Bleckly Name Study

Location: [unknown]
Surnames/tags: Bleckly Bleckley Bleakly

Contents 1 How to Join 2 Honorable Ancestors 3 BLECKLY PEDIGREE 4 Goals 5 Task List 6 Sources

How to Join

Please contact the project leader Rob Bleckly or post a comment at the foot of the page. If you have any questions, just ask. Thanks!

• The growing list of Surname Variants BLECKLEY BLEAKLY BLAKEY BLEEKLY BLEACHEY BLEACKLEY BLAKLEY.

Bleckley is the most common, especially in the USA, so common in fact that if you google Bleckly it will ask "Did you mean: Bleckley." (There's a Bleckley county in Georgia USA named after a Judge Bleckley.) Blakey and Bleakly come from the two earliest (so far) direct ancestors: Simon Bleckly and his son Thomas Bleckly '

Honorable Ancestors

The earliest record I have seen is "Thomas Bleckly of County Lancashire, ... documented during the reign of Edward III (1327-1377)." The quote comes from text associated with the BLAKLEY Coat of Arms from 4crest website ^[1] That crest appears identical to to the BLECKLY Coat of Arms shown here from House of Names website. (not surprising - spelling variations of same family name). It is however, nice to see the very earliest reference spelt/spelled correctly even if the source is questionable.

The earliest direct ancestors were researched and published in a book titled Family Chronicles (Section 1: Blecklys and Springalls) ~ Lillian Clarke 1910 I had a photo copy posted to me after a visit to the British Library for 23 pounds in Feb 2004 ^[2]

IN addition to the usual misspelling comes the curious case of William Absolom Bleckly Born to George and Martha Bleckly. Bleckly at birth, Absalom at marriage, Bleckley in 1841 UK census , Bleckely Emigrating to USA, Blekley, 1860 USA census and back to Bleckley in 1870 USA census.

The further back the name goes the more variation there is. The list below from Family Chronicles (Section 1: Blecklys and Springalls) pages 5 & 6 mentions Henry VIII (1509 – 1547) Elizabeth I (1558-1603) Charles I (1625-1649) and Charles II (1660-1685) a couple of centuries of isolated unconnected references of which Lillian Clarke says in her introduction "THE name Bleckly originated in the Midland Counties and has been found spelt in a puzzling variety of ways in Leicestershire, Huntingdon and Lincolnshire. "

I have re-arranged the entries in chronological order based on the internal information of each. My additions are in bold. I've use blank lines to group entries, highlighting those which appear to refer to the same event. LEICESTERSHIRE is the only heading until the Simon Bleckly and Elizabeth Adkins marriage in 1694. As tempting as it is claim these people I suspect a lot of these new names (Blackeley, Blacklye, Blakesley, Blakeslie, Blakysley, Blanckley & Blecklie) are not related to the Bleckly family except in very distant past where we are all related. All this is conjecture until proven otherwise.

LEICESTERSHIRE.

• 1509-1547 Temp. Hen. 8. John Blakersby of Huncote paid 2d. to the King.
• 1509 L.S. cir Hen. 7, or 8. in Huncote 7m. S.W. of Leic. John Blakersby assessed at 40s. on land paid 2d. to the King.

• 1509-1547 Temp. Hen. 8. Hugh Blakysley of Market Bosworth paid 2d. to the King.
• 1509 L.S. do. Market Bosworth Hugh Blakysley assessed on land at 40s. annual value paid 2d. to the King. (circa 1509 based on John Blakersby assessment above)

• 1512 Lay Subsidy Co, Leicester 2nd. payment 3rd year Hen. 8th. in Burbage Robert Blakysley assessed at 20s. in land & paid Id. to the King.
• 1534/5 Lay Subsidy 34/5/ year Hen. 8th. Co. Lincoln, Soke of Grantham in Gonerby Peter Blackeley was assessed at £6 for goods on which he paid 6d. into the King's exchequer. £6 was a good sum for those days,
• 1543 A.D. 1543 Robert Blakysley of Burbage paid Id. to the King.

• 1570 A.D. 1570 William Blacklye of Stapleton (5m. fr. B.) pd. 5s. to the King.
• 1570 Lay Subsidy Co, Leicester 13th Eliz. in Stapleton 5m. N. of Burbage William Blacklye assessed at £3 & paid 5s. to the K.

• 1575 William Blakesley of Stapleton pd. 4s. to the King.
• 1575 L.S. granted 18th year Eliz. Co. Leic. in Stapleton William Blakesley assessed at £4 & pd. to the King 4s.

• 1628 Robert Blakeslie of Husband Bosworth pd. 8s. to the King.
• 1628 L.S. Co. Leic. 4 year Chas. I, in Husband Bosworth Robert Blakeslie assessed on land for 20s. paid 8s.

• 1662 William Blanckley of Melton Mowbray gave 2s. 6d. to the King.

• 1670 Hearth Tax temp. Chas. 2. cir. 1670 in Huncote John Blecklie has two hearths paid 2 sh.
• 1670 John Blecklie of Houncote pd. 2s. hearth-tax.

• 1662 L.S. Co. Leic. A free & voluntary present to the King Charles II. A.D. 1662 in Melton Mowbray. George Acton & William Blanckley gave 5s. between them.

The next entry is for the marriage of Simon Blakely and Elizabeth Adkins on 22nd. of April 1694. from which all known Blecklys descend until better knowledge contradicts me

BLECKLY PEDIGREE

The foldout BLECKLY PEDIGREE chart (pictured) is endorsed "Lilian Clarke, Wisbech, 1910.

Go here for a an up-to-date list of related related SURNAMES

Goals

This is a One Name Study to collect together in one place everything about one surname and the variants of that name. The hope is that other researchers like you will join our study to help make it a valuable reference point for people studying lines that cross or intersect.

Task List

Task 1 Will the real Elizabeth Adkins raise her hand?

Simon Blakey & Elizabeth married 1694 Thomas was born in 1698 & Simon died in 1707 ergo

Elizabeth's extreme birth range would be: 1658-1679 (1658 would have her give birth to Thomas at 40 - 1679 would make her married at age 15.

A search for Elizabeth's birth www.familysearch.org brings up these contenders within that range.

1. Elizabeth ADKINS chr. 24 Aug 1678 Holywell cum Needingworth (4 miles apart) and about 7 miles from Godmanchester (where marriage is registered) (parents John ADKINS & Elizabeth,) making her about 16 at marriage. and Thomas born when she was 20

2. Elizabeth ATKINS chr. 24 Sep 1669 Witton (Wyton) about 4 miles from Godmanchester (Father John ATKINS) making her about 24 at marriage and Thomas born when she was 29

I've selected her parents from the first entry as most likely Adkins (not Atkins) plus married at 16 and Thomas born when she was 20) until further research contradicts me. [1]

Task 2 connect the dots did Thomas Blakey morph into Thomas Bleakly when recorded at the Q.M. ? (Q.M. = quarterly meeting - Society of Friends - aka Quakers)

Family Chronicles draws a long bow to connect Thomas Bleakly (sic) of Godmanchester as the son of Simon Blakey & Elizabeth Adkins

1st entry "In the Register of the Church of St. Mary, Parish of Godmanchester, Co. Huntingdon, Folio 2, in the year 1694, is the entry “ Simon Blakey & Elizabeth Adkins were married the 22nd. day of Aprill '94.”

2nd entry In another Folio is registered the birth of "Thomas, son of Simon Blakey and Elizabeth his wife baptised march 3rd 1689." (again maiden name not given).

3rd entry "Q.M. at Haddenham 7.8.1726" "There came to this meeting Thomas Bleakly (sic) of Godmanchester in the county of Huntingdon Weaver, & Anne Clements …" intending to marry. (He would be age 37.)

• point 1: Thomas born 5 years before Simon & Elizabeth marry unless Chronicles has made a typo and for his birth and put 1689 for 1698 (see also point 3) assuming the new date he would be born 4 years after they marry and age 28 when intending to marry Ann/e Clements then age 22

^[3]

• point 2: Thomas should be Blakey not Bleakly

• point 3: Further research found a Thomas Blakey baptised 3 mar 1698 to Simon Blakey and Elizabeth (again maiden name not given) in Glatton, Huntingdon about 13 miles away from Godmanchester - (about 15 miles from Haddenham )

• point 4: This Simon Blakey and Elizabeth have 4 children William , Thomas 1698, Anne 1701, & Jane 1703,

• point 5 two burial sources for William, add new spelling variations.

• 1 BLEACHLEY d. 1740 Fathers name Symon BLEACHLEY ^[4] and

• 2 FreeReg as BLEACKLEY d.1740 son of Symon ^[5]

Sources

1. ↑ http://www.4crests.com/blakley-coat-of-arms.html
2. ↑ BL reproductions London 96 Euston Road, London (Manuscript No. or BL shelfmark 9918.aa.14. )
3. ↑ Source: England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975 MyHeritage.com [online database], MyHeritage Ltd. https://records.myheritagelibraryedition.com/research/collection-30042/england-births-christenings-1538-1975 Record: https://records.myheritagelibraryedition.com/research/record-30042-17924585/thomas-blakey-in-england-births-christenings Thomas Blakey Country: United Kingdom; State: England; Film: 1040993 Citation: Thomas Blakey Christening: Mar 3 1698 - Glatton, Huntingdon, England Parents: Simon Blakey, Elizabeth
4. ↑ "England, Huntingdonshire Parish Registers", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:W384-823Z : 11 February 2021), William Bleachley, 1740.
5. ↑ Huntingdonshire : Huntingdon : St Mary : : "Parish Register" database, FreeREG (https://www.freereg.org.uk/search_records/58180317e93790ec75a89cf7 : viewed 28 May 2021) burial William Bleackley 12 Oct 1740

See also:

• Transcript of Family Information in Bible of Thomas Blakey. Publication: family information in bible was transcribed in handwritten note, image of which was retrieved (in 2 parts) from Library of Virginia Digital Collections¹, Text: "from a Bible in possession of Miss Florence Carpenter of Marion County, Ky. This bible was given to Miss Carpenter by her mother who had received it from Miss Carpenter's grandmother."
• A Genealogy of the Blakey Family and Descendants. Author: Lue Adams Kress Publication: 1942