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Ann Vezey / Blake of Box
Huw Blake Photos and illustrations Huw Blake November 2019 Sooner or later, most family historians hit the brick wall. I hit mine a few years ago when looking for my two times great grandmother, Ann Vezey of Box. I was resigned to never finding her baptism and lost interest until quite by accident I came across the article about the Vezey Family by Penny Cook and Jessica Black. This gave me fresh impetus to look again and now I think that I may have the answer. |
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Marriage
To go back to what I do know of Ann Vezey. Ann married George Blake at St Pauls, Bristol, in 1826; the witness was Mary Vezey who appears to be Ann’s sister. It seems a bit surprising that they should choose Bristol for the ceremony as George Blake was part of a well-established family of plumbers and house painters in Walcot, Bath, and Ann was, presumably, working in or near Walcot. I did read in the Bristol Family History magazine that it was quite common for out-of-town Somerset youngsters to be married in Bristol and might just have been a fashionable thing to do. A comment in the parish register of Portbury, Somerset, written by the vicar, reads, No parishioners have been married in the local church for 20 years, all preferring the ceremony to be held in Bristol.
Ann Vezey (Mrs Ann Blake) is consistent in the censuses 1851 to 1891 saying that she was born in Box, or in one census in Ditteridge parish, and her age translates to a birth date of 1807. After their marriage, they lived on the London Road, Walcot, where they had six children. George Blake died of heart attack in 1859 and bequeathed £600 (about £70,000 today) to his wife, Ann in his will. Ann continued living in the same house until her death in 1894 of senility cerebral softening. She and George were buried in Lansdown Cemetery, Bath. It is interesting to note that when Edwin Vezey (of the Lamb & Flag Inn) married Matilda Hall in 1845, Edwin put his address as 5 Lower East Hayes (this is George and Ann’s home on the London Road). Ann Blake was a witness to the marriage, so I think Edwin Vezey was probably a younger sibling.[1]
Tracing Ann Vezey in Box
To find Ann’s baptism it was first necessary to find her parents’ marriage. The Box and Ditteridge parish records appear to show James and Elizabeth Vezey having the following children: Mary born 1803; James born 1805; Jenetta born 1810 and Eleanor born 1812. Note the gap between 1805 and 1810; could this be where Ann should be placed? So, no evidence of Ann’s baptism and to make matters worse the marriage of James Vezey to Elizabeth was not there either.
Having read the Vezey article on the Box website, the name Thomas Wilton Vezey (born 1834) gave a clue that the Wilton family could have an association with the Vezeys. The first breakthrough came by searching for James Vezey’s marriage to an Elizabeth Wilton anywhere in the UK. And there they were in 1800, not married in Box or Ditteridge but in Bristol Redcliff. However, the real prize was to find Ann’s baptism and this I had not done before. I searched the records for any Ann Vezey with parents James and Elizabeth being baptised anywhere in England but no luck except for one. On 19 January 1812 at St James, Bristol, Hannah Vezey (daughter of James and Elizabeth Vezey) was baptised. In 1812 Ann would be 5 years old but ages had not been included on the register.
To go back to what I do know of Ann Vezey. Ann married George Blake at St Pauls, Bristol, in 1826; the witness was Mary Vezey who appears to be Ann’s sister. It seems a bit surprising that they should choose Bristol for the ceremony as George Blake was part of a well-established family of plumbers and house painters in Walcot, Bath, and Ann was, presumably, working in or near Walcot. I did read in the Bristol Family History magazine that it was quite common for out-of-town Somerset youngsters to be married in Bristol and might just have been a fashionable thing to do. A comment in the parish register of Portbury, Somerset, written by the vicar, reads, No parishioners have been married in the local church for 20 years, all preferring the ceremony to be held in Bristol.
Ann Vezey (Mrs Ann Blake) is consistent in the censuses 1851 to 1891 saying that she was born in Box, or in one census in Ditteridge parish, and her age translates to a birth date of 1807. After their marriage, they lived on the London Road, Walcot, where they had six children. George Blake died of heart attack in 1859 and bequeathed £600 (about £70,000 today) to his wife, Ann in his will. Ann continued living in the same house until her death in 1894 of senility cerebral softening. She and George were buried in Lansdown Cemetery, Bath. It is interesting to note that when Edwin Vezey (of the Lamb & Flag Inn) married Matilda Hall in 1845, Edwin put his address as 5 Lower East Hayes (this is George and Ann’s home on the London Road). Ann Blake was a witness to the marriage, so I think Edwin Vezey was probably a younger sibling.[1]
Tracing Ann Vezey in Box
To find Ann’s baptism it was first necessary to find her parents’ marriage. The Box and Ditteridge parish records appear to show James and Elizabeth Vezey having the following children: Mary born 1803; James born 1805; Jenetta born 1810 and Eleanor born 1812. Note the gap between 1805 and 1810; could this be where Ann should be placed? So, no evidence of Ann’s baptism and to make matters worse the marriage of James Vezey to Elizabeth was not there either.
Having read the Vezey article on the Box website, the name Thomas Wilton Vezey (born 1834) gave a clue that the Wilton family could have an association with the Vezeys. The first breakthrough came by searching for James Vezey’s marriage to an Elizabeth Wilton anywhere in the UK. And there they were in 1800, not married in Box or Ditteridge but in Bristol Redcliff. However, the real prize was to find Ann’s baptism and this I had not done before. I searched the records for any Ann Vezey with parents James and Elizabeth being baptised anywhere in England but no luck except for one. On 19 January 1812 at St James, Bristol, Hannah Vezey (daughter of James and Elizabeth Vezey) was baptised. In 1812 Ann would be 5 years old but ages had not been included on the register.
Solving Some Issues and Creating More
I said before Ann Vezey and George Blake had a daughter named Clara Ann Blake. This was obtained from the 1861 census which I now find has an error by the enumerator. Clara Ann is, in fact, the granddaughter, not daughter, of Ann Vezey / Blake. Initially I thought there may be a bit of scandal with James Vezey (1778-1829) who seems to be the father of Edwin Vezey (1817-1883) but no mother listed. The census states that he was born in Gloucestershire but I could not find his baptism. So, I put him down as Ann’s step-brother, mother unknown. But then I found his baptism - not in Gloucestershire but in Batheaston. He was baptised as a 26 year-old man, the son of James and Elizabeth. This was two years prior to his marriage to Matilda Hall.
Now the really exciting bit. It seems I am related to the aristocracy (well I can dream). In the article about Vezey, Candlemakers, it mentions an early Vezey connection with Ireland. I have found research which has taken my branch of the family back to Thomas Vesey baptised 1608 in Ballineskully, Derry, Cavan, Ireland. Also, a George Vasey was born in 1682 at Tuam, Galway, Ireland and died in 1737 in Bath after marrying a Bath girl – he would be my Ann Vezey's two-times great grandfather. The tree has many dukes, bishops and Right Honourables – no chance of my making a claim to their estates, I suppose. Of course, I don’t believe a word of it but it makes interesting reading as the researcher has provided many ancient documents to back up his claims.
I said before Ann Vezey and George Blake had a daughter named Clara Ann Blake. This was obtained from the 1861 census which I now find has an error by the enumerator. Clara Ann is, in fact, the granddaughter, not daughter, of Ann Vezey / Blake. Initially I thought there may be a bit of scandal with James Vezey (1778-1829) who seems to be the father of Edwin Vezey (1817-1883) but no mother listed. The census states that he was born in Gloucestershire but I could not find his baptism. So, I put him down as Ann’s step-brother, mother unknown. But then I found his baptism - not in Gloucestershire but in Batheaston. He was baptised as a 26 year-old man, the son of James and Elizabeth. This was two years prior to his marriage to Matilda Hall.
Now the really exciting bit. It seems I am related to the aristocracy (well I can dream). In the article about Vezey, Candlemakers, it mentions an early Vezey connection with Ireland. I have found research which has taken my branch of the family back to Thomas Vesey baptised 1608 in Ballineskully, Derry, Cavan, Ireland. Also, a George Vasey was born in 1682 at Tuam, Galway, Ireland and died in 1737 in Bath after marrying a Bath girl – he would be my Ann Vezey's two-times great grandfather. The tree has many dukes, bishops and Right Honourables – no chance of my making a claim to their estates, I suppose. Of course, I don’t believe a word of it but it makes interesting reading as the researcher has provided many ancient documents to back up his claims.
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My Ancestors
I am related to George and Ann's fourth child George Alfred Blake (15 December 1846 - 8 September 1898), upholsterer and paper-hanger, and his second wife, Annie Sophia Bryant. They married 31 March 1880 at St Saviours Church, Walcot, Bath, Somerset. George Alfred is seen left about 1895. Conclusion So, was Hannah the same person as Ann Vezey / Blake? It is reasonable to think so because Hannah is a Biblical Hebrew name of which Ann is the English equivalent and I have come across this before with my ancestors. Clutching straws, perhaps, but I have explored every other avenue and, if this is not her, then the only alternative is that the curate must have forgotten to enter her baptism in the record book. If anyone reading this has an opinion or relevant information, I would be interested to hear it. |
Family Details
George Blake (about 1806-1859)
George was baptised 30 March 1806 St Swithins parish church, Walcot, Somerset, the son of George Blake and Esther Miller. He was a Master House Painter, Decorator and Glazier in partnership with his brother Edward Blake in 1846 when an advertisement in the Bath Street Directory states Edward and George Blake, plumbers & glaziers, 5 Dover Terrace, Residence 5 Lower East Hayes, proving that Edward Blake of Dover Terrace and George Blake of Lower East Hayes are from the same family. About 1850 there appears to have been a conflict of interest between George and Edward. An advertisement in the 1850 Bath Directory is particularly poignant. It advises prospective clients, To prevent mistakes George Blake requests his customers to be particular in directing their orders to George Blake at 5 Lower East Hayes, as there are others of the same Name.
Summary of the will of George Blake: This is the last Will and Testament of me George Blake of 5 Lower East Hayes in the city of Bath in the county of Somerset, Painter. I give to my nephew James William Lansdown the sum of five pounds. The rest of my estate I bequeath to my wife Ann Blake, my eldest son William Blake and James William Lansdown to invest the monies and empower my said wife to receive the annual income of the said monies, the same shall be invested for her life or until she shall marry again and after her death or marriage which shall first happen in trust for such of my children as shall be living at the time of my death to be divided equally among them. I appoint Ann Blake, William Blake and James William Lansdown to be executors of my will. This first day of April one thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
GEORGE BLAKE - Signed by the said testator George Blake.
Proved at Bristol on 29 August. Effects under £600 (about £70,000 in 2018)
Ann Vezey (about 1807 - 1894)
Probably the daughter of James Vezey & Elizabeth Wilton. Maybe baptised at St James, Bristol as Hannah Vezey in 1812. James Vezey & Elizabeth Wilton were married in Bristol in 1800. Ann had four siblings baptised in Box or Ditteridge: Mary born 1803; James born 1805; Jenetta born 1810 and Eleanor born 1812.
George married Ann Vezey on 11 December 1826. They both lived at 5 Lower East Hayes, London Road, Bath from at least 1836 until George's death in 1859. Ann lived there until her death in 1894. In the 1901 census, the house was unoccupied. Ann and George Blake are buried together in Lansdown Road Cemetery, Bath.
Huw's research shows how difficult it can be to always be definite about our ancestors. It also shows how, with an open mind and by piecing together information from other research (in this case Penny Cook and Jessica Black), we can reconstruct likely family connections and relationships. In so doing, we discover more about ourselves as well as our ancestors. That is what makes family history such a rewarding subject.
Family Tree
James (born 1788 Batheaston) and Elizabeth Wilton.[2] The baptism record for Edwin in 1843 at the church at Batheaston (where the Lamb and Flag is), lists his parents as James and Elizabeth, father is a licenced victualler. Children:
Mary born 1803 Ditteridge, married William Hancock, a farmer;
James born 1805, married Frances Tyley in 1833, went to the Chequers Inn at Box and ran it after parents had died. Their daughter Jane is Penny Cook's ancestor, who married John Cook Vezey of the soap and candle factory at Box;
Ann born 1807 Box, married George Blake 1826;
Janetta born 1810 Box, married John Fisher Grist1833;
Eleanor born 1812 Box;
Edwin born 1817 Doynton, married Matilda Hall 1845. After her death (probably in childbirth) in 1856 he married Elizabeth Welsh later that year.
Children of Ann Vezey and George Blake:
William (22 October 1827 - 27 November 1867), upholsterer and paper-hanger, married Rosina Fluester at Bath in 1849;
James (baptised 1830, died 16 September 1862) never married;
Eliza Ann (baptised 23 July 1836, died after September 1927) married Thomas Lansdown (1825-1886), originally linen draper;
George Alfred (15 December 1846 - 8 September 1898) - Huw's direct ancestor. ;
Ellen Jane (birth registered 1853, died 1939) married John Henry Macfarlane, music book seller & teacher in 1894; and
Clara Ann (birth registered 1854, died 1908) married John Pyatt, corn and coal merchant. After the death of her husband, Clara emigrated to Canada.
George Blake (about 1806-1859)
George was baptised 30 March 1806 St Swithins parish church, Walcot, Somerset, the son of George Blake and Esther Miller. He was a Master House Painter, Decorator and Glazier in partnership with his brother Edward Blake in 1846 when an advertisement in the Bath Street Directory states Edward and George Blake, plumbers & glaziers, 5 Dover Terrace, Residence 5 Lower East Hayes, proving that Edward Blake of Dover Terrace and George Blake of Lower East Hayes are from the same family. About 1850 there appears to have been a conflict of interest between George and Edward. An advertisement in the 1850 Bath Directory is particularly poignant. It advises prospective clients, To prevent mistakes George Blake requests his customers to be particular in directing their orders to George Blake at 5 Lower East Hayes, as there are others of the same Name.
Summary of the will of George Blake: This is the last Will and Testament of me George Blake of 5 Lower East Hayes in the city of Bath in the county of Somerset, Painter. I give to my nephew James William Lansdown the sum of five pounds. The rest of my estate I bequeath to my wife Ann Blake, my eldest son William Blake and James William Lansdown to invest the monies and empower my said wife to receive the annual income of the said monies, the same shall be invested for her life or until she shall marry again and after her death or marriage which shall first happen in trust for such of my children as shall be living at the time of my death to be divided equally among them. I appoint Ann Blake, William Blake and James William Lansdown to be executors of my will. This first day of April one thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
GEORGE BLAKE - Signed by the said testator George Blake.
Proved at Bristol on 29 August. Effects under £600 (about £70,000 in 2018)
Ann Vezey (about 1807 - 1894)
Probably the daughter of James Vezey & Elizabeth Wilton. Maybe baptised at St James, Bristol as Hannah Vezey in 1812. James Vezey & Elizabeth Wilton were married in Bristol in 1800. Ann had four siblings baptised in Box or Ditteridge: Mary born 1803; James born 1805; Jenetta born 1810 and Eleanor born 1812.
George married Ann Vezey on 11 December 1826. They both lived at 5 Lower East Hayes, London Road, Bath from at least 1836 until George's death in 1859. Ann lived there until her death in 1894. In the 1901 census, the house was unoccupied. Ann and George Blake are buried together in Lansdown Road Cemetery, Bath.
Huw's research shows how difficult it can be to always be definite about our ancestors. It also shows how, with an open mind and by piecing together information from other research (in this case Penny Cook and Jessica Black), we can reconstruct likely family connections and relationships. In so doing, we discover more about ourselves as well as our ancestors. That is what makes family history such a rewarding subject.
Family Tree
James (born 1788 Batheaston) and Elizabeth Wilton.[2] The baptism record for Edwin in 1843 at the church at Batheaston (where the Lamb and Flag is), lists his parents as James and Elizabeth, father is a licenced victualler. Children:
Mary born 1803 Ditteridge, married William Hancock, a farmer;
James born 1805, married Frances Tyley in 1833, went to the Chequers Inn at Box and ran it after parents had died. Their daughter Jane is Penny Cook's ancestor, who married John Cook Vezey of the soap and candle factory at Box;
Ann born 1807 Box, married George Blake 1826;
Janetta born 1810 Box, married John Fisher Grist1833;
Eleanor born 1812 Box;
Edwin born 1817 Doynton, married Matilda Hall 1845. After her death (probably in childbirth) in 1856 he married Elizabeth Welsh later that year.
Children of Ann Vezey and George Blake:
William (22 October 1827 - 27 November 1867), upholsterer and paper-hanger, married Rosina Fluester at Bath in 1849;
James (baptised 1830, died 16 September 1862) never married;
Eliza Ann (baptised 23 July 1836, died after September 1927) married Thomas Lansdown (1825-1886), originally linen draper;
George Alfred (15 December 1846 - 8 September 1898) - Huw's direct ancestor. ;
Ellen Jane (birth registered 1853, died 1939) married John Henry Macfarlane, music book seller & teacher in 1894; and
Clara Ann (birth registered 1854, died 1908) married John Pyatt, corn and coal merchant. After the death of her husband, Clara emigrated to Canada.
References
[1] Courtesy Penny Cook
[2] This part of the family tree is courtesy Penny Cook
[1] Courtesy Penny Cook
[2] This part of the family tree is courtesy Penny Cook