Edmund Blood (abt. 1547 - abt. 1592)

Born about 1547 in Ruddington, Nottinghamshire, England [uncertain]

Husband of Isabell (Unknown) Blood — married 17 Oct 1574 in Plumtree, Nottinghamshire, England

Died about 15 Apr 1592 at about age 45 in Clipston, Nottinghamshire, England [uncertain]

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Garry Blood [send private message]

Biography

Edmund Blood was born in Nottinghamshire, England.

Edmund's year of birth of 1547 is a very rough estimate based on the inference that he was the youngest son of Richard Blood of Ruddington and based on the average age of first marriage for men in 16th century England being 27 (it is possible Edmund married in 1574; see below). Edmund's mother is unknown. His father Richard referred to his deceased wife but did not name her. Clues from Richard's will allow us to infer that this deceased woman was his only wife and therefore would have been Edmund's mother. Edmund's place of birth is not known for certain, but as his father was of Ruddington in Nottinghamshire and this town was the home of a well-established Blood family, it is likely that Ruddington was Edmund's place of birth.

On 17 Oct 1574 an Edmund Blide is recorded as marrying Isabella Wilson at the parish church of St Mary's in Plumtree.^[1][2] This is significant because the Edmund Blood of this profile was married to an Isabell at the time of his death, and he was also associated with Plumtree parish (see explanations of both further on). Conversely, there is no other record of a Blide or Blyde family anywhere in Nottinghamshire until nearly 250 years after this event. By contrast the Blood family of Plumtree, the oldest Bloods recorded in Nottinghamshire, were already established in the parish by the mid-1500s if not earlier. The Nottinghamshire Archives have confirmed that the Plumtree parish records from which these FindMyPast entries are derived are not the original records but a copy made in 1653; the original 16th century marriage records no longer exist. This is important because it was common for later copyists to transcribe Blood and its variants as practically any other name they could think of, meaning it's possible, even probable, that Blide is a mistake for Blude -- an alternate spelling of Blood in documented use in Plumtree at about the same time.

Edmund first appears in the written record in the 27 Jul 1581 will of his father Richard,^[3] in which his father bequeaths him rights to an acre of land in each of Richard's fields if he eventually establishes his own farm. That this stipulation is absent from the bequests to James and Robert implies that the two older siblings had already established their own farms, and may indicate that Edmund was substantially younger than the other two, as is also implied by his presumed year of marriage of 1574. This assessment is reinforced by the fact that Edmund is the last son to be introduced in the will; sons were almost always mentioned in age order from eldest to youngest. The stipulation concerning Edmund establishing a farm of his own also implies he was an agriculturist, but one without his own land. This points to him having been a tenant farmer or a farm labourer at the time of his father's will.

An Edmund Bloude^[4] was buried in the churchyard of the parish church of St Mary’s in Plumtree on 15 Apr 1592,^[5] only five days before administration of Edmund Blood’s estate was granted to his widow Isabell. Given that Blood was a very rare surname and Edmund was itself a rare given name among the Bloods, if these are not the same person it would be quite a coincidence. Also, Edmund Blood the husband of Isabell was definitively identified as having been a resident of Plumtree parish in a document made many years after his death (see Clifton Deeds below), further indicating these are the same Edmund Blood.

On 20 Apr 1592, the dean of the ecclesiastical court of York issued a letter of administration granting Edmund's widow Isabell the power to administer his estate,^[6] proof that Edmund died intestate. The letter of administration calls him "Edmund Bloode of Clifton,” which is a point of confusion (see Research Notes).

Edmund is referenced for the last time in the 26 Jun 1601 deed conveying three properties in Clifton[1] from his nephew Richard to his nephew John (both sons of his brother Robert).^[7] In this deed he is referred to via his widow Isabell, who is "Isabell Blood late [i.e., former] wief of Edmunde Blood Late of Clipston in the said Countye of Nottingham husbandman deceased." Isabell's dower rights were being waived so that the sale could proceed unencumbered. This provides us solid evidence that her husband Edmund owned these properties during their marriage, as only that would have accorded her dower rights. It is then noteworthy that the former Margarett Blood, widow of Edmund's brother Robert, also held dower rights over the same properties. This tells us Robert had owned these same properties during his lifetime as well. The most straightforward explanation is that these properties were sold or gifted from Robert to Edmund or from Edmund to Robert during their lifetimes.

No children are associated with Edmund and Isabell. The fact the court named Isabell as sole administrator of Edmund's estate indicates Edmund did not have any sons, as typically the eldest son would be named as either the sole administrator or at the very least as a co-administrator with the surviving spouse.

Places of Residence

Where Edmund lived at various points in his life, and especially where he lived at the time of his death, is a matter of some confusion. In date order, these places are:

• Parish of Plumtree - He is likely the "Edmund Blide" married at the parish church of St Mary's on 17 Oct 1574.
• Parish of Plumtree - He is very likely the Edmund Blood buried in the churchyard of St Mary's on 15 Apr 1592.
• Parish of Clifton - Edmund was referred to as "of Clifton" (the main village of Clifton parish) in his posthumous letter of administration of 20 Apr 1592.
• Parish of Plumtree - In Clifton Deed CL D 982 or 16 Jun 1601, written some nine years after his death but concerning property he had owned in Clifton, Edmund was referred to as being "of Clipston," a village in the Parish of Plumtree. This is definitely not a mistake for Clifton; the placename is without any doubt Clipston. That his widow Isabell and his nephews Richard and John would have been present at the execution of the deed makes it even less likely this was a mistake. Presumably this meant he really was a resident of Clipston in Plumtree parish at the time of his death. While this contradicts the letter of administration made within days of his death it comports well with him being married in Plumtree parish and buried in the churchyard there. This indicates one of two things; a) "Clifton" in the letter of administration was a simple mistake for Clipston, or b) the court official knew Edmund had owned property in Clifton and assumed that was also where he had resided at the time of his death.

Research Notes

Note on Surname/Family Name: Given that documents of the era were usually drafted by clerks or scribes employed for the purpose, and the idea that there is only one way to spell a name or word is a relatively recent development, spelling of the Blood surname varied heavily, even within the same document and referring to the same person. Variants seen in documents from 16th and 17th century Nottinghamshire include: Blod, Blood, Bloode, Bloud, Bloude, Bloudde, Blud, Blude, Bludd, and Bludde. Note that this refers to the Bloods generally, and not to Edmund Blood specifically. Garry Michael Blood

Sources

1. ↑ "Nottinghamshire Marriages Index 1528-1929," online database, FindMyPast.co.uk (https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=PRS%2FNOTTSFHS%2FMAR%2F00252570%2F1 : accessed 11 May 2022); Data from entry -- First name(s): Edmund; Last name: Blide; Marriage year: 1574; Marriage date: 17 Oct 1574; Marriage place: Plumtree; Church: St Mary the Virgin; Spouse's first name(s): Isabella; Spouse's last name: Wilson; County: Nottinghamshire; Country: England. (Note: Nottinghamshire Archives have confirmed that the source of this FMP entry is a hand copy of the original parish records made in 1653.)
2. ↑ "Nottinghamshire Marriage Registers, Vol 17," database with images, FindMyPast.co.uk (https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=GBOR%2FPHILLIMORE-MARS%2F0359694%2F1 : accessed 11 May 2022); Data from entry -- First name(s): Edmund; Last name: Blide; Year: 1574; Event date: 17 Oct 1574; Spouse's first name(s): Isabella; Spouse's last name: Wilson; Parish: Plumtree; County: Nottinghamshire; Country: England. (Note: Nottinghamshire Archives have confirmed that the source of this FMP entry is a hand copy of the original parish records made in 1653.)
3. ↑ Will of Richard Blood of Ruddington, 27 Jul 1581. Indexed in Wills in the York Registry, Vol. 19: 1568-1585, p.17; entry reads "Apl. 20, 1583. (date of probate) Bloode, Richard, Buddington (sic) (bur. Flafurth, Notts.), July 27, 1581. (date of will) Vol. 22 Fol. 377." Information derived from a digital image of handwritten record copy of the original will in the York court archives. Online at https://archive.org/details/YASRS019.
4. ↑ Bloude is a known spelling variant of Blood attested in Nottinghamshire.
5. ↑ "National Burial Index for England & Wales," online database, FindMyPast.com (https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=BMD%2FNBI%2F12332578 : accessed 13 Apr 2022); data from entry - First name(s): Edmond; Last name: Bloude; Death year: 1592; Burial date: 15 Apr 1592; Place: Plumtree; Church: St Mary; Denomination: Anglican; County: Nottinghamshire; Country: England.
6. ↑ Letter of Administration of Edmund Blood of Clifton, 20 Apr 1592. Indexed in Wills in the York Registry, Vol. 22: 1585-1594, Appendix, p.153; entry reads "Apl. 20, 1592. (date of administration) Bloode, Edmund, Clifton, Nottingham." Information derived from a digital image of the handwritten record copy of the letter of administration in the York administration acts book. Online at https://archive.org/details/YASRS022.
7. ↑ The Clifton Deeds, Bond for Peaceable Enjoyment Between Richard Blood and John Blood, 26 Jun 1601, Doc. Ref. CL D 982 (digital copy of original deed), University of Nottingham Manuscripts and Special Collections, King's Meadow Campus, Nottingham, United Kingdom. (https://mss-cat.nottingham.ac.uk).