Page 103 - 3rdPub1

The Blaker Society © Edmund Blaker
NUTHURST

The will of Edmund Blaker of Nuthurst was proved at Chichester in

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1634/5 (Book 18 f. 347v) . He refers to his sister Elizabeth married to William
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West (whose marriage is recorded at Cuckfield in 1607) , and his brother
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Richard with children Richard, Mary and Elizabeth.
Richard Blaker and Eleanor Dumbrell, who married at Cuckfield in 1607,
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had seven children baptized there , two of whom died in infancy. The five
survivors were Mary, Richard, Elizabeth, Henry and John. Doubtless the first
three of these are the legatees of Edmund. The father, Richard Blaker of Blakers
in Cuckfield, appears to have been son of Richard Blaker of Cuckfield senior
who died there in 1623, in which case Edmund would be another son of Richard
senior. As Richard junior inherited the Blakers by custom of Borough English,
Edmund would be his elder brother. Richard junior named a child Edmund.
Edmund also made bequests to three children (George, Thomas and
Richard) of a George Blaker, whose relationship to him he does not state. The
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son Richard he made his executor. Thomas was still under age. In fact, in
1617 (17 years earlier) Edmund had been made one of the three trustees and
executors of the will of George Blaker of Cowfold, to whom the upbringing of
George’s four minor children, John, George, Richard and Thomas, was
entrusted. Equally, George Blaker in his will makes no statement as to how, if at
all, he might have been related to Edmund, but does refer to William West
(Edmund’s brother-in-law) as his good friend.
There is nothing to indicate that Edmund Blaker married or left any
descendants. Doubtless he was buried at Nuthurst. Although he had appointed
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the young Richard son of George Blaker his executor, in fact administration of
his goods was granted 24 December 1634 to Edmund’s brother Richard:
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Vicesimo Quarto die Decembris Anno d’ni 1634 magr’ Gulielmus Nevill legium d’cor
Vicarius &c’ Co’misit Ad’nem bonorum &c’ Edmundi Blaker nup dum vixit de Nuthurst
Arch’inat’ Cicestren’ defuncti Richardo Blaker fratri n’rali et l’timo dicti defuncti de bene
&c’ Jurat’ salvo &c’

The 24th day of December in the year of the Lord 1634, master William Nevill, doctor of
laws, vicar &c. committed administration of the goods &c. of Edmund Blaker late, when

11 We need to search Nuthurst parish registers for Richard’s burial, and, indeed, all and any Blaker entries from
1538 to at least 1640
12 We have only an abstract of this, plus a scan of the administration: we need a scan of the original.
13 whom he made an overseer
14 see CUCKFIELD B
15 see CUCKFIELD B
16 see COWFOLD
17 We need to search Nuthurst parish registers for this
18 The entry refers back to a previous probate entry on page 271: we need to see this