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The Blaker Society © transcript books before this series of Act Books began, and these are probably pretty complete as a
BLAKER WILLS

series.

Any one will might therefore not only appear as an entry in the
‘transcript’ register, but also as the original will, and also the probate act
would be registered in the Probate Act Book. Hall sought to combine all
these sources with a view to making a complete calendar. However, as
mentioned above, we do not have a complete record from 1518 onwards:

The records are incomplete, and there is no means available in the registry of making good the missing
portions, save in a very few instances. The first hiatus is between Book A 5 and Book A 6. This is to a
certain extent supplied by Book С 11. A more important hiatus, of three years, 25, 26, and 27 of
Elizabeth, was due to the vacancy of the see of Chichester, from the death of Bishop Richard Curteys in
August 1582 to the elevation of Thomas Bickley, elected 30 Dec. 1585. None of the wills proved in
this interval are now to be found, but the act-books supply, perhaps very imperfectly, such scanty
details as can be gathered from the mere probate acts. In addition to the probate acts of this vacancy
period there are a certain number of other probate acts showing that wills were proved in the registry,
of which, however, no transcripts are now forthcoming. In the same way there are certain
“administrations with will annexed,” which are technically administration acts, but with which should
be transcripts of the so-annexed wills. Of these some may on research no doubt be found to be second
probates, or probates granted in exercise of power reserved, or administrations issued by reason of the
interim death of the executor. Still others may be found among the so-called Unregistered Wills, two
bundles designated U1 and U2. Of these many were in fact duly registered, and in the Calendar have
been referred to their proper places in the register books. Various irregularities account for yet other of
these cases, as for example Colman, Joane, Brede, 25 Sept. 1576; B1 48, where the act-book contains
this note: “We lacke the will to goe on the file.” A further number of these probate acts refer to wills
proved from March 1641 to the abolition of the episcopal jurisdiction under the Commonwealth. The
act-books break off in March 1642–3; but wills were still ‘proved,’ perhaps it would be more correct to
say still brought in, all through the Commonwealth. Some of these are extant, as original wills, in the
“Unregistered” bundles.

In this calendar there are seventeen Blaker and variant items, two
Blatcher, and two Blabor:

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