Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Blake family chart - 2

I continued looking at the Blake family chart I purchased from the Wiltshire Record Office. I have now concluded that the first two couples on the chart in two of the lines (Blake and Baynard) are continuous generations. It would appear that the Blake family can be traced back to this Richard Blaque als Blaake als Blake who gave land to the Knights Templar (since they were disbanded by the Pope in 1312 this may well bring the Blake line back even further since it is known that Robert de Blakeland paid taxes at Calne in 1286.

According to the other researcher (I have not done the work) Barrie Blake in Australia, Robert Le Blake was b c 1190 and he d after 1272. He married Johanna La Blake and they have two sons Adam Le Blake and Richard Le Blake. On his webpages (http://blakeheritage.synthasite.com/iframe1.php) can be found this lineage and from him I have the information: "Whilst my records show Richard as the Sub-treasurer to the Dean of Wells Cathedral, they also show his father, Robert, as Bailiff to the Bishop of Wells." On the chart there is the statement: R[ichar]d Blake gave certain Lands in Essex to the Knights Templars in the Reign of King Edw[ard] I which may be seen by the Records in the Tower of London _____ E_??_r. 31 Ed I a? 77. Edward I reigned from 1272 to 1307. The subsidy paid to Edward I by Robert de Blakeland was in 1286. I now need to check the records to see if this was actually Richard Le Blake paying this subsidy. The land that Richard gave to the Knights Templar was in Essex which is a good deal away from Wells and from Calne.

I suspect if I have the time and ability to collect Blake records that we could find out a great deal about this family in the early history of England at least back to 1000 plus. However, I am still concerned with finding a little more proof for my linkage from William Blake (the Clerk) to John Blake (his son) and to Thomas Blake (my known 6x great grandfather and the son of John Blake at Andover). That is in the 1600s! I am still curious about William Blake attached to the Roger Blake family. I am now noticing that the crest attached to the Blake/Blague family at Surrey which is quartered is using the Blake/Blague crest in the top left, the Durrant/Dorrant top right, the Bellet/Billet bottom left and the Baynard bottom right. However, the Visitation notes (put in at a later date as they are in square brackets) that the lower right is unknown calling it an incomplete Blake/Blague crest. Since the chart was made from the Visitations, the College of Arms would have recognized the lower right crest as Baynard and attached William to Roger's family as this is the first time that the Blake/Baynard family married. That works for the dates. Interesting actually and with it being over 150 years earlier there would not have been anyone living to really answer that question.

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