William Blott (abt. 1520 - aft. 1591)

Born about 1520 in Bedfordshire, England [uncertain]

Descendants

Died after Aug 1591 after about age 71 in Harrold, Bedfordshire, England [uncertain]

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Biography

Possible Origin

William may have been the son of Robert Blott of Harrold who wrote his will 8 Aug 1556, proved 29 Oct 1556 or if not his son, possibly related. The transcription is written in the 3rd person so "his daughter" means "daughter of the testator". This will listed wife Marjorie, children Thomas, Agnes, Eleanor "Lambaster" (which seems to be wife of John "Lankaster" later listed), Alice Woodmanson (and her husband Francis), "his daughter's son John Taylor... his sister Katherine...his sister Eleanor" implying that whichever daughter married a Taylor may now be deceased. He further bequeaths to brother Henry "Blote", the children of Richard Blote (later specifying that Richard is his son), "to testator's daughter's children at London" (again, Taylor children?) and son William. It is implied that William is oldest since upon Robert's death, wife Marjorie and son Thomas get his main farm but when Marjorie dies, son William gets that farm and then Thomas gets another farm at Town's End. Based on the property and livestock given, Robert was fairly wealthy.^[1]

Not surprisingly for farming families living outside the major cities, they do not appear under any of the variety of spellings in the Visitations of Bedfordshire between 1566 and 1634^[2] or the Huntingdon 1613 Visitation^[3] Nor do they appear in the Northampton Visitations of 1564 and 1618/19.^[4] under their own name or married into other families.

William Blott alias Blewett was known to be the father of Robert Blott (c. 1547-1609) of Harrold, Bedfordshire along with at least two other men, John Blott (1551- aft. 1590) and Thomas Blott of Grendon and Barnwell, Norths who might not be the correct person so is not linked to William yet.

Based on a 1603 court case^[5] detailed below, he seems to have also had a son William Junior who died in Feb 1592. That son William Jr. had at least daughters Alice who married Henry Lavender by 1603 (contrary to apparent parish records stating 1609, without seeing original documents this is hard to resolve) and Johanne who was unmarried in early 1603. This court case is more fully described on the profile of William Jr.

The relationship to sons Robert, John and Thomas is proved by the combination of Robert's 1609 will and a 1589/90 land deed. In Robert's will he bequeathed to his youngest son Thomas:

...all thos eighteen acres & one roode of land & one roode & half of medow & one pightle shotting into pottes close with the comons & appurtenances to ye said land belonging which I purchased of my father & John Blot my brother by a lease for one thousand yers...^[6] (will listed in TAG Vol 67, obtained from and transcribed by Bedfordshire archives). Robert's will also listed his living brother Thomas but it did not bequeath to John or mention him further so whether John was alive in 1609 is not yet known. Robert also named his oldest son William.

We then find a land deed (GA929) in Bedfordshire archives of conveyance from William Blott alias Blewett of Harrold, yeoman and John Blott alias Blewett of Newton Bromswold, Northamptonshire, yeoman to Robert Blott alias Blewett of Harrold, husbandman on 10 Mar 1589/90 of a lease for 1000 years consisting of 18 acres and 1 1/2 roods.^[7]

Robert is estimated to have been born about 1547 based on the ages of his children (shown on his profile) and a John, son of William Blott was christened in 1551 at Ridgmont, Bedfordshire.^[8] Two Williams, both sons of a Robert Blott were christened in Ridgmont in 1573 and/or 1574 making another argument for Ridgmont as a home base for this family in the mid-1500s (unfortunately images are not available so this might have been a first William who died in infancy followed by a second, or it might have been two different Robert Blotts in Ridgmont who both named their sons William). These records are available on freereg.org.uk.

All the key locations of these men (Ridgmont, Harrold, Newton Bromswold) were within about 20 miles of each other. So it is at least very possible that William was of Ridgmont when his children were born and that he was born about 1520, assuming he was 25 when married and Robert was his oldest son (speculation).

An Elizabeth Blott married William Carnett 27 Sep 1552 at Ridgmont, very possibly she was a sister of William or related in some way^[9] as was (probably) the John Blott who married Margaret Peck there 14 Oct 1563.^[10] An earlier marriage of another Elizabeth Blott to Thomas Aley 19 Oct 1542 at Ridgmont may have been yet another family member.^[11]

Children

While nothing is yet known of William's marriage, the following christening records have been found at All Saints Ridgmont, Beds. as children of William (although it could have been a different family; Harrold parish registers are not available before 1598).

1. Katherine 23 Feb 1541/42^[12]
2. Thomas 28 Mar 1545^[13]
3. Elizabeth 4 May 1548^[14]
4. John 19 Apr 1551^[15]

The William listed in his will is linked as William Junior, possibly born about 1539 as he would seem to be the father of Margaret (1564) and Elizabeth (1569) and at least two others, Alice who married Henry Lavender^[5] and Johanne her sister belonged to "William Junior". If William Senior was not the same as William father of Robert, John & Thomas then there were two William Blott's of the same age having children in this area at the same time, which is obviously a possibility and both William Blott's were farmers with extensive land and both had a son named John.

Land and Legal Records

William appears in the Bedford Archive Services Catalog^[16]

1. 26 Mar 1567 Reference OR386 Title Grant: £6. 6s. 8d. William Bluet alias Blott of Harrold, yeoman. Giles Sufferane of Harrold, labourer, and wife Agnes. A cottage in the occupation of said Giles, with close adjoining; situated in the West end of Harrold...&c followed on 8 May 1567 Ref OR387 of quitclaim on same property “The said Bluet, havyng no seale..... of his owne, borowed the seale of the abovesaid Catlyn”.
2. 6 Mar 1576/7 as witness to another quitclaim Reference DW81
3. GA926 and 927 start a series that culminates with GA1017
4. 1591 assignment of land from "William Blot alias Blewet senior of Harrold to William Blot alias Blewet junior, Harrold" Reference T48/17
5. GA926 and GA927 starts a series that culminates in GA1017 (below). In these two, Edward & Richard Lawrence sell land to John Blott and William Blott is already living on that land (Sr. or Jr. is not specified but given GA1017 in 1603 where the heirs of William Jr. sue their uncle John Blott for not giving them their portion of the land, it seems likely to be William Jr.) GA926 lists John as "of Newton Bromswold" which is his exact location when he and his father William Sr. sell land to John's brother, Robert Blott Sr. This series of three land deeds cements the idea that Robert, John and William were all sons of William Sr.
6. Easter 1603 Courts of Wards and Liveries, Reference GA1017 shows additional family members by the following text:^[5]

Case between Henry Lavender and wife Alice, and Johanne Blott alias Bluett, Alice and Johanne being daughters of William Blott alias Bluett junior, deceased, and John Blott alias Bluett and George Wells. Recites that Richard and Edward Lawrence were seized of the manor of Claybrook in Harrold, 1 messuage, 3 cottages, 240 acres of land, 12 acres of meadow, 40 acres of pasture, and view of frankpledge; that they conveyed it 27 March,1589 to John Blott until William Blott senior should divide it; Fine, Trinity term, 1589 by Richard and Edward Lawrence; that the division was made August 1591, half of property to William Blott junior, who died February 1592, seized of the lands. It is decreed that the plaintiffs are to hold William Blotts moiety without hindrance from John Blott or George Wells. --2 cottages, 120 acres of land, 7 acres of meadow and 8 of pasture.

Death & Estate

The Easter Term court entry quoted above shows that William Senior was alive in Aug 1591 when the land was divided but his exact fate is not yet known. A will of a William Blott made 18 Oct 1624, proved Nov 1624 is found but this would seem to be his grand-son William, the son of Robert Blott Sr. based on the names in the will.^[17] No will found in index of Prerogative Court of Canterbury 1584-1604 or PCC wills 1605-1619 orPCC WIlls 1620-1629.

Sources

1. ↑ Bedfordshire Archives Service 1556 will of Robert Blote of Harrold, Beds Reference ABP/R13/8
2. ↑ The visitations of Bedfordshire ; annis Domini 1566, 1582, and 1634. ... by Harvey, William, d. 1567; Cooke, Robert, d. 1592; Owen, George, d. 1665; Saint-George, Richard, Sir, d. 1635; Page-Turner, Frederick Augustus, b. 1845; College of Arms (Great Britain) Publication date 1884 Appendix
3. ↑ The visitation of the county of Huntingdon, under the authority of William Camden, Clareneaux king of arms, by his deputy, Nicholas Charles, Lancaster herald, A. D. MDCXIII by Charles, Nicholas, d. 1613; College of Arms (Great Britain); Ellis, Henry, Sir, 1777-1869; Camden, William, 1551-1623 Publication date 1849 Index
4. ↑ The visitations of Northamptonshire made in 1564 and 1618-19 : with Northamptonshire pedigrees from various Harleian mss by Harvey, William, d. 1567; Vincent, Augustine, 1584?-1626; Metcalfe, Walter C; England. College of arms Publication date 1887 Appendix 1564
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2} Bedfordshire Archives Service Catalogue 1603 Blotts in the Court of Wards and Liveries Reference GA1017
6. ↑ Penny G. Douglass, "The English Origin of Robert1 Blott of Charlestown and Boston, Mass.," The American Genealogist, 67 (Apr 1992):65-67; link for subscribers; citing FHL film #1,066,945, item 3
7. ↑ Bedfordshire Archives Service Catalog Documents/deeds & wills relating to property in Harrold. series GA926-945 1589-1708 Reference GA929
8. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JQ1H-PN1 : 11 February 2018, John Blott, 19 Apr 1551); citing , index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 826,473.
9. ↑ Bedfordshire : Ridgmont : All Saints : Register of unspecified type : "Parish Register" database, FreeREG (https://www.freereg.org.uk/search_records/5817abcbe93790eb7f5c2d09 : viewed 10 Oct 2021) marriage William Carnett to Elizabeth Blott 27 Sep 1552
10. ↑ Bedfordshire : Oakley : St Mary the Virgin : Register of unspecified type : "Parish Register" database, FreeREG (https://www.freereg.org.uk/search_records/5817abbce93790eb7f5c10a1 : viewed 10 Oct 2021) marriage Jn Blot to Margt Peck 14 Oct 1563
11. ↑ Bedfordshire : Ridgmont : All Saints : Register of unspecified type : "Parish Register" database, FreeREG (https://www.freereg.org.uk/search_records/5817abcfe93790eb7f5c32b6 : viewed 10 Oct 2021) marriage Thomas Aley to Elizabeth Blott 19 Oct 1542
12. ↑ Bedfordshire : Ridgmont : All Saints : Register of unspecified type : "Parish Register" database, FreeREG (https://www.freereg.org.uk/search_records/5817b51ae93790ec8bfdff2e : viewed 10 Oct 2021) baptism Katherine Blott Feb 1541/2
13. ↑ Bedfordshire : Ridgmont : All Saints : Register of unspecified type : "Parish Register" database, FreeREG (https://www.freereg.org.uk/search_records/5817b51ae93790ec8bfdff74 : viewed 10 Oct 2021) baptism Thomas Blott 28 Mar 1545
14. ↑ Bedfordshire : Ridgmont : All Saints : Register of unspecified type : "Parish Register" database, FreeREG (https://www.freereg.org.uk/search_records/5817b51ae93790ec8bfdffab : viewed 10 Oct 2021) baptism Elizabeth Blott 04 May 1548
15. ↑ Bedfordshire : Ridgmont : All Saints : Register of unspecified type : "Parish Register" database, FreeREG (https://www.freereg.org.uk/search_records/5817b51ae93790ec8bfdfff4 : viewed 10 Oct 2021) baptism John Blott 19 Apr 1551
16. ↑ Bedfordshire Archives Service Catalogue Search for Person "Blott, William" or "Blewett, William"
17. ↑ Bedfordshire Archives Service Catalog 1624 Will of William Blott of Harrold, yeoman Reference ABP/W1624-25/35