PROJECT BLAKER FONS
“What’s in a name
A rose by any name
Would smell as sweet”
Let us assume we are all sweet. Nevertheless there are a few other things we can learn from this name business.
Names can be location or place related: there are two parishes called Blaker, outside England – one in Norway and the other in The Netherlands.
They can be occupational – and this is the interpretation given to our name – Blaker is somehow derived from the old English “bleacher,” and is a variant of “blacker.”
That interpretation looks good but does not explain why Blaker, and Blacker, are both relatively rare names, when there must have been one or two of these people in every hamlet and village in England in various centuries.
There is an historical Blacre (as spelled by the Normans in the Domesday Book, written in 1086) and Blacor as written in Old English, or Blacaire as written by the Irish – both of these spellings referring to a Danish Viking who lived during the tenth century, alternatively in Yorkshire and in Dublin (where he announced himself king).
FONS
Family Origin Name Survey is a name search service operated by David Bethell, well known to members of the Guild Of One Name Studies (GOONS). We have about 500 entries for the name Blaker as between 1000 and 1600. Each original entry is on a single sheet of paper which includes its source, the date of the instance and so forth.
Source: Public Record Office: CP 40/871
Title: Common Pleas Hilary 19 Edward IV
Hilary 1480
Westminster
Pl’ita apud Westmr coram Thoma Bryan Milite & Socijs suis Justic’ d’ni Regis de Banco de Trmino S’ci Hillarij Anno regni Regis Edwardi quarti Post conq’m Angl’ decimonono
Pleas at Westminster before Thomas Bryan knight and his fellows, justices of the lord king de Banco, for Hilary term in the 19th year of the reign of king Edward the fourth after the Conquest of England
Villa Suth’t
Cristoferus Ambrose p attorn’ suu’ op se iiijto die vrsus Waltrum Michell nup de Holwall in Com’ Somrs’ Husbondman’ alias d’cm Waltrum Michell nup de Oldwall in Com’ Somrs’ Fermour de pl’ito q’d reddat ei vndecim libras tresdecim solidos & quatuor denarios Et vrsus Thomam Blakker nup de Noua Sar in Com’ Wiltes’ Chapman’ de pl’ito q’d reddat ei decem libras quatuordecim solidos & quatuor denarios Et vrsus Joh’em Ape nup de Bridport in Com’ Dors’ Dyer de pl’ito q’d reddat ei sexaginta & duos solidos quos ei debent & iniuste detinent &c’ Et ip’i non ven’ Et prec’ fuit vic’ q’d capet eos &c’ Et vic’ modo mand’ q’d non sunt inuent’ &c’ I’o sicut prius capiantr q’d sint hic a die Pasche in tres septimanas1 &c’
Town of Southampton
Christopher Ambrose appeared by his attorney for a fourth day against Walter Michell late of Holwall in county Somerset husbondman otherwise called Walter Michell late of Oldwall in county Somerset fermour, in a plea that he render him £11 13s 4d; and against Thomas Blakker late of NewSarum in county Wilts chapman, in a plea that he render him £10 14s 4d; and against John Ape late of Bridport in county Dorset dyer, in a plea that he render him 62s; which they owe him and unjustly withhold &c. And (the defendants) have not come; and it had been ordered the sheriff to take them &c. And the sheriff now reports that they are not found &c. Therefore, as before, let them be taken, to be here three weeks from Easter &c.
23 April 1480
Source: Public Record Office: CP 40/853
Title: Common Pleas Hilary 14 Edward IV
Hilary 1475
Westminster
Pl’ita apud Westmr coram Thoma Bryan et Sociis suis Justic’ d’ni Regis de Banco de Trmino S’ci Hillarij Anno regni Regis Edwardi quarti post conquestum Angl’ quartodecimo
Pleas at Westminster before Thomas Bryan and his fellows, justices of the lord king de Banco, for Hilary term in the 14th year of the reign of king Edward the fourth after the Conquest
Wiltes’
Thomas Blakker p attorn’ suu’ op se iiijto die vrsus Joh’em Heyron’ de magna Ambresbury in Com’ prd’co Cordewaner de pl’ito q’d reddat ei sexaginta solidos quos ei debet & iniuste detinet &c’ Et ip’e non ven’ Et prec’ fuit vic’ q’d capet eu’ &c’ Et vic’ modo mand’ q’d non est inuent’ &c’ I’o sicut prius capiatr q’d sit hic a die Pasche in vnu’ Mensem1 &c’. Ad quem die’ vic’ non mis’ br’e I’o sicut plur’ capr q’d sit hic in Crastino s’ci Joh’is Bapt’2 &c’ Ad quem die’ vic’ non mis’ br’e I’o sicut plur’ capr q’d sit hic in octab’ s’ci Mich’is3 &c’
Wiltshire
Thomas Blakker appeared by his attorney for a fourth day against John Heyron of Great Ambresbury in the county aforesaid cordewaner, in a plea that he render him 60s that he owes him and unjustly withholds &c. And (the defendant) has not come; and it had been ordered the sheriff to take him &c. And the sheriff now reports that (the defendant) is not found &c. Therefore, as before, let him be taken, to be here a month from Easter &c. On which day the sheriff did not send the writ; therefore, as many times, let (the defendant) be taken, so that he be here on the morrow of Midsummer &c. On which day the sheriff did not send the writ; therefore, as many times, let (the defendant) be taken, so that he be here on the octaves of Michaelmas &c.
1 23 April 1475
2 25 June 1475
3 6 October 1475
Source: Public Record Office: CP 40/1116
Title: Common Pleas Hilary 34 Henry VIII
Hilary 1543
Westminster
Pl’ita apud Westmr coram Joh’e Baldewyn Milite & Socijs suis Justic’ d’ni Regis de Banco de Termi’o s’ci Hillarij Anno regni Regis Henrici octaui post conquestum tricesimo quarto
Pleas at Westminster before John Baldewyn knight and his fellows, justices of the lord king de Banco, for Hilary term in the 34th year of the reign of king Henry the eighth after the Conquest
Deuon’
Ric’us Cogan’ de Charde in Com’ Somrs’ Marchant p attorn’ suu’ op’ se iiijto die vrsus Rob’tm Whythorn’ de Exon’ in Com’ Ciuitatis Exon’ Mercer alias d’cm Rob’tm Wythorn’ de Exon’ in Com’ Deuon’ Mercer Et vrsus Joh’em Bleccher nup de Ciuitate Exon’ in Com’ Ciuitatis Exon’ Cordyner alias d’cm Joh’em Bleccher Cordyner Et vrsus Rob’tm Pomery alias Samson’ nup de Ciuitate Exon’ in Com’ Ciuitatis Exon’ Tanner alias d’cm Rob’tm Pomery de Exon’ prd’ca in Com’ prd’co Et vrsus Joh’em Shelley de Dumer in Com’ Somrs’ Husbondman’ de pl’ito q’d quil’t eor reddat ei viginti libras Et vrsus Thomam Smyth’ de Southmolton’ in Com’ prd’co Chapman’ de pl’ito q’d reddat ei quinq’ marcas quas ei debent et iniuste detinent &c’ Et ip’i non ven’ Et prec’ fuit vic’ q’d sum’ eos &c’ Et vic’ modo mand’ q’d nichil h’ent &c’ I’o capiantr q’d sint hic a die Pasche in xv dies1 &c’
Devon
Richard Cogan of Charde in county Somerset marchant appeared by his attorney for a fourth day against Robert Whythorn of Exeter in the county of the city of Exeter mercer otherwise called Robert Wythorn of Exeter in county Devon mercer; and against John Bleccher late of the city of Exeter in the county of the city of Exeter cordyner otherwise called John Bleccher cordyner; and against Robert Pomery of Exeter aforesaid in the county aforesaid; and against John Shelley of Dumer in county Somerset husbondman, in a plea that each of them render him £20; and against Thomas Smyth of Southmolton in the county aforesaid chapman, in a plea that he render him 4 marks; which they owe him and unjustly withhold &c. And (the defendants) have not come; and it had been ordered the sheriff to summon them &c. And the sheriff now reports that they have nothing (in his bailiwick in lands or chattels whereby they might be attached) &c. Therefore let them be taken, to be here on the quindene of Easter &c.
1 8 April 1543
Source: Scottish History Society 2nd ser. xvi
Title: Papers relating to the Army of the Solemn League and Covenant 1643–1647. Edited with an Introduction by Charles Sanford Terry, Burnett-Fletcher Professor of History in the University of Aberdeen. Volume I, 1917, Edinburgh, xliii
1646
THE STIRLINGSHIRE REGIMENT
LIEUTENANT
1645 Robert Russell
John Doig
1646 John Ewing
John Livingston
Thomas Peebles
David Livingston
Patrick Livingston
Norman Blaker