Page 27 - ‘A Blaker Family History’ The family history of Joseph Blaker (1916-2007; ‘Joe’)

© The Blaker Society
© The Blaker Society

rowing and shooting. He married, in 1870 Elizabeth, daughter of the late John W
Wilson, of Elsbrock, Holland, and leaves one daughter’.

Although Walter’s mother was descended from the ‘Old Shoreham and Portslade’

Blaker line, as distinct from the ‘Bolney’ Blaker line in which we have interest,
Walter Renshaw’s genealogical publication is a key point of reference in
unraveling the Blaker lineages.

The work captured by Renshaw has been substantially expanded by Rod Blaker
– who lives in Ottawa, Canada – and ‘The Blaker Society’ that he was instrumental
in founding in 2009.

6.1.2 The Blaker Society
The Society is a not-for-profit organisation. It is now Co-Chaired by Rod Blaker
and Christine Rodgers. Sir David Renshaw (Baronet) has recently become Patron
of the Society – particularly fitting, as he is a great nephew of Walter Charles
Renshaw.

‘The Blaker Society’ is a member of the Guild of One-Name Studies. It has a superb
web site under www.blaker.org.uk, that has been diligently organised by Jossie
Campbell and other volunteers. The database currently contains some 7,250
individuals.

‘The Blaker Society’ has divided individuals between different groupings
including:
• ‘Bolney Blakers’: 1488 individuals – this is the grouping we
have particular interest in
• ‘Old Shoreham & Portslade Blakers’: 817 individuals
• ‘Cuckfield Blakers’: 769 individuals

It is thought that all the Blaker people of Sussex are blood related, and that the
relationship may be seen somewhere around the 12th or 13th century. The
Blaker Society is now seeking to verify this statement through DNA testing, and
are currently seeking male Blaker volunteers to that end.

Further support for this common ancestory is that within The National Archives
of the UK there are 2908 entries for the name Blaker; of those, 2580 are in
Sussex, and of the remaining 328, ‘The Blaker Society’ recognise many as
originating in Sussex, and then emigrating to surrounding counties and to
London. Work is currently in progress to review the records and to cross
reference them to ‘The Blaker Society’ database in order to build up a fuller
picture.

Whilst the different groupings in the www.blaker.org.uk database may have a
common ancestor, our focus is on the ‘Bolney Blakers’ – probably inappropriately
named since the earliest records to date are for burials of members of this
grouping in the nearby village of Cuckfield.