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The Blaker Society © Robertus Petman ux’ 4d

4d
ux’
Willelmus Apslond
ux’
Johannes Peythe
4d
...

Wiltshire Blackers in the Poll Tax

No Blacker, Blaker, Blakker or variant entry appears in the printed
Wiltshire returns for the 1379 Poll Tax. This is surprising, as the Blacker
family was certainly settled in Salisbury from an early period, and Roger
14
Blacker was M.P. for Chippenham in 1312-1313 :
Salisbury occupies pages 110-119 of Fenwick’s transcript. The
only Blak* entry is this:
15

Salisbury

Ext 6/99/162d c.2

Nova Sarum
SALISBURY

...
Johannes Paulesholte labor’ 4d
Nicholaus Wayte labor’ 4d
Johannes Mynty labor’ 4d
Johannes Blakemour labor’ 4d
Johannes Bruton’ labor’ 4d
Johannes Brugwater labor’ 4d
Isabella Holemour sola 4d
...

The Salisbury returns have several peculiarities. 4d payers are
classed as labor’, workman; art’, artisan; or serviens, servant. Servants’
surnames are almost always omitted. Single women are almost always
given the ‘surname’ Spynnestre. Members of households are generally
grouped together.
Assuming that there were Blackers in Salisbury in 1379, they must
either be lost in the damaged parts of the return, have been servants with
surnames omitted, or appear under a different surname. There is a Baker
at 114d, Bakere at 111b, 114a, 115d, 116b, 116d, 117b, 117e, 118c. We
would have expected to have found the Blackers as Blakker(e). There is a
Clakkere at 118d. That is the only *akker(e) in the Wiltshire returns.

14 as above
15 p. 118