Blake family at Andover

John Reid's blog (Anglo-Celtic Connections  http://anglo-celtic-connections.blogspot.com/ ) discussed Agricultural Labourers and this happens to be a subject that I find most interesting. My great grandfather is listed as an agricultural labourer on the census although my father had said he was a bailiff. My grandfather had said he was an agricultural labourer but was somewhat in charge of the group on the farm. All very confusing to someone raised in Canada where farmers farm their land and hire "threshing gangs" at harvest time although my grandfather who farmed here had a "hired hand" who worked for him permanently and did the sales and purchasing plus managing the workers hired at harvest time. Trying to relate the one system with the other (as one likely has a predilection to do since the known is much easier to work from than the unknown) was a challenge until meeting my cousin in England. He explained that our great grandfather was considered to be quite knowledgeable and highly respected by his employer. That is, of course, always nice to hear about one's ancestors!

What happened to the Blake family at Andover? I think it is a relative thing. They were not large land owners but rather were lease holders on large  (again relative) sections of land with some freeholds (which my 9x great grandfather sold through his adulthood as a source of income). Why did he do that? I find it somewhat mysterious but it begins with the will of his father which had insufficient funds to fulfill the legacies he had written up. When his mother wrote her will each of the children had to refuse the legacy in their father's will in favour of the legacy in their mother's will. Then a year later the eldest son of that family, Richard, died and his widow collected any and all monies owing including the monies owed by the Sedgewick family in far off Massachusetts. Either a very persistent person or a person who needed every penny in order to raise her children (which I suspect to be the case).

At what point did the Blake family cease being Drapers at Andover? I think that would be a really interesting discovery. I am trying to work through the Blake family there logically in the 1500s and 1600s into the 1700s. Extracting all the BMBs is my first step and then I will move to the Manor Books and any directories that exist that early. I am trying not to jump ahead although that is very tempting to start constructing family lines. The census of the 1800s and Free BMD will also answer a lot of questions but only on the Blake family that has already undergone enormous change from the 1500s. I think I need to separate myself (my own interest in my lineage) from the equation and simply look at the Blake lines that are there and whether or not they are related to each other and to the Wiltshire Blake family (as stated in the Pedigree Chart of the Blake family held at the Swindon and Wiltshire Record Office and discussed earlier in my blog). Seeing William Blake of Andover (gentleman) marry at Winterslow, Wiltshire in 1665 was most interesting in the extracted marriages sent to me by another researcher. Is this my William Blake who was buried at Andover (lived at Foxcott) in 1696? Why does William the older brother of my Thomas (b 1767) live at Andover in the 1790s (as mentioned in the will of John Blake malster of Abbotts Ann)? Did he return to Andover to live with his grandfather Thomas Blake perhaps when his mother remarried in 1781 (he would have been 17 years old then whereas my Thomas would have been 14)? Extracting one's line from the discussion is always very difficult!

Returning to Abbotts Ann Parish Registers and some stray Blake marriages from another Blake researcher

My foray into the Blake family at Andover the last few days has given me more questions than answers. Producing a gedcom of my family line is the reason for the foray. Have I answered all the questions that I needed to to produce the gedcom? I think I will let it gel for a bit in my mind before I actually do do so plus I still have more entries into the Legacy file before I export the gedcom. I would like it to be as accurate as possible. I dislike putting out information until I am very sure of its correctness. I would rather just have my line sit at Thomas (baptized 21 Feb 1685 at Andover) than link him back to an incorrect attachment. His parents John and Elizabeth are at Andover at least from 1684 on as they baptize and bury their first child (John) in that year. The naming of the children in the Blake family of Andover does not appear to ever be significant. In this case John and Elizabeth named their sons: John, Thomas, John, Richard, William and Joseph. The first John and Richard died young (before three years of age). I find marriages for Thomas (Mary Spring at Andover) and Joseph (Mary Holdway at Penton Mewsey). John and Elizabeth named their daughters: Margaret, Elizabeth, Elizabeth, Ann, and Ann. Only Margaret and the second Elizabeth survived beyond early infancy. I never find marriages for these two daughters at Andover or Penton Mewsey.

An interesting set of marriages (Hampshire and Wiltshire parishes) for Blake members from another Blake researcher descendant of the Charles Blake line of Abbotts Ann:

John Blake married Catherine Hollaway June 1739 at Amport, both of Penton Mewsey.

William Blake of Andover married Ann  Brown 1790 at Amport.

John Blake of Grateley married Catherine Wild 1802 at Amport.

William Blake of Monxton married Mary Smith 1802 at Amport

Elizabeth Blake of South Newton married John Smith November 1727 at Laverstock.

Nicholas Blake of Porton married Susanna Chick April 1664 at Allington.

Henry Blake of South Newton married Martha Childe 1674 at Allington.

Richard Blake of West Tytherley married Jane London 1760 at Allington.

John Blake of Idmiston married Mary London 1761 at Allington.

William Blake of Andover gent. married Dorothye Thistlewayte Feb. 1665/6 at Winterslow.

Dorothye Blake Widow Married Richard Lansdowne July 1667 at Winterslow.

Anne Blake of Woodford married Stephen London May 1668 at Winterslow.

Richard Blake of West Tytherley married Elizabeth Kinge Jan. 1694 at Winterslow.

John Blake Married Elizabeth Hartford July 1701 at Salisbury ( St. Thomas) Both of Winterslow.

Richard Blake of Exbury Hants. Widower married Susan Larham Oct. 1812 Salisbury (St. Tomas)

Mary Blake of Milford married George Scamell Stedmond Mar.1701 at Salisbury (St.Martin).

Mary Blake married John Gerard Dec.1707 at Salisbury (St. Martin) both of South Newton.

Elizabeth Blake married William Morris Jan. 1708 at Salisbury (St. Martin) both of Whiteparish.

 I found two marriages very interesting and both William Blake of Andover - the first in 1665/6 at Winterslow as I wonder if William (son of William and Dorothy Blake) married again although I have not yet found a burial for Ann (Hellier) Blake his wife but times are early in that regard. The other marriage in 1790 at Amport of William Blake and Ann Brown since Thomas (my 3x great grandfather)'s brother William lived at Andover in this time period and I have not yet found a marriage or children for him. 

The other marriages will go into my database of Blake marriages and thank you very much to Ernest Blake for these entries. 

As I accumulate information, I need to consider how to display it so that it is available to as many Blake researchers as possible. Barrie Blake's excellent Blake Heritage website contains a vast amount of information but the size of files shouldn't swamp any one person. I shall place these large databases on my website whilst considering other alternatives. I do have webspace at the Guild of one name studies as well that I will utilize.

A second set of marriages from the same Blake researcher:

Elizabeth Blake married William Longland Oct. 1730 at Salisbury St. Martin, both of Wallop.

Elizabeth Blake of Milford married Richard Lovelock of Sparshott Jan. 1761 at Salisbury St. Martin.

Alice Blake of South Newton married Joseph Bourn July 1665 at Idmiston.

William Blake married Sarah Ann London Jun. 1710 both of Porton

William Blake of Clarendon Park married Martha Kinsman of Porton July 1725 at Idmiston.

John Blake married Mary Blake Aug. 1787 both of Boscombe at Idmiston.

John Blake of Shrewton married Ann Newberry Nov. 1770 at Rollestone

Ann Blake of Stover married John Bunkley of Clanden May 1689 at Salisbury St. Edumund.

Katherine Blake of Whiteparish married Benjamin Gale March 1700  at Salisbury St. Edmund.

William Blake of Imber married Hester Henton of Great Cheverell Oct. 1717 at Salisbury St. Edmund.

Mary Blake of Winterslow married John Wooton Sept. 1745 at Salisbury St. Edmund.

Thomas Blake of Idmiston married Elizabeth Olden Dec. 1759 at Boscombe.

Edith Blake married John Batson  1732 both of Purton.

Henry Blake of Homanton married Mary Vincent Jan. 1739 at Britford.

Nicholas Blake of Sarum married Elizabeth Hussey Dec. 1672 at Salisbury Cathedral.

John Blake of Southampton married Alice Parnell Jan. 1712 at Salisbury Cathedral.

William Blake  married Elizabeth Visar July 1707 both of Wraxall ( north).

 

Mary Blake of Devizes married Thomas Power of Bath Feb. 1654/5 at Devizes.

Thomas Blake married Frances Blake Mar. 1631/2 at Salisbury Cathedral.