Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: Nottinghamshire, England
Surnames/tags: Blood Bloud Blud

Contents 1 The Bloods of Nottinghamshire 1.1 Nottinghamshire Bloods from 1479 to 1650 1.2 Family Trees 1.2.1 The Bloods of Nottingham Town 1.2.2 The Bloods of Ruddington 1.2.3 The Bloods of Rempstone 1.2.4 The Bloods of Elton-on-the-Hill 1.2.5 The Bloods of Hickling 1.2.6 The Bloods of Watnall 1.2.7 The Bloods of Plumtree 1.3 The Protestation Return of 1641 and 1642 1.4 Nottinghamshire Bloods from 1651 to 1750

The Bloods of Nottinghamshire

Author: Garry Michael Blood, 1 Feb 2023

Genetic evidence shows unequivocally that the Bloods of Nottinghamshire are a branch of the Bloods of Derbyshire. However, the documentary link between the two lines has still not been found. The identity and place of origin of the first Derbyshire Blood to migrate to Nottinghamshire is unknown, but the concentration of the earliest Bloods in an area from Nottingham to Rempstone indicates this area in south Nottinghamshire was probably the first Blood foothold in the county. When this happened is still a mystery, but as the first Blood is documented in the county in 1479, it must have been prior to that year.

Nottinghamshire Bloods from 1479 to 1650

The heatmap below shows all records of Bloods in Nottinghamshire from 1479 to the end of 1650. In this period, the Bloods were primarily on the north-south line from Nottingham in the north, through Ruddington (the largest concentration of Bloods), to Rempstone in the south.

Family Trees

Below are family trees of all 16th and 17th century Nottinghamshire Blood families where there is sufficient information to create one.

The Bloods of Nottingham Town

While the first Blood in Nottinghamshire was documented in Nottingham in 1479, nothing more is heard from this group of Bloods until the last decade of the 16th century, over one hundred years later. It's possible the family died out and re-established itself later, or we may simply be suffering from missing records.

The Bloods of Ruddington

Historically speaking, the Ruddington Bloods are the most important Blood family in Nottinghamshire, if not in all of England, in terms of their impact on the story of the English Bloods. At least three and probably all five of the male Bloods who emigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in New England in 1639 were from this family. Two of those Bloods, Richard and Robert, were the progenitors of the vast majority of the Bloods in the United States today. This family traces back at least as far as the first decade of the 16th century.

The Bloods of Rempstone

The Bloods of Rempstone were founded in 1617 when the patriarch, Robert Blood, married there and started a family that would survive for much of the 17th century. Where Robert came from is a mystery, although the most logical conclusion is he was a Ruddington Blood, as Ruddington was only a short distance to the north and Robert was a well-attested Ruddington Blood name, being in use for many generations in that family.

The Bloods of Elton-on-the-Hill

The Bloods of Hickling

The Bloods of Watnall

The Bloods of Watnall in the Parish of Greasley are interesting in that they appear at a very early date -- only the Plumtree and Rudddington Bloods are as old -- but on the western side of Nottingham close to the border with Derbyshire, whereas all other Bloods in Nottinghamshire in the 16th century were on the eastern side of Nottingham. Could the Watnall Bloods be showing us the route the first Derbyshire Bloods followed into Nottinghamshire?

The Bloods of Plumtree

The Bloods of Plumtree Parish are the oldest recorded Blood family in Nottinghamshire. Only Thomas Blode of Nottingham in 1479 and 1480 is older. The problem is, it's impossible at present to work out the relationship between the early Plumtree Bloods beyond the assumption that they were somehow related. The 16th century Plumtree Bloods consisted of:

1. Christopher Blood 1: He is the first Blood recorded in the Parish of Plumtree, the second-oldest documented Blood in Nottinghamshire, and one of only two Christopher Bloods recorded in the county until well into the 20th century. Christopher's year and place of birth are unknown, but if he was born in Plumtree parish then this would point to a birth prior to 4 Jul 1558 as the parish baptismal records still exist from that date forward. The first record of Christopher is his burial in the churchyard of the parish church of St Mary's in the village of Plumtree on 15 Jul 1565, indicating a death in the few days prior. The lack of a father's name on his burial entry indicates he was likely an adult at the time of his death.
2. Christopher Blood 2: This second Christopher, also known only from his burial record, was interred in the same churchyard on 20 Jan 1573 (corrected NS/Gregorian year). The lack of a father's name on his burial entry also indicates he was likely an adult at the time of his death. It is surely beyond coincidence that the two oldest Bloods of Plumtree were both Christophers. This points to a father and son as the family does not appear to have been big enough to have cousins or uncles-nephews of the same name. If Christopher 2 was Christopher 1’s son then he was likely the eldest as the eldest was usually given the father’s name.
3. Agnes Blood: Agnes was buried at St Mary's Church in Plumtree on 18 Feb 1575 (corrected NS/Gregorian year). Her year and place of birth are unknown, complicated by the fact it's unclear whether Blood was her family name of birth or her married name.
4. Alice Blood: Alice was buried at St Mary's Church on 14 Nov 1589. Like Agnes, it is unknown if Blood was her birth name or her married name.

There is as yet no understanding of the relationship between the earliest Bloods of Plumtree Parish. While it is almost certain they were related, it is unclear how. Further, the relationship between the Plumtree Bloods and the earliest Bloods of Ruddington and Nottingham is similarly unknown. Either the Plumtree Bloods or the Nottingham Bloods likely represent the founder population of Bloods in Nottinghamshire.

The Protestation Return of 1641 and 1642

This a link to a study of the Protestation Return of 1641 and 1642 and its implications for our understanding of the disposition of Bloods in Nottinghamshire at that time.

Nottinghamshire Bloods from 1651 to 1750

The heatmap below shows all records of Bloods in Nottinghamshire from 1 Jan 1651 to 31 Dec 1750. In this period, the Bloods were still found primarily on the north-south line from Nottingham to Rempstone, but by 1642 at the latest the Ruddington population of Bloods had completely disappeared.