William Blake ⁷⁵⁸

  General Notes:

Fairly certain, but presumptive father of William Blake of Dorchester.

From the parish registers of Pitminster there are the following records. 9 Feb. 1588: Grace Blake, daughter of Willm Blake was baptized. 3 Dec. 1592: Anne Blake, daughter of William Blake was baptized. 10 July 1594: William Black, son of William Blake was Baptized. 19 June 1597: John Black, son of William Blacke was Baptised. 16 October 1600: Ane Blaak, daughter of William Blaak was baptized. 17 April 1603: Richard Blaak, son of William Blaak was baptized.

Later on in the registers are the entries of the children of William Blake: 1617: William Blake was married to Agnis Band widow the xxiij day of September.

Baptisms of John in 1618, William in 1620, James in 1624 (See Children)

BLAKE concludes that this William Blake is the father of William of Dorchester, etc. The Manor Rolls of Taunton, Somertset, show that a William Blake in 1686 bought lands in Pitminster. His birthplace and parentage are not known, but it is a natural inference that he is the William whose name appears on the register of that parish (see above). There is no record of his wife's name, but a widow Anne Blake was buried at Pitminster 14 Aug. 1644.

See Research about the family in England. ⁷⁵⁸

  Research Notes:

The English ancestry of William Blake was traced in several genealogies prior to BLAKE but are considered highly presumptive:

1. "The alleged descent from Giles Blake of Little Baddow, Essex, which was first printed in 1857 (? Blake, Samuel, 'Blake Family _ The Genealogy of William Blake of Dorchester and All of Samuel and Patience Blake's Descendants (Boston, 1857)) and has unfortunately been repeated many times since, is entitled to no credence whatever." p1

2. Somerby, Horatio, 'A Record of the Blakes of Somerstshire_Especially the Line of Wm Blake of Dorchester' (Boston, 1881): This traces in an unbroken line running back to 1347, locating the family first in Wiltshire and then at Over Stowey in Somerset. BLAKE considers that this extensive research is in a large portion probably correct, but that needs to be verified. (see Blake, Francis E.'s article about this in the NEHGS Register, January, 1891), Evidently, there is only presumptive evidence that the family that settled in Over Stowey, not many miles distant from Pitminster, was the same family that later came to Pitminster. To summarize the findings of Somerby and another:

a. Humphrey Blake in the early part of the 16th century is found in Somerset. He became lord of the manor of Plainfield, in the parish of Over Stowey. He died in 1558. By his wife Agnes he had seven children. 2nd son, Robert was the grandfather of the renowned Admiral Blake. His eldest son b. John Blake, born in 1521, succeeded to the manor of Plainfield. With his wife Jane had seven children. c. William Blake, eldest son of John, by the will of his father was bequeathed lands in Over Stowey, Bishops Lydiard and elsewhere. No subsequent trace of him is found in the Over Stowey parish registers and he is supposed to be the man who purchased land in Pitminster in 1586, this William Blake, the father of William of Dorchester. p 10.

William married Anne /Blake/. (Anne /Blake/ was buried 14 Aug 1644 in Pitminster, Somerset, England.)