.
.

Previous:     Part 1 of the Blake story

The Blake Story, Part 5

The siblings of Charles Blake

Charles Blake - soldier, whitesmith and emigrant to Australia - is the key figure in this history. The 1911 census shows his mother Emma Blake (nee Trump) as having had 19 children of whom 10 were still alive. One of whom was Charles. This section explores what is known of the others.

The 15 children we know of are:

    Henry, born 1851 Witney
    William [1], born 1853 Chesham
    Edward, born 1859 Watford
    Elizabeth, born 1863 Chesham
    Charles , born 1865, Chesham
    Emma, born 1867 Sunbury
    Eliza born 1868 Sunbury ( Liare, (!) in 1871 census)
    Alice born 1870 Sunbury
    Arthur c 1872
    William [2] born 1873
    Elijah, born 1874
    Nelly born 1874
    Joseph born 1876
    Kate born 1877
    William Henry born 1882

This assumes that Emma Trump was the mother of Henry and William[1] as to which see the discussion in section x about Emma Trump and Emma Platt.

Who the other four were I do not know. Maybe some were still births but considered by Emma as part of her roster of her children ? A search of Chesham and Aylesbury baptism records reveals no extra Blake children.

I can only place 6 or 7 of the 10 survivors at 1911:

    Henry - married and living in Sunbury
    Charles - emigrated to Australia
    Joseph - in the Army in South Africa
    William Henry - a taxi driver in Newington
    Arthur - living with his mother
    Kate - in the house of brother William Henry
   It seems likely that Alice married a Mr Green and emigrated to Australia.

Given the evidence for the deaths of William [1], William [2], Elijah and Nelly it seems likely that three out of Edward, Elizabeth, Eliza, and Emma are the other survivors.

Henry

Born Q1 1851 in the Witney registration district and baptised at St Mary's Witney on 18 March 1851. At the 1851 census he is living with his parents at Woodstock ( which is very near to Witney) and at 1861 with the family at George Street, St Albans.

I am unable to find him in the 1871 or 1881 censuses. This may have been because he is in the army - see below - though this uncertain.

The 1911 census indicates that he married in 1882/83 to Lucy but I cannot find this marriage. Nor can I find Lucy in the 1881 census. In 1891 they are living in a lodging house in Long Street, Atherstone, Warwickshire. He is listed as Harry, age 40, a cutler. She as a laundress age 33. He identifies his birthplace as Sunbury (the family home from around 1867) rather than Witney or Chesham.

In the 1901 census, age 50, he reappears in Sunbury in Middlesex, with wife Lucy, age 40. (the Ancestry site wrongly shows his age as 56). He is a tinsmith then, and in 1911, working on his own account. Lucy's birthplace is given in 1901 as Staffordshire (wasd or wazel or mazel?) In the 1911 census it is shown as West Bromage - so the 1901 entry might be Walsall - which also seems to be the entry in 1891. They have three children. Liney age 5 in 1901, Daisy (though it looks more like 'Maisey' or 'Waisey') age 3 in 1901 and 13 in 1901 and Maggie age 6 in 1911. In 1911 both girls are at school. They live at Pomfret House in Green Street.

Daisy was registered as born in Staines RD in Q1 1898 and was baptised Daisy Ellen on 27 March 1898 at Sunbury. Henry is described in the church register as a tinman. I can find nothing further for Daisy.

A Lena Blake was registered as born in Staines RD in Q2 1896 which looks likely for 'Liney'.

Maggie was registered in Q2 1904 as Rose Margaret and baptised as Margaret Rose on 29th May 1904 at St Mary's Sunbury, the same day and place as her cousin, Lilian May Blake, the daughter of Charles (the emigrant) and Kate.

More on the children of Henry is shown below.

Henry was buried at Sunbury on 24 February 1924. His address is stated as Green Street and his age given as 74.

At the moment the next passage is speculative. But possible.

In December 1868 a Henry Blake joins the army (1st battalion of the 17th Foot) at Hythe in Kent. He enlists on the 11th and 'attests' on the 17th. His age at enlistment is recorded as 17 years 8 months. This makes his birth date sometime between 12th March 1851 and 11th April 1851. Which is consistent with the birth and baptism (though only just) of Henry at Witney and almost consistent (less than one month out) with the burial at Sunbury. His parish and county (of residence presumably) are given as Canterbury in Kent. Which was where his father and grandfather had been born. The occupation is not clearly readable but it looks as if it could be 'tinman'. Which would be a great match.

There are however other men named Henry Blake born around the same time. A total of 22 are listed in the GRO index for 1851, though none were born in Kent. In particular, there was another Henry Blake in the 17th foot in the period 1851 (as a private) to 1855 (as a sergeant) which might point to them being a different family. Although Henry joined at Hythe in Kent it seems that the regiment he joined was not based there at the time(?).

The archived website militarybadges.org.uk indicates they were serving in Ireland at this time.

In Q2 of 1871 the 1871 Worldwide Army Index (available in forces-war-records.co.uk) shows Henry Blake, service number 1349, serving as a private with the 1st battalion of the 17th (Leicestershire) Foot Regiment in Lucknow in India. Which is why he does not appear in the 1871 census

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/categories/39/?name=henry_Blake&birth=1851&birth_x=2-0-0&name_x=s_s

William, born 5 February 1853 at Waterside, Chesham. At 1861 with the family at George Street, St Albans. I cannot find any trace of him after that. The later naming of another child as William Henry suggests he has died. Possibly the William Blake who died in Amersham RD ( which includes Chesham) in 1863.

Edward, born 14 September 1859 at Watford. The family's address is 26 Ballards Buildings. Baptised at Watford 9 March 1860. At 1861 he is listed with the family at George Street, St Albans. In the 1871 census entry he is living with the family at Thames Street in Sunbury, age 12. He is recorded as being 'near sighted'.

Nothing is known after 1871. It was tempting to think he might have been the Edward Blake living and working as a potman/inn servant at the Swan Inn in Hampton, Middlesex at the 1881 census. His place of birth is given as Sunbury (which had been his home since he was about 6) but his age is given as 27 rather than the 22 we would expect. There was another Edward Blake (the son of William and Jane) born in the area in 1853 or 54.

Elizabeth, born Q3 1863 at Waterside Chesham. She is baptised four years later ( at the same time as sister Emma) at St Mary's Sunbury on 17 June 1867. In the 1871 census entry she is living with the family at Thames Street in Sunbury, age 8. She could be the Elizabeth Blake living and working as a waitress in Newington in 1881 but......

Emma, born Q1 1867 Sunbury and baptised at St Mary's Sunbury on 17 June 1867. In the 1871 census entry she is living with the family at Thames Street in Sunbury, age 4. In the 1881 census she is living with the family in Green Street in Sunbury on Thames. She is recorded as age 15 though the birth record indicates she would only have been 14.

Eliza, born Q3 1868 Sunbury and baptised on 5 August 1868. In the 1871 census entry she is living with the family at Thames Street in Sunbury, listed apparently as 'Liare', age 3. At the time of the 1881 census she is living and working as a general domestic servant age 13 in the Strutt household in Hampton.

Alice, born Q1 1870 Sunbury. In the 1871 census entry she is living with the family at Thames Street in Sunbury, age 1. . At the time of the 1881 census she is living and working as a servant nursemaid age 11 in the household of Edwin Clark, boat builder, in Sunbury. In the 1891 census she is living with her mother and siblings at Sunbury, age 21

??? married to George E Green https://www.ancestry.co.uk/family-tree/person/tree/5156336/person/422406812193/facts Possible marriage to Beauchamp cf Magaret Rose

.

Arthur c 1872 In the 1891 census he is living with his mother and siblings at Sunbury, age 19. He is identified as a labourer ????In 1901 he is still with his mother at Sunbury. He is noted as paralysed from childhood but as having an occupation of Horse driver/groom which seems a little surprising. Particularly since at 1891 he had been described as a labourer of some description.

In the 1911 census he remains with his mother (and completes the census form). He identifies himself as a fisherman 'on his own account' rather than as an employee, working at home, age 38 and 'partly paralysed'. The address is given as ??? Place, Green Street, Sunbury, a house of 5 rooms.

Elijah, Elijah's birth is registered in Q4 1874 and he is baptised at Sunbury 24 November 1874. In the 1881 census he is living with the family in Green Street in Sunbury on Thames, age 7 . Elijah appears in the baptism records of Sunbury on 24th November 1874 - which again record father William's occupation as a Tinman. This baptism comes just two days after the baptisms of his sister Nelly. Elijah's death is registered in Q1 1884.

Nelly born 1874 and baptised (twice) on 22 November 1874 which suggests an emergency private baptism followed by another in church. Her death is recorded in Q4 1874 age 0.

Joseph born 1876 bapt 14 May 1876 In the 1881 census he is living with the family in Green Street in Sunbury on Thames, age 5. In the 1891 census he is living with his mother and siblings at Sunbury, age 15. Army

Kate born 1877 and baptised 3 December 1877. In the 1881 census she is living with the family in Green Street in Sunbury on Thames, age 4 . At 1901 she is a laundress lodging at the Sisters of Mercy House in Southwark, at 1911 is in the house of her younger brother William Henry. She is recorded in the censuses as being deaf and dumb - from age 5 according to the 1 record

William Henry born in Q1 1882 and baptised at Sunbury on 9 April 1882. In the 1891 census he is living with his mother and siblings at Sunbury, age 9. In the 1901 census he is an Infantry Private at the barracks in Hounslow. His regiment is not stated.

Army life does not apparently suit him. In 1902 William has married to Emily Eliza Daisy Hopley and at 1911 they have two children Cecil Arthur, 2, and Elizabeth Rose age 6 months. His sister age 32 is living with them in Newington. The census entry looks odd 'Toate' but is probably Kate (though the age is a bit different from the census).

He is a taxi driver in 1911 and was a commissionaire in 1902. In 1911 London taxi drivers went on strike. It looks as if she Emily Daisy didn't like the name Eliza. It seems to be added as an afterthought on their marriage entry and is omitted in the 1911 census. Emily was from Ashford, the daughter of George William Hopley (decd)

Nieces and nephews of Charles

The children of Henry

Lena, born 1896, married Edward Ernest Tate in Kingston in 1916. A daughter was born later that year. This time Lena's name is given as Lean.

Lena is widowed and emigrates to New Zealand with her daughter.