter 1843 Stockbridge RD]
Thomas baptized 19 Mar 1815
[James baptized 12 Oct 1817]

William and Elizabeth Blake baptized children at Over Wallop:

Ann baptized 20 Dec 1806
Elizabeth baptized 7 Feb 1802
George baptized 8 Jul 1804
Frances baptized 2 Apr 1809; married James Amor 10 Mar 1831 at Over Wallop
John baptized 23 Jun 1811
Hannah baptized 22 Aug 1813

 A Charles Blake was buried at Over Wallop 6 May 1742. Jone Blake was buried 2 Aug 1723 and Mary Blake was buried 3 May 1725 also at Over Wallop.

Another four earlier burials at Over Wallop: Anne Blake was buried 4 Oct 1696 daughter of Charles and Ruth; Charles Blake was buried 19 Aug 1684 son of Charles; Charles Blake was buried 11 Dec 1702 son of Charles and Ruth, and Joseph Blake was buried 22 Apr 1703 son of Charles and Ruth.

These burials are the earliest records that I found online for the Blake family at Over Wallop on Find My Past. If you go to British History Online for Over Wallop there is no mention of the Blake family in the early records as having been at Over Wallop. This manor was owned by the Ludlow family who also owned a manor in Overton Hundred at Tadley. Has this Blake family come from that manor? Or have they come from other areas around Over Wallop?

Moving on to South Newton which is the location of the query and the marriage that I am looking at is that of John Blake and Elizabeth Blake 24 Dec 1778 at South Newton (Find My Past has this marriage John Blake and Elisabeth Blake 24 Dec 1778 at South Newton and no other details).

There are a few baptisms for John Blake at South Newton

John baptized 29 Sep 1743 son of Thomas and Elizabeth Blake
John Blake baptized 5 Oct 1748 son of Thomas and Betty Blake
John Blake baptized 29 Oct 1752 son of Mary Blake
John Blake baptized 11 Jun 1753 son of John and Ann Blake
John Blake baptized 27 Nov 1756 son of William and Jane Blake

There was a John Blake buried 14 May 1755 at South Newton (no age given).

Baptisms for Elizabeth Blake at South Newton

Betty Blake baptized 15 Sep 1755 daughter of John and Ann; likely buried 23 Nov 1755 at South Newton

Betty Blake baptized 14 Dec 1758 daughter of Peter and Elizabeth
Betty Blake baptized 12 Apr 1760 daughter of Alexander and Sarah

Three Elizabeth Blakes were buried at South Newton, one in 1760, one in 1762 and one in 1764 and no age given (others in the 1770s and this is a very common forename in the Blake family).

What can I look at with this query? I did transcribe wills for the Blake families at South Newton but they were much earlier than this time frame.

Charles Blake, Upholsterer probated 8 Apr 1684 and he mentions  his father Charles Blake living at Chilhampton in the parish of South Newton and his brother Richard of New Sarum. He does not name the location for his other brother Christopher Blake nor for his sisters Mary Chalke and Anne Chase or Martha Tenne. He has a cousin Charles Gilbert.

A will for Charles Blake of Chilhampton probated 24 Oct 1649 and his children Agnes (baptized 7 Nov 1624 at South Newton), Joane (baptized 8 Apr 1626 at South Newton), Anne (baptized 1 May 1629; buried 2 Jul 1629 at South Newton), Charles (baptized 2 Oct 1631) and Edith (baptized 2 Jul 1634 (mother was Joane)).

A will for John Blake yeoman of Stovered South Newton and probated 20 May 1637 naming his sons Thomas (has seven children), Robert (two children) and daughter Joane Biggs.

A will for William Blake of Chilhampton, South Newton probated 1 Jun 1610 and he names his sons John and Charles and his daughters Edith, Dorathie, Anconett, Agnis and Margaret.

This appears to give a line coming down from William (will probated 1 Jun 1610), Charles his son (will probated 24 Oct 1649), Charles baptized 1631, Charles his son (will probated 8 Apr 1684) and his right heirs his brothers Richard and Christopher.

Maud Blake of Stoverd left a will probated 28 Oct 1616 and she names Robert Blake with sons Thomas and John, William Blake with son Henry, Henry Blake with sons William and Henry. She was married to a William Blake.

John Blake of Stooloford left a will probated 1545/46 with wife Edyth and sons Thomas and John. Thomas has a son Robert and the testator mentions a Robert Blake carpenter at South Newton.

The will of John Blake husbandman of South Newton probated 6 Feb 1553/1554 mentions his sons Walter, Gylys, William, Edward and Robert.

The will of John Blake of Stoweford probated 20 Mary 1572 names his sons John, William and Thomas with John having sons William and Thomas. Thomas's children are unnamed.

There are simply too many  with the same forename to determine the William who married Maud and with two wills for John Blake in the same time period (how were they related? or were they?). Another one of those problems that can really only be solved with yDNA studies of the Blake families descendant of the South Newton Blake families.

The enquirer is looking for a John Blake born circa 1740s-1750s. These wills bring me forward only into the mid 1600s.

 Baptisms at South Newton from the IGI (separated into family lines with father named at top of group):

Charles Blake
Agnes Blake daughter  of Charles Blake 7 Nov 1624
Joane Blake daughter of Charles Blake 8 Apr 1626
Anne Blake daughter of Charles Blake 1 May 1629 buried 2 Jul 1629
Charles Blake son of Charles Blake 2 Oct 1631
Edith Blake daughter of Charles Blake and Joane 2 Jul 1634  

Francis Blake
Thomas Blake son of Francis Blake   27 May 1627  

George Blake
George Blake son of George Blake and Frances 5 Oct 1634
John Blake son of George Blake and Frances 2 Apr 1637 buried 15 Apr 1637

Henry Blake
Thomas Blake son of Henry Blake   27 Nov 1608  
Alice Blake daughter of Henry Blake   8 Sep 1620  
Frances Blake daughter of Henry Blake   23 Apr 1626 buried 14 Nov 1627
Philip Blake son of Henry Blake   7 Sep 1628  
Elleanor Blake daughter of Henry Blake   8 Jan 1631  
Sarah Blake daughter of Henry Blake and Elleanor 26 Jul 1635  

John Blake
Joseph Blake son of John Blake   1 Jun 1625  
Elizabeth Blake daughter of John Blake   9 Sep 1627  
Robert Blake son of John Blake   18 Nov 1629  
Anne Blake daughter of John Blake   1 Feb 1631  
Elizabeth Blake daughter of John Blake   21 Jun 1632  
John Blake son of John Blake   3 Dec 1633  
Joane Blake daughter of John Blake   1 Mar 1633
Elizabeth Blake daughter of John Blake and Elleanor 27 Sep 1635  
Alexander Blake son of John Blake and Elleanor 7 Oct 1637  

Robert Blake
Joane Blake daughter of Robert Blake   1 Apr 1633  
Joane Blake daughter of Robert Blake and Alice 7 Apr 1634  
Elizabeth Blake daughter of Robert Blake and Alice 2 Apr 1637  

Thomas Blake (two sets)
Thomas Blake son of Thomas Blake   11 Jun 1626  
Thomas Blake son of Thomas Blake   18 May 1628  
William Blake son of Thomas Blake   15 Jun 1628  
Elizabeth Blake daughter of Thomas Blake   14 Nov 1632  
Joseph Blake son of Thomas Blake   30 Mar 1632  
Elizabeth Blake daughter of Thomas Blake   30 Oct 1631  
Richard Blake son of Thomas Blake   8 Apr 1632  
Dorothy Blake daughter of Thomas Blake and Frances 10 Jan 1635 buried 19 Jan 1635
Mary Blake daughter of Thomas Blake and Frances 23 Apr 1634  
Eleanor Blake daughter of Thomas Blake and Frances 20 Jul 1634  
Thomas Blake son of Thomas Blake and Jane 15 Mar 1634  

Marriages
Marion Blake married Thomas Lane 25 Apr 1608
Henry Blake married Alice Walles 28 Nov 1608
Henry Blake married Ellen Homans 20 Sep 1624
Anes Blake married Simon Pike 14 May 1626
Mary Blake married Roger Kingman 29 Oct 1632
Edward Blake married Sarah Webbe 26 Nov 1632
thomas Blake married Jane Mackerill 27 Dec 1632
Johne Blake married Elleanor Beckett 26 May 1633
Joane Blake married Alexander Percye 17 Feb 1633

Searching my blog and using : 

http://kippeeb.blogspot.ca/search/label/South%20Newton

will bring up all of the wills.

Will of Charles Blake, Upholsterer, Salisbury, Wiltshire - The National Archives PROB 11/375/449, probated 8 Apr 1684

The testator, Charles Blake, would appear to be the grandson of Charles Blake whose will was blogged yesterday. Charles identifies his father as Charles Blake of Chilhampton.

Charles, the testator, identifies his brothers as Richard Blake and Christopher Blake and his sisters as Mary Chalke, Ann Chase and Martha Blake. He has a cousin Charles Gilbert that is rather interesting to me.

Discovering the origins of the Blake family at South Newton could be rather revealing for the Blake families found in the Wiltshire/Hampshire area especially given that the Gilbert family and the Blake family also intermarried at Andover.

His father Charles Blake is still living in l684 and he was known to have been baptized at South Newton 2 Oct 1631. His marriage lines I have not yet found but if he married by 1652 then this son could be as old as 31. He does not have a wife so is probably a fairly young adult perhaps only in  his mid 20s although he is in business as an upholsterer.

Transcriber: Elizabeth Kipp
Recorded: 25 Nov 2013
Source: The National Archives, PROB 11/375/449
Testator: Charles Blake, Upholsterer
Place: Salisbury, Wiltshire, England
Type of Record: Will
Date of document: 5 Mar 1683/84, probated 8 Apr 1684
Condition: 17th century English, legible copy

[Margin]: T[esta]m[ent] Carolus
[Margin]: Blake

1    In the Name of God Amen the
2    fifth day of March in the yeare of our Lord God 1683/4 Charles Blake of the
3    Citty New Sarum in the County of Wilts Upholsterer being sick and weake of body
4    but of perfect minde and memory thanks be given unto God therefore calling unto
5    minde the mortality of my body and knowing that it is appointed for all men ev[er]ie
6    to die Doe make and ordaine this my last will and Testament in manner and
7    forme following that is to say First and principally I give my Soule into the hands of
8    God who gave it mee and for my body I commend it to the earth to be buried in
9    Christian and decent manner in the Church of St Thomas nothing doubting but
10    at the general resurrection I shall receive the same againe by the mighty power of
11    God And as touching such worldly estate as it hath pleased God to blesse mee
12    in this life I give devise bequeath and dispose the same in manner and forme
13    following Imp[rimi]s I give and bequeath for the good will I beare unto my brother
14    Richard Blake a hundred and Fifty pound and the Lease of the house I now
15    dwell in Item I give and bequeath unto my sister Mary Chalke Five pounds
16    Item I give and bequeath to my Sister Anne Chase Tenne pounds Item I
17    give and bequeath to my Brother Christopher Tenne pounds Item I give
18    and bequeath to my sister Martha Tenne pounds Item I give my Cousen
19    Charles Gilbert halfe a peece And of this my last Will I make and ordaine my
20    dearly beloved Father Charles Blake of Chilhampton in the parish of
21    Southnewton in the County of Wilts aforesaid and my Brother Richard Blake
22    of New Sarum aforesaid my joint Executors and I doe hereby utterly revoke
23    and Annull all other Testaments Wills Legacies bequests and Executors by
24    mee in any wise before this time named willed and bequeathed ratifying and
25    confirmeing this and noe other to bee my laste will and Testament In witness
26    whereof I have hereunto sett my hand and seale the day and yeare above written
27    Signed Sealed pronounced and declared by the said Charles Blake as his last
28    will and Testament in the presence of us the marke of Katherine Stansmoore
29    the marke of Robert Styles Charles Gilbert Memorand[um] that at the Swearing
30    and examining of the Witnesses the said witnesses did sweare and declare that
31    they heard the Will read and published and the reason of his not signeing
32    nor sealing was because he was both blind and very weake in the small pox
33    soe that he was not able to doe it these words were spoken in the presence of us Sam: Iscotte Hugh Frome No[ta]ry Publicke

Will of Charles Blake, Chilhampton, Wiltshire - The National Archives PROB 11/209/485, probated 24 Oct 1649

Charles Blake is the testator and he has been identified in the earlier wills of Wiltshire which I blogged:

http://kippeeb.blogspot.ca/2012/10/will-of-john-blake-yeoman-of-stoverd.html

Entered into this blog are baptisms at South Newton from the IGI for the children of Charles Blake:

Agnes Blake baptized 7 Nov 1624
Joane Blake baptized 8 Apr 1626
Anne Blake baptized 1 May 1629; buried 2 Jul 1629
Charles Blake baptized 2 Oct 1631
Edith Blake baptized 2 Jul 1634 (mother was Joane)

As well the will of John Blake mentions interesting marriages which include Joane Blake married to Alexander Percye (overseer named in will below). There is also an Edward Blake married to Sarah Webbe which is rather interesting given the will of Ann Blake yesterday.

Another will blogged earlier from Wiltshire identifies the father of the testator Charles:

http://kippeeb.blogspot.ca/2012/10/will-of-william-blake-of-chilhampton.html

William Blake of Chilhampton, South Newton, is the father of John and Charles and has daughters Edith, Dorathie, Anconett, Agnis and Margaret. His wife was named Joane as was the wife of Charles it appears from the baptism of Edith.

Interestingly William has named his neighbor Henry Blake as overseer and likewise his son in this will appoints a Henry Blake as overseer.

From the will of Maud Blake we do know who Henry Blake is:

http://kippeeb.blogspot.ca/2012/10/will-of-maud-blake-of-stoverd-south.html

Henry Blake mentioned in Maud’s will has a son Henry. Plus Maud has a son Henry whether or not they are the same Henry is not answered by the will but is somewhat suspicious..

Transcriber: Elizabeth Kipp
Recorded: 25 Nov 2013
Source: The National Archives, PROB 11/209/485
Testator: Charles Blake
Place: Chilhampton, Wiltshire, England
Type of Record: Will
Date of document: 1 Mar 1646, probated 24 Oct 1649
Condition: 17th century English, legible copy

[Margin]: T[esta]m[ent] Caroli
[Margin]: Blake

1    In Nomine Dei Amen I Charles
2    Blake of Chilhampton sick and weake in body but of good and perfect memory thankes
3    bee to Almighty god doe make and constitute this my last will and testament in manner and
4    forme following Imprimis I bequeath and commend my Soule and sprit into the hands
5    of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and my body to be buried in the Church or churchyard
6    of my parish of South Newton Item I give and bequeath to my daughter Anne Lawes forty
7    markes Item I give to my grandchild Joane the daughter twenty pounds Item I give to my
8    daughter Joane Hewes of Wilton twenty pounds Item I give to my daughter Mary three
9    score and ten pounds Item I give to my daughter Edith threescore and ten pounds Item
10    I give to my two daughters Mary and Edith five pounds apiece to be paid them out of the
11    Money till my sonne Charles come to the age of one and twenty yeares Item I give to my
12    Neece Warborowe Hayter five pounds Item I give to the poore of my parish of South
13    Newton ten shillings Item I make my sonne Charles Blake Executor of this my last will and
14    testament to whom I give and bequeath all the rest of my goods moveable and immoveable Item
15    I make Henry Blake and Alexander Pearcy both of them of South Newton Overseers of
16    this my will and testament and to each of them I give three Shillings foure pence a peece In
17    wittnes whereof I have hereunto sett my hand and seale the day and yeare above written
18    in the presence of Charles Blake his mark and seale Lees Dickenson Henry Blake
19    Math: Fewes

Will of John Blake, yeoman of Stoverd South Newton - National Archives PROB 11/174/183, probated 20 May 1637

I had hoped that by transcribing all the earlier wills that I have for the Blake family at South Newton I might be able to place this present will for John Blake at Stoverd South Newton.  He refers to himself as John the elder so one of his grandchildren is perhaps a John Blake or is he the elder in a group of cousins and we know that in 1616 there was a John Blake son of Maud (from her will) and a John Blake son of Robert Blake (from the will of Maud) or are there simply two John Blakes in the area and one has been named elder and the other presumably younger.

Maud Blake's will:

http://kippeeb.blogspot.ca/2012/10/will-of-maud-blake-of-stoverd-south.html

The Blake family at South Newton and the testator is John Blake married to Agnes. Maud Blake names her sons Henry, Severan, John and Robert. She states that Robert Blake has sons Thomas and John (not Maud's son Robert). William Blake has son Henry and Henry Blake has sons William and Henry.

This John (testator) has sons Thomas and Robert and daughter Joane Bigges. He has many grandchildren with only a few named - Thomas has seven children, Robert has two children, Joane Bigges has a son Anthony and other children not named or counted.

There was a Joane Bigges buried 10 Apr 1646 (B00190-2 Family Search Patron entry).

There are a lot of Blake families at South Newton. We know that a William Blake has sons John and Charles according to his will probated 1610.

Baptisms at South Newton from the IGI:

Charles Blake
Agnes Blake daughter  of Charles Blake 7 Nov 1624
Joane Blake daughter of Charles Blake 8 Apr 1626
Anne Blake daughter of Charles Blake 1 May 1629 buried 2 Jul 1629
Charles Blake son of Charles Blake 2 Oct 1631
Edith Blake daughter of Charles Blake and Joane 2 Jul 1634   

Francis Blake
Thomas Blake son of Francis Blake   27 May 1627   

George Blake
George Blake son of George Blake and Frances 5 Oct 1634
John Blake son of George Blake and Frances 2 Apr 1637 buried 15 Apr 1637

Henry Blake
Thomas Blake son of Henry Blake   27 Nov 1608   
Alice Blake daughter of Henry Blake   8 Sep 1620   
Frances Blake daughter of Henry Blake   23 Apr 1626 buried 14 Nov 1627
Philip Blake son of Henry Blake   7 Sep 1628   
Elleanor Blake daughter of Henry Blake   8 Jan 1631   
Sarah Blake daughter of Henry Blake and Elleanor 26 Jul 1635   

John Blake
Joseph Blake son of John Blake   1 Jun 1625   
Elizabeth Blake daughter of John Blake   9 Sep 1627   
Robert Blake son of John Blake   18 Nov 1629   
Anne Blake daughter of John Blake   1 Feb 1631   
Elizabeth Blake daughter of John Blake   21 Jun 1632   
John Blake son of John Blake   3 Dec 1633   
Joane Blake daughter of John Blake   1 Mar 1633
Elizabeth Blake daughter of John Blake and Elleanor 27 Sep 1635   
Alexander Blake son of John Blake and Elleanor 7 Oct 1637   

Robert Blake
Joane Blake daughter of Robert Blake   1 Apr 1633   
Joane Blake daughter of Robert Blake and Alice 7 Apr 1634   
Elizabeth Blake daughter of Robert Blake and Alice 2 Apr 1637   

Thomas Blake (two sets)
Thomas Blake son of Thomas Blake   11 Jun 1626   
Thomas Blake son of Thomas Blake   18 May 1628   
William Blake son of Thomas Blake   15 Jun 1628   
Elizabeth Blake daughter of Thomas Blake   14 Nov 1632   
Joseph Blake son of Thomas Blake   30 Mar 1632   
Elizabeth Blake daughter of Thomas Blake   30 Oct 1631   
Richard Blake son of Thomas Blake   8 Apr 1632   
Dorothy Blake daughter of Thomas Blake and Frances 10 Jan 1635 buried 19 Jan 1635
Mary Blake daughter of Thomas Blake and Frances 23 Apr 1634   
Eleanor Blake daughter of Thomas Blake and Frances 20 Jul 1634   
Thomas Blake son of Thomas Blake and Jane 15 Mar 1634   

Marriages
Marion Blake married Thomas Lane 25 Apr 1608
Henry Blake married Alice Walles 28 Nov 1608
Henry Blake married Ellen Homans 20 Sep 1624
Anes Blake married Simon Pike 14 May 1626
Mary Blake married Roger Kingman 29 Oct 1632
Edward Blake married Sarah Webbe 26 Nov 1632
thomas Blake married Jane Mackerill 27 Dec 1632
Johne Blake married Elleanor Beckett 26 May 1633
Joane Blake married Alexander Percye 17 Feb 1633

Transcriber: Elizabeth Kipp
Recorded: 26 Oct 2012
Source:  The National Archives, PROB 11/174/183
Name of testator: John Blake, yeoman
Place: Stoverd, South Newton, Wiltshire, England
Type of Record: Will
Dated  probated 4 Mar 1636/37, 20 May 1637
Read: Electronic file images
Condition: light text, middle English writing, 17th century
[In margin] T[estator] Johannis
[In margin] Blake

1    In the name of God Amen I John
2    Blake th[e ]elder of Stoverd wilts in the Parrish of South Newton in the County
3    of Wilts yeoman being weake in bodie but of a go[o]d memorie (God be praysed) doe
4    make and ordaine my last will and Testament in manner and forme followinge
5    (that is to saye) First I bequeath my soule into the hands of Almightie God my
6    Creator and redeemer, and my Bodie to the Earth Desiringe it may bee interred in
7    my Parrish Church of Southnewton, trustinge that through the alone meritts of my
8    Saviour Jesus Christ I shal[l ]be partaker of a joyfull resurrection into eternall life
9    Item I give to the Parrish Church of Newton aforesaid six shillings and Eighte
10    Pence and to the poore of the same parrish Five shillings, To the Parrish Church
11    of Wishford Five shillings, And to the poore of the same parrish Five shillings, And
12    Eight eene pence to the Cathedrall Church of Sarum commonly called our Ladie
13    Church. Item I give to my eldest sonne Thomas Blake Twenty shillings And I
14    forgive him a debt of One hundred pounds which he oweth me Item I give to ev[er]y
15    one of his seaven children Twentie shillings a peece Then I give and bequeath to
16    my sonne Robert Blake, All my Stocke of Cattle Corne and Hay which I have or
17    ought to have (except onely my riding Haggs) and to my sonne Roberts two children
18    I give Twentie shillings a peece Item I give to my daughter Joane the wife of John
19    Biggs Threescore and five pounds in money. And I forgive the said John Biggs
20    Fifteene pounds which he oweth mee Item I give unto Anthoine Biggs eldest
    [Page 2]
21    sonne of the said John Biggs and Joane his wife the somme of Twenty pounds. And
22    I give to everie one of the said John Biggs other children Twenty shillings apeece
23    Item I geve unto my servant John Perrye the somme of Twenty shillings. Item my
24    Will is that all the said Legacyes shal[l ]bee paid as soone after my decease as my
25    Executrix after named Can gett in debts, and money oweing to mee to discharge the
26    same yet for as that shee shall not be compelled to pay any of the said Legacyes till
27    after the expiration and one of Sixe Moneths next after my decease. All the rest
28    of my goods and chattells, my debts and the said legacyes being paid, and funerall
29    expences discharged I give, and bequeath unto my loving wife Agnes Blake whome I
30    make full and sole Executrixe of this my Last will and Testament. And I desire
31    my loving freinds John Voke of Wishford husbandman and John Horne of Stoverd
32    abovesaid Smith to bee the Overseers of this my Will, and for their paynes to bee
33    ymployed herein I give them Tenn groate a peece In witnes whereof I have hereunto
34    sett my hand and seale the fowerth daie of March Anno duodecimo _____ Caroli
35    Ang etc etc Anno qz d[o]m[ini] millesimo sexcentesimo tricesimo SextoThe Marke of John
36    Blake Signed sealed published and declared to be the last will and Testament of the
37    abovenamed John Blake in the p[re]sence of Ambrose Ringwood, John Perre, The marke
38    of John Voke

Will of William Blake of Chilhampton, South Newton - SWRO P2/8Reg/125B, probated 1 Jun 1610

The last will of this series from the Swindon and Wiltshire Record Office.

The will of William Blake of Chilhampton South Newton names his sons John and Charles Blake and his daughters Edith, Dorathie, Anconett, Agnis, and Margaret. As I work on this will I realize I have not yet posted the will of Maud Blake although I did post it yesterday. They are in the same hand writing not that that is particularly significant but it is interesting. Maud is not the wife of William because she doesn't have any daughters and has sons Henry, Severan (sp), John and Robert. She does mention Charles as one of her overseers and perhaps he is this Charles who is a son of this William.

There was another image for a probate for a William Blake in 1616 again in the same handwriting as the will of this William and Maud. The probate doesn't offer much information other than that the William Blake lived at Ambrosbury and that is widow is Joanne Blake. Ambresbury/Ambrosbury was an earlier name for Amesbury which is 7 miles north of Salisbury so again the same general area and 7 miles north east of South Newton.

Transcriber: Elizabeth Kipp
Recorded: 24 Oct 2012
Source:  Swindon and Wiltshire Record Office P2/8Reg/125B
Name of testator: William Blake
Place: Chilhampton, South Newton, Wiltshire, England
Type of Record: Will
Dated: 24 Nov 1609, probated 1 Jun 1610
Read: Electronic file images
Condition: early 17th century, middle English, bold script writing (some bleed through)
 [Margin] Blake 125B

1    In the name of God Amen The
2    fower and twenteth day of November Anno d[o]m[ini] one thousand
3    six hundred and Nine. I William Blake of Chilhampton
4    w[i]thin the p[ar]ish of Southnewton, beinge weake in body but
5    p[er]fect in memory (thanked be god for it) doe here make my
6    last will and testament in manner followinge First I comett
7    my sowle into the hands of almightie god my savior and redeemer
8    and my body to be buried in the Churchyarde of Southnewton
9    Item I give unto the Church of Southnewton twelve pence
10    Item I give to the poore of the p[ar]ish of Southnewton three
11    shillings and fower pence
    [Page 2]
12    Item I give unto my sonne John Blake twoo bushells of wheate
13    and fower bushells of barley Item I give unto my sonne William
14    Blake twoo akers of wheate of tenentry land and twoo akers of
15    barley of tenentry land Item I give unto my daughter Edith
16    Blake twentie pounds in lawfull money my best cov[er]lett also
17    Item I give to my daughter Dorathie Blake twentie pounds
18    in lawfull money. Item I give all my lynnen unto my twoo
19    daughters Edith and Dorathie equally to be devided betwene them
20    at the discretion of my sonne Charles Blake. Item I give unto
21    my daughter Anconett Burges three shillings and fower pence
22    Item I give unto my daughter Agnis Henstitch three shillings
23    and fower pence. Item I give unto my daughter Margarett
24    Hayter three shillings and fower pence. Item I give unto William
25    Hayter my daughter's childe a sheepe worthe five shillinges
26    Item I give unto my sonne John his childe a sheepe worthe five
27    shillinges. Item I give unto William Burges my daughters
28    childe a sheepe worthe five shillings.  All the rest of my
29    goods unbequeathed I give unto my sonne Charles Blake
30    whome I make sole Executor of this my last will and testament
31    Also I appoynt Henry Blake my neighbour of Chilhampton
32    to be ov[er]seer of this my last will and testament to whome I
33    give twelve pence Item I give unto Thomas Good our Vicar
34    twelve pence Lastly I doe appoynt all those legacies to
35    be payd within one halfe yeare after my decease In Witnes
36    whereof I have hereunto sett my hand and seale the day and
37    yeare first above written. Witnesses at then sealinge
38    Thomas Good vicar of Southnewton John Adlam his
39    marke Witnes George Symes, John Champion his marke
40    William Blake his marke

Will of Maud Blake of Stoverd, South Newton - SWRO P2/8 Reg/307, probated 28 Oct 1616

Maude Blake, widow, tells us a great deal about herself in this will but does not name her husband which would have been helpful She names her children Henry, Severan (possibly), John and Robert. She names Robert Blake with sons Thomas and John, William Blake with sons Henry and daughters Anne, Mary, Henry Blake with sons William and Henry and daughters Gyles and Francis, John Blake with daughters Elizabeth and Anne,

There is a William Blake who married Maude Downe 2 Nov 1591 at Great Wishford, Wiltshire (M15228-1 Family Search).  Since Maude is remembering a Robert Blake, a Henry Blake, a John Blake and a William Blake with various children, I wonder who all these men are with respect to her possible husband William Blake.There is a John Blake who married Mawde Heward Nov 1558 at Great Wishford (M15228-1 Family Search) but suspect that that would be too far back as Maude (testator) would likely have been around 20 at marriage or less thus having her born by or after 1538 and hence 78 when her will was written. Not impossible though so worth noting.

In the will of John Blake of Stoweford probated 20 Mar 1572 he names his sons John, William and Thomas with John having sons William and Thomas and Thomas with children unmentioned.

In the Will of John Blake husbandman of South Newton probated 6 Feb 1553/54 he mentions his sons Walter, Gylys, William, Edward and Robert. This testator had as witnesses to his will John Blake the elder and John Blake the younger.

The will of John Blake of Stooloford probated1545/46 has him married to Edyth with two sons Thomas and John. Thomas has a son Robert. The testator mentions Robert Blake carpenter at South Newton but no relationship stated.

This has possibilities in that the Blake males mentioned as sons of Maude were: Robert, William, Henry and John.

Still to come are the wills of Richard Blake, 1572, Thomas Blake 1550, 1565, 1573, 1584, William Blake 1538, 1545, and 1610. This set of wills has actually come along quite well. When I acquired them about eight years ago I found them very difficult reading. They are still difficult as wills in the 15th century seem to be using a different alphabet and language but having done so much in the 1500s and 1600s now I find it easier. Taking a course in Palaeography really worked very well for me.

I can see now that I could have separated these wills into locations and worked on them by year but my tendency is to be logical and so working alphabetically worked very well for me and I can still work back and forth looking at them. The advantage is time; each time I read one of these wills I see something else that helps me to look at them with the thought of finding something common between them. However, one can see that the Blake family at South Newton in particular is very very large in 1641 - 25% of the community roughly and this continues and in 1841 they are about 20% of the community.

Transcriber: Elizabeth Kipp
Recorded: 22 Oct 2012
Source:  Swindon and Wiltshire Record Office P2/8 Reg/307
Name of testator: Maud Blake
Place: Stoverd, South Newton, Wiltshire, England
Type of Record: Will
Dated: 1 Jul 1616, 28 Oct 1616
Read: Electronic file images
Condition: early 17th century, middle English, copy bleeding through
[Margin] Blake 307

1    In the name of
2    God Amen, I Maud
3    Blake of Stoverd in the p[ar]ishe of
4    Southnewton sicke in body but whole and
5    p[er]fect of mind thanks bee unto God doe
6    make this my last will and testament in manner
7    and forme following: First I give and committ my
8    soule into the hands of Allmightie God my
9    Creator and doe trust to bee saved throughe
10    his free mercy by the onely means and
11    merrits of Jesus Christ my savio[u]r and bequeathe
12    my bodey to bee buried w[i]thin the Churchyard
13    of Southnewton in sure and certeine hope of
14    a ioyfull resurrecton Item I give unto Joane
15    Adlame  five pounds thirtene shillings and fower
16    pence of good and lawfull money and one flockbedd
17    and a blew cov[er]led and one brasse panne the
18    best faveinge one and a bell skillett Item
19    I give unto Dorathe Adlame five pounds
20    thirtene shillings and 4 d in good and lawfull
21    money Item I give unto Mary Adlame
22    five pounds thirteene shillings and fower pence
23    of good and lawfull money to bee paide unto them
24    w[i]thin halfe a yeare after my decease: Item I
25    give unto John Blake the eldest sonne of
26    Robert Blake one redd cowe Item I give
27    unto Robert Adlam one sparked cowe. Item
28    I give William Blake the sonne of Henry
29    Blake the little white faced cowe. Item I
30    give unto Anne Blake and Mary Blake
31    twenty shillings a peece and each of them one
32    platter and one pottinger a peece of Item I
33    give unto Giles Blake and Francis Blake the
    [Page 2]
34    daughters of Henry Blake twenty shillings a=
35    peece and each of them one platter and one pottinger
36    Item I give unto John Blakes two maydes
37    First I give unto Elizabeth Blake my feather
38    bedd and one bolster and my coffer standing at my
39    beds feete Item I give unto Anne Blake a
40    white cov[er]led the best and a blanket and two sheetes
41    a pillow and a lye for the pillow Item I give
42    unto Robert Blakes two sonnes I give Thomas
43    Blake one sheepe and unto John Blake one
44    sheepe Item I give unto Henry Blake the
45    sonne of Henry Blake one sheepe and one yeareling
46    bullocke Item I give unto my sonne Henry
47    Blake one aker of wheate and one aker of barley
48    growing in the field a cov[er]ledd a paire of blankets
49    and a paire of sheetes and a boulster and a brasse pott
50    and half my wooll in the backside and half my
51    wheate and halfe my maulte that is in the
52    howese at my decease and one little Cowle and a
53    beerell and an yearelinge bullchett one cov[er]ledd
54    that is upon the childrens bed and my greate
55    hogge pigge and a flitch of bacon and a muilinge pigge
56    a shede board bloke and each of your maides
57    one platter and a pottinger Item I give unto
58    John Blake my sonne all the thirds of my
59    corne growinge in the fielde and two meaweling
60    piggs and a flitch of bacon and a board bloke  Item
61    I give unto Soveran Blake a blacke trendell
62    and a bowell and a barrell and a brasse kittle and a brasse
63    skillett and a platter and a pottinger Item I give
64    unto my sonne John Blakes wife my best
65    gowen lyned w[i]th blew and a smocke and a double
66    kerrcher and a hollen apron Item I give unto
67    Henry Blakes wife my next best gowne and
68    a smocke and an apron and a kerrcher Item I
69    give unto Marrian Lane my best redd
70    petticoate and a smocke and a kerrcher and an apron
71    and a s[ki]llett and a meuling pigge Item I give
72    unto Lanes three children each of them one
73    sheepe Item I give unto the Cathedrall Church
74    of Sarum xij d Item I give unto my p[ar]ish of
75    Southnewton three shillings and fower pence
76    Item I give unto greate Wisheford church xij d
    [Page 3]
77    Item I give unto Henry Blakes two maides
78    Francs and Gyles my three wearinge coates
79    twoo of them to Gyles and one to Francis
80    Item I give unto John the tacker my
81    best candlesticke. Item I give to Henry
82    Blakes two sonnes William Blake and
83    Henry Blake each of them one candlesticke
84    And I appoint George Symes John
85    Horne and Henry Plenty Ov[er]seers of this
86    my last will and testament and I doe give
87    them three shillings and fower pence apeece
88    Item I give unto Mawdelin Blake my
89    white fustian wascoate and to Thomas
90    Abbott my blew wascoate Item I give
91    unto Thomas Lane my best cloake All
92    the rest of my Goods moveable and unmoveable
93    I give and bequeath unto Robert Blake
94    my sonne whom I make my sole and onely
95    Executor of this my last will and testament
96    written the first of July 1616 Maude
97    Blake her marke Witnes George
98    Symes John Horne John Plentie

Will of Thomas Blake, Stowoade, South Newton - SWRO P2/2 Reg/100 B, probated 24 Mar 1549/50

Thomas is the husband of Alice who has left her will and it is transcribed in the blog:
http://kippeeb.blogspot.ca/2012/10/will-of-alice-blake-widow-swro-p25.html

This earlier will captures the family in its entirey as Alice only mentions her son William (his son John), Mariam and a general reference to her children's children. Her will dated 20 Oct 1566 is seventeen years later so she has lived a long time after her husband. This family is Thomas and Alice Blake with children William, Johane, John and Maryan. The question of who is Edmund Sowthery is perhaps obvious on a second read and that is Marian was perhaps married to (unknown) Sowthery. So Edmund Sowthery is her grandson. John Blake is a witness to this will of Thomas as he was to Alice Blake's will although Thomas makes William Boldye supervisor.

It is always nice to connect wills and certainly Thomas, William and John continue to be forenames for the Blake family found at South Newton. There are wills for William Blake that might help to continue the linkage.

Transcriber: Elizabeth Kipp
Recorded: 23 Oct 2012
Source:  Swindon and Wiltshire Record Office P2/2Reg/100B
Name of testator: Thomas Blake
Place: Stowoade, South Newton, Wiltshire, England
Type of Record: Will
Dated:  13 Nov 1549, 24 Mar 1549 (old style)
Read: Electronic file images
Condition: 16th century, middle English, legible
[top] Test[a]m[ent] Thome Blake de Stowvode in p[ar]ishe Southe Newton
[Margin] Blake B

1    In the name of god Amen the xiij th daye of Nove[m]bre the
2    yere of o[u]r lorde god M ccccc xlix I Thomas Blake of Stowvode in the
3    p[ar]ysshe of sowthe newton beying sycke yn bodye and hoole of mynde of good and
4    p[er]fyte memorye do make my testament and last will in man[ner] and forme
5    folowyng First I gyve and bequeathe my sowle to Almyghtie god my boodye
6    to be buryed in the churchyarde of Newton aforesaide It[em[ I gyve and
7    bequeathe to my parysshe churche of Newton one shepe It[e]m I gyve and bequeathe
8    to Will[ia]m my sonne one akar of wheate and one of Barley It[e]m to Robert
9    Johan[e] John and Maryan xx ti shepe It[e]m to Joh[a]n[e] and Maryan a Hayffer
10    It[e]m to ev[er]y one of my godchyldrene iiij d The resydew of my goods not geve[n]
11    nor bequeathed I gyve and bequeathe to Alys my wyfe whom I make my sole
12    executrix It[e]m I ordeyne and make Will[ia]m Boldye sup[er]visor and ov[er]seer of thys
13    my last will and testament Thes beyng witness John Blake Richard
14    Carpenter w[i]t[h] others

Will of John Blake, husbandman, Chilhampton, South Newton - P2/8 Reg/149, probated 20 Sep 1610

John Blake is the testator of this will which was written 26 August 1610. This is perhaps a grandson of the John Blake who left his will in 1572 at South Newton who had sons John, William and Thomas Blake. John continues to be a very common forename in the Blake family at South Newton. By 1641/42 there are nine Blake males over 18 (possibly one minor) at South Newton and in total 37 males sign the document so the Blake family there is about 25% of the male population.

There is a Thomas Blaake baptized 10 Mar 1592 at Great Wishford with father John Blaake (C15228-1 Family Search).

In the Protestation Returns for South Newton the following Blake males over 18 signed the return:

John Blake, senior
John Blake, junior,
John Blake, min. (perhaps minor)
Jeffrey Blake,
William Bake
Thomas Blake
Edward Blake
Henry Blake, senior
Henry Blake, junior

Other males at South Newton signing this return:

James Elderton
Robert Miles
Thomas Elderton
Phillipp Pearce
Thomas Austine
George Austine
Ames Durdoll
John Edmonds
Thomas Shergold
Henry Shergold
Charles Shergold
Robert Carpenter
Alexandr Pearcie
Peter Gynes
Peter Webb
Richard Sutton
Edward Holdway, Senior
Edward Holdway, junior
Thomas Beckett
John Bacon
John Noyes
Alexandr Beckett
John Godwin
Richard Watts
John Rawlins
Thomas Peirson
John Still
Christofer Whiteare

Are there a lot of Blake male descendants of the earlier testators at South Newton; it would appear so. Charles Blake is missing from this list and the name Charles always does rather interest me in the Blake family. Henry Blake senior is interesting since a Henry Blake brother is mentioned in the will. Would love to find information between John Blake testator in 1572 and this John Blake in 1610. This information on the Protestation Returns from the original return is kept in the House of Lords Library in England (I have images from the microfilm which I took at Salt Lake City).

Ancestry has 107 Blake entries at South Newton for the 1841 Census at South Newton. South Newton  has two Registration Districts (3 and 4) plus the Workhouse which is another District.

District 3
1. John Blake 30, Susanna Blake 30, Elizabeth Blake 4 and Mary 10 months
2. William Blake 45, Elizabeth Blake 40, Elias Blake 15
3. Stephen Blake 35, Louisa Blake 40, Herbert Blake 15, Mary Blake 13, Francis Blake 11, Harriett Blake 6
4. Rowland Blake 40
5. William Blake 40, Ann Blake 40, George Blake 15, Maria Blake 13, Mary Blake 12, William Blake 9, Henry Blake 7, Samuel Blake 11 mo and Jane Blake 30
6. William Blake 45, Ann Blake 45, Sarah Blake 20, James Blake 15, Eliza Blake 15, William Blake 13, Mary Blake 10, Leah Blake 8, Reuben Blake 6
7. Rachel Blake 15 (FS)
8. Elias Blake 25, Mary Blake 25, Joshua Blake 1
9. Sarah Blake 65
10. William Blake 40, Ann Blake 30, Harriett Blake 15, Sidney Blake 15, William Blake 10, Mary Blake 5, Lydia Blake 3, Henry Blake 2
11. John Blake 75, Mary Blake 70
12. Elizabeth Blake 80, John Blake 60, Ann Blake 20, William Blake 15
13. Mary Blake 13 (FS)

District 4
1. John Blake 54, Anne Blake 50, Solomon Blake 20, Louiza Blake 17, Charlotte Blake 14
2. John Blake junior 25, Ann Blake 25, Henry Blake 8, Jonas Blake 5, Maria Blake 3, George Blake 2
3. Anne Blake 14 (servant)
4. James Blake 38, Maria Blake 35, Samuel Blake 3, Jane Blake 5
5. William Blake 25
6. Simeon Blake 37, Harriet Blake 35, George Blake 16, Eliza Blake 13, James Blake 10, Percival Blake 7, Stephen Blake 4, Hurbert Blake 9, Maria Blake 1
7. Joseph Blake 53, Jane Blake 50
8. William Blake 66, Anne Blake 52, George Blake 18
9. Edward Blake 21
10. William Blake 25
11. Miriam Blake 22 (servant)
12. John Blake 77
13. James Blake 48, Sarah Blake 46, George Blake 20, Mitford Blake 16, Charles Blake 11, Solomon Blake 9, William Blake 6

District Wilton Union Workhouse
1. Henry Blake 70
2. Emma Blake 13
3. Eliza Blake 23

I found 97 entries (missed 10 or they might have been duplicates) for Blake in South Newton census of 1841 with a total of 22 separate families. The three people at the workhouse could be there for many reasons including health care as that was the only hospital often in an area outside of large cities. In 1811 the population of South Newton was 223, Little Wishford 8, Stoford 64, Chilhampton 64, Burden's Ball 112, and North Ugford 45 (total 516). If the population was similar in 1841 then the Blake family represented a sizeable portion of the population in this area roughly 20% which is interesting giving the 25% of Blake males in this area in 1641/42. An interesting webpage on the South Newton area in Wiltshire:
http://history.wiltshire.gov.uk/community/getcom.php?id=204
The Testator John Blake mentions his wife Edith, son Richard and daughters Alice, Elizabeth, Annis and Edith. He also mentions his brother Henry Blake.

There was a marriage 28 Nov 1608 at South Newton of Henry Blake and Alice Walles (I06136-8 Family Search). There was a marriage between Henry Blake and Ellen Homans 20 Sep 1624 at South Newton (I06136-8 Family Search). There was a burial of Henry Blake 7 Oct 1638 at South Newton (I06136-8 Family Search).

Transcriber: Elizabeth Kipp
Recorded: 22 Oct 2012
Source:  Swindon and Wiltshire Record Office P2/8 Reg/149
Name of testator: John Blake, husbandman
Place: South Newton, Wiltshire, England
Type of Record: Will
Dated: 26 Aug 1610, probated 20 Sep 1610
Read: Electronic file images
Condition: 16th century, middle English, clear copy (few smudges)
[Margin] Blake 149

1    In the name of God Amen,
2    The six and twenteth day of Agust Anno Dom[i]n[i] 1610 I John
3    Blake of Chilhampton w[it]hin the p[ar]ishe of Southe Newton in
4    the Countie of Wilts[hire] husbandman, beinge weake in body but
5    p[er]fect in memorie (thankes be to god for it) doe here make
6    my last will and testament in manner followinge First I
7    bequeath my swole into the hands of our Saviour Jesus
8    Christ and my body to be buried in the Churchyard of
9    Southnewton. Item I give to the Church of Southnewton
10    twelve pence. Item I give to my daughter Alice fouer
11    pounds in monie. Item I give to my daughter Elizabeth
12    fouer pounds in monie. Item I give to my daughter Annis
13    fouer pounds in monie to be paye unto these my children
14    by my executrix hereunder named, when they shall come
15    to the age of sixteene, yf  ev[er]y one of them doe or shall
16    live so longe. And yf any of them doe dye before they come
17    to the age of sixteene then theire portion or portions to
18    remayne to the longest liver. Item I give my sonne
19    Richard Blake one bushell of wheate and one bushell of
20    barley. Item I give my daughter Edith Guye one bushell
21    of barley. Item I give my daughter Annis cheldren x pence.
22    Item I give unto my daughter Edith her fouer children
23    each of them twelve pence. Item I appoynt my Execut[rix]
24    to pay unto William Able three shillings fouer pence
25    for a weanelinge calfe due unto him and twelve pence
26    for an old posnett. All the rest of my goods undisposed
27    I give unto my wife Edith Blake whome I doe make
28    sole Executrix of this my last will and testament. In
29    witnes whereof I have hereunto sett my hand and seale
30    the day and yeare first above written. Then I appoynt
31    Henrie Blake my brother and George Simes and
32    Charles Blake ov[er]seers of this my last will and testament
33    unto whome I give twelve pence a peece. Witnesses
34    hereunto Thomas Good, Henrie Blake George Symes,
35    Charles Blake, Thomas Blake, William Crouch

Will of John Blake of Stoweford, South Newton - SWRO P2/5 Reg/160A, probated 20 Mar 1572

Another will by a John Blake at Stowford, South Newton but dated 9 Mar 1572. John is older as he is mentioning grandchildren in his will. John Blake's will at Stowford South Newton was dated 1545/46 (missing probate) and he mentions his son John and his son Thomas and wife Edith. Perhaps this is that John's son John now writing his will and it is 26 years later. That will be an interesting linkage of the generations.

John the current testator mentions his children John his eldest son and William and Thomas  and also his daughter Johan (perhaps married to Jeffrey Aben), his eldest daughter Alyce Blake (married with children) and another daughter (probably deceased) with a daughter Grace. John and Thomas his sons both have children. He has a son in law Jeffrey Aben (short form but will have to work at the full name). Another grandson John Aben and he is also his godson. Jeffrey's wife's name is not mentioned but possibly Johan.

This John Blake is in the wool business and that was where money was to be made certainly in this century and the centuries following. The earlier wills in this area both by a John Blake will be an interesting match. The will of John Blake probated 1553/54 is John Blake husbandman but does not say that he is of Stowford only of South Newton nor does he have a son John his sons being Walter, Gylys, William, Edward and Robert. The will of the John Blake at Stowford probated 1545/46 (no probation lines on the will so the year the will was written is used as mentioned by the Record Office) again mentions sheep as the primary wealth. That particular John Blake has sons Thomas (with son Robert) and John. Are these two John's related that live at South Newton? It is possible that the father of this John (current testator) is John Blake whose will was said to be probated in 1545/46.


Transcriber: Elizabeth Kipp
Recorded: 19 Oct 2012
Source:  Swindon and Wiltshire Record Office P2/5 Reg/160A
Name of testator: John Blake
Place: Stowforde, South Newton, Wiltshire, England
Type of Record: Will
Dated: 9 Mar 1572, probated 20 Mar 1572
Read: Electronic file images
Condition: 16th century, middle English, copy bleeding through from page opposite
[Margin] Blake

1    In the name of god Amen The ix th day of Marche Anno D[o]m[ini] a thousande fyve hundred
2    threescore and twelve I John Blake of Stowforde in the parryshe of South
3    Newton beinge sycke in bodye and p[er]fett of remembrance thanks be to god do make
4    my laste will and testament in manner and forme folowinge Firste I bequeathe my
5    sowle to almyghtie god and my bodye to be buryed in Christyan buryall It[e]m I geve
6    to the poore mens boxe of South Newton vi d It[e]m I geve to my parrayshe churche of
7    Newton a weather sheape It[e]m I gyve to Johan Elyott fouer weather sheape and an
8    yerlenge It[e]m I gyve to grace my dawghters childe fower weather sheape and a
9    yerlenge It[e]m I gyve to John Blake my eldiste sonnes childen eche of them a lamb
10    It[e]m I gyve to my sonne Thomas Blake chylde a lambe It[e]m I gyve to Alyce
11    Blake my eldiste dawghters children eche of them a Lambe It[e]m I gyve to
12    my dawyghter Johans Chylderen eche of them a Lambe It[e]m I geve to Alice
13    Movne a Lambe It[e]m I geve to Thomas Blake and Will[ia]m Blake a pyle of
14    Clystes by the streate yeate It[e]m I gyve to Thomas my sonne a whitche
15    a heiffer of twoo yere olde halfe a score of weather sheape and three halfes
16    of wheate in brockfurlande It[e]m I gyve to Jherom yonge a Lambe It[e]m I geve
17    to Jeffrey Aben my sonne in lawe three busshells of wheate and halfe an acre
18    of wheate lyinge in the bottom It[e]m I geve to Will[ia]m Blake the beste bedd w[i]th
19    th[e ]app[ur]ten[an]cs therto belonginge a brasse pott a panne a littell cawldron halfe
20    a dosen of pewter dishes and a candelsticke It[e]m I gyve to John Blake and
21    Will[ia]m Blake xl s that Alixender Pearcy owethe me It[e]m I geve  to John
22    Hughes clerke a weather sheape It[e]m I gyve all the reste of my woole
23    to John Blake save one cartloade that John shall delyver to his brother 
24    Will[ia]m Blake It[e]m I gyve to John Aben my dawghters chylde and my godson
25    a hogg of a yere olde All the reste of my goods bothe moveable and unmoveable
26    I gyve to John Blake and Will[ia]m Blake whom I do make my full executo[r]s
27    of this my laste will and testament to see my debts payde my legacies fulfylled
28    and p[er]formed and also to bwoye the yard lande where John Blake now dwellithe
29    for Will[ia]m Blake my sonne w[i]th the aforsayd goods Also I do ordayne and
30    constitute my wel[l ]beloved in christe Will[ia]m Bonldye and John Love to be
31    my overseers of this my laste will and testament to whom I do gyve in
32    consyderacions of their paynes eche of them a weather sheape In wytnes
33    wherof thes p[er]sons hereafter named Mr Walter Bonan Mr Will[ia]m Hinde
34    p[er]son of Wisheforde Ralffe Wrighte and Thomas Kingman p me Johem Hughes

Will of John Blake of Stooloford - SWRO - P2/1 Reg/62, probated 1545/46

The dating of the probate for this will of John Blake is in new style and there are no probate lines on this will but it is dated 1546 in the database on the website of the Swindon and Wiltshire Record Office Will search site. To save confusion on this page I have used the new style dating in the header.

Does this refer back to the will of Alice Blake published 18 October 2012 (http://kippeeb.blogspot.ca/2012/10/will-of-alice-blake-widow-swro-p25.html) where the tything of Stofford is mentioned? This John also appears to be living at Stofford although named Stooloford in the header and Stowford in the body of the will. However, he also mentions that it is in the parish of South Newton so an error on the scribe's part or John Blake if he has written the will himself.

Who are John's parents?. Is he a blacksmith as he mentions iron wedges but also he has farm equipment and farm animals.

His family in the will consists of his wife Edith, son Thomas Blake with a son Robert, and a second son for John and Edith namely John Blake.  There is also a Robert Blake who is a carpenter living in South Newton mentioned. No relationship mentioned. Since John Blake testator has a son and grandson he is perhaps in his late 40s , early 50s or even older so born at the end of the 1400s or early 1500s. The Blake family at the end of the 1400s is an interesting place to be at for me. That is the approximate time when Nicholas and Robert Blake are born at Enham near Andover. What new information can I glean from this set of early Wiltshire wills on the Blake family in this area?

I think that owning a horse in this time period must have been considered a certain level of wealth. Not mentioning a home does tell me that he probably has property that belongs to a Lord of the Manor. However does having farm animals make you a farmer in this time period? This is the first will I have had where reference is made to saying prayers for him after he dies and supplying the means to pay for these prayers. Historically speaking Henry VIII is still King of England etc. Although Henry has been excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church, the people of England at this point in time have not. The practice of religion was still very varied and it took the Church leaders under Henry's son Edward VI to bring about some conformity to the "Church of England" to bring all areas into a certain level of similarity which was, of course, completely undone by Mary when she was Queen as she returned the Church of England to union with the Roman Church.

This writeup on Stoford in British History Online:

http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=115441#s10

Stoford.

All Stoford's land, c. 500 a., was in copyholds and small freeholds of South Newton manor. (fn. 211) Of 13 customary holdings in 1315 there were 4 of 1 yardland, 8 of ½ yardland, and 1 of ¼ yardland. Labour services due from the tenants were similar to those due from the tenants of South Newton but in addition each yardlander of Stoford had to find a man for 24 days every year to prepare land to be ploughed, and all Stoford yardlanders and ½-yardlanders were required to carry salt. (fn. 212)

In the mid 16th century there were three open fields, East, Middle, and West, a total of c. 360 a., and a common pasture in the north-east corner of the parish for 615 sheep said in 1567 to be of 100 a.; cattle were grazed on the common pasture of South Newton. Detached from its other land Stoford had a 12-a. common meadow between two courses of the Wylye north-west of the village. Six copyholders and a tenant at will held between them 8¼ yardlands, sharing 262 a. of arable and pasture for 405 sheep. Some labour services at haymaking and harvest were still owed. Three free tenants held 98½ a. of arable with rights for 210 sheep. (fn. 213)

Although I have not yet learned anything about the relationships in the Blake family in the Wiltshire area, I am mostly in the business of accumulating information and these wills are quite fascinating.

Transcriber: Elizabeth Kipp
Recorded: 17 Oct 2012
Source:  Swindon and Wiltshire Record Office P2/1 Reg/62
Name of testator: John Blake
Place: Stooloford, South Newton, Wiltshire, England
Type of Record: Will
Dated: 9 Feb 1545/46, probated 1545/46
Read: Electronic file images
Condition: 16th century, middle English, clear copy (few smudges)
[Header] Testam[ent] John Blake Stooloford in p[ar]esh S[outh] Newton

1    In the name of god amen the viiij th day of February
2    the yere of our lord god M CCCCC xlv I John Blake of Stowford
3    of the p[ar]ishe of Southe Newton of a goode mynd and of goode reme[m]
4    brancs makythe my last wyll and testame[n]t in man[ner] or forme folowyng
5    First I gyve my sowle to almyghty god to the blessyd virgine our
6    lady saynt mary and to all the goo[d]ly co[m]pany of heavyn And my
7    body to be buried in the churche yarde of saynt Andrew of Southe
8    newton Also I gyve to the churche of South Newton one wether [castrated sheep]
9    Also to the brothers of our lady one ewe Also to the high Aulter one
10    wether [castrated sheep]. Also to B Thomas Wellys one ewe Also I gyve to ev[er]y[ ea]che  of
11    my god chyldren iiijd Also I gyve to ev[er]y[ ea]che of my chyldrens chyldren
12    iiijd Also I gyve to ev[er]y[ ea]che of my chyldren one shepe Also I gyve to
13    Thomas Blake my son one old cart w[i]t[h] all apparell or all thyngys
14    p[er]teynyng therto one horse and all my rayments or apparell p[er]teynyng
15    to my Body (except ij gownys) Also I gyve to Thomas Blake my
16    sonne a plow chayne one yron wegge and a nyche Also I gyve
17    to Robert Blake sonne to Thomas Blake one yron wegge and a
18    shepe called a hogge Also I gyve to Rob[er]t Blake of South Newton
19    my best hooyse and one hogg Also I gyve to Johan Blake my s____t
20    and kynswoma[n] one ewe and a lambe Also I wyll that Edithe my wyfe
21    have for the tyme of her life xx ti shepe and one kowe to kype and make
22    a yerely obyte or dyryges for the helthe of my sowle and all christen
23    sowles And after her d[e]p[ar]tyng or d[ea]the I wyll that John my sonne
24    shall have the forsaid xx ti shepe and kowe And kypt the obit or diriges
25    yerely in lyke man[ner] And that he fynd an ordre a fore his d[e]
26    p[ar]tyng that the diriges or obite ev[er] after to be kepte The Re
27    sydew of my goods I gyve to Edithe my wyfe whic[h] y make
28    myne executrix and to distribute for my sowle as she thynkyth
29    best w[i]t[h] consell of John Blake my sonne whic[h] I make sup[er]visor
30    of this my last wyll or testament Thes Beyng witnes Robt
32    Blake the carpentar Raf Mener w[i]t[h] other

Will of Alice Blake, widow, Stowford-South Newton - SWRO P2/5 Reg/2C, probated 9 Dec 1566

Alice Blake widow mentions her son William and grandson John in this will. This Blake family continues at South Newton on the tything of Stotford or Stofford. I am not sure when they first arrive in South Newton or whether they have been there a long time. The parish registers do not begin until 1695 at South Newton.

From the Swindon and Wiltshire webpages (http://history.wiltshire.gov.uk/community/getcom.php?id=204) a short history of Stofford which was a freehold estate:

In Stoford, however, a freehold estate of some 61.25 acres was held by Henry Quintin, who died in 1284. This land was inherited by William Quintin (d. 1290) and descended subsequently by inheritance and sale until Sir Richard Grobham, who died in 1629, gave it to endow an almshouse at Great Wishford. The estate of 69 acres was sold by the trustees in 1948.

A second freehold estate in Stoford of approximately 30 acres, together with a further approximately 25 acres in South Newton, belonged in 1462 to William, Lord Stourton. It descended through the Stourton family until Edward Stourton sold it between 1693 and 1704 to Henry Blake. It then descended by inheritance and sale to Alexander Powell who sold the estate of 112 acres to George, Earl of Pembroke and Montgomery and it was added to South Newton manor.

Looking at the Archives Catalogue (The National Archives but held at the Wiltshire and Swindon Archives):

212B/6379  1664 June 11
(1) Blake, John, the younger of Stoford alias Stofford. par. South Newton, yeoman, son of Rob. Blake, decsd.
(2) Rede, Rob., gent., of Chaldwarton, par. Amport, [...] Co Southerton.
Marriage Settlement (Release) of land in Westfield, Stofford, and land in Streetland-acre furlong, and land in Eastfield, Stofford, and common pasture.

212B/6399  1681 Dec. 9
(1) Blake, John, yeoman, of Stoford alias Stofford, par. South Newton.
(2) Rede, Edward, gent., of Stratford under the castle of Old Sarum.
Cooper, John, gent. of New Sarum.
Lease and Release of same property as in Marriage Settlement (Release) of 1664 June 11.

212B/6404  1685 Sep. 10
(1) Rede, John, Esq., of Porton
Blake, John, yeoman of Stoford, alias Stofford, par. South Newton.
(2) Cooper, Thomas, the elder, gent., of Potterne.
Mortgage of same property as in Marriage Settlement (Release) of 1664, June 11.

212B/6120  1693 July 20
(1) Stourton, Lord Edward, of Stourton
(2) Blake, Henry, the younger, of Stoford, yeoman
Lease for 99 yrs. of a messuage, garden, orchard, and several closes called: Meadham, Broadham, and land in Stoford Mead and in Stoford fields with a cottage; and Stourtonsham close, and land in Longman, Newton fields, and common of pasture.

212B/6425  1694 Sep. 25
(1) Blake, Robert, yeoman, of Stoford alias Stofford, par. South Newton.
(2) Blake, Alice, widdow, of New Sarum City, mother of Robert.
Surrender of same property as in Marriage Settlement (Release) of 1664, June 11.

212B/6426  1694 Oct. 22, 23
(1) Blake, Robert, yeoman, of Stoford alias Stofford, par. South Newton.
(2) Skrine, John, gent., of Middle Temple.
Lease and Release of same property as in Marriage Settlement (Release) of 1664, June 11.
(Release parties to (3) Cooper, John, grocer, of New Sarum city; Strope, John, Esq., of Middle Temple.)

This is unfortunately one hundred years later but interesting to still find the same family on the property. John Blake the younger mentioned in the 1664 document is the son of Robert Blake deceased which would take us back one generation and perhaps closer to John the son of William  and William then was the son of the testator Alice Blake (identified as a widow in the probate). As my Latin improves I will transcribe and publish the probate in Latin.  There are probably though several more generations back to the individuals mentioned in the will. However, the good news is that there are more wills for this family. What I would like to discover is the name of Alice's husband and how he fits into the Blake family in Wiltshire or does he? South Newton is 5 miles north west of Salisbury. Calne is 24 miles north north west of South Newton just to give a look at the distance that this Blake family could have traveled away from their possible home base. I am not sure that one can assume that the Blake families found in the south of Wiltshire are necessarily descendant of the Calne Blake family but on the other hand they could be.

There are a couple more wills at South Newton in this early time frame: John Blake 1546, Thomas Blake 1550, John Blake, husbandman, 1554 and John Blake 1572. I do have the 1546, 1550, 1554 and 1572 wills and will be transcribing them in their turn. I tend to go alphabetical when I am working probably because I have equal interest in all of the wills.

The other question is who is Edmund Southery? I do not find a will for him and a search on the archives does not reveal anything helpful yet.

The other will I have that fits into this family is that of John Blake yeoman at South Newton and probated 20 May 1637. Perhaps he is the father of Robert deceased by 1664. He is not likely the grandson of Alice though leaving her will in 1566 unless he was very young at the time. That will be an interesting will as well to fit into this family.

Transcriber: Elizabeth Kipp
Recorded: 17 Oct 2012
Source:  Swindon and Wiltshire Record Office P2/5 Reg/2C
Name of testator: Alice Blake
Place: Stofford, South Newton, Wiltshire, England
Type of Record: Will
Dated: 20 Oct 1566, probated 9 Dec 1566
Read: Electronic file images
Condition: 16th century, middle English, clear copy (few smudges)
[Header] Testam[ent] Alice Blake Southe Newton

1    In the name of god amen in the yere of o[u]r Lorde god M
2    CCCCC lxvi the xxth daie of October I Alice Blake of Stofford
3    in the p[ar]yshe of Southe Newton sicke in body but of p[er]fitt
4    memory make my last will and testame[n]t in mann[er] and forme
5    folowinge First I bequeathe my soule to almightie god and
6    my body to be buried in the churche yard of south newton
7    aforsaid Also I geve to Will[ia]m my sonne a quarter of wheate
8    and a quarter of barley my carte and my plowghe and the
9    voon [?] geve to them belonginge, and to ev[er]yone of my childrens
10    children a busshell of barley. Also I geve to Will[ia]m my sonne
11    all my haye and my fatches [?], my wood a platter and a candlestick
12    also I geve to John Blake the sonne of Will[ia]m Blake my cosbard [?]
13    the Resydewe of my goods and chattalls not bequeathed I geve
14    and bequeath to mariam my dawghter and to Edmund Sowthery
15    whom I make my Executors of this my last will and if the
16    said Edmunde Southery dye a w[it]hin the age of xvj yeres
17    they his parte to remaine to his brethren witness Will[ia]m
18    Hurde Will[ia]m Boldy John Blake with mee Also I will that
19    John Deane shall have the ge[ar]dnince of the said Edmunde
20    Sothery and his goods tyll he come to the goods age of xvj
21    yeres thes beinge