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Tessa, in message 2100, asks for information on, among others, James Blount c 1620-1686.
Bromfield Nichol, Kyle VanLandingham and I have been researching the "James Blount Coat of Arms" for the past eight years.
The *only* information on James, that I have found so far, from the English side, is contained in the will of Charles Blount, the uncle of the above James, previously located by Miss Helen Blount Prescott, as included in Kyle's considerable research, kindly published on William LaMartin's website: www.lamartin.com. This will of "Charles Blount, Gentleman of Astley, Worcestershire", dated 22nd May, 1656, is available from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk, image reference 239/203. Charles is one of the sons of Thomas Blount of Astley's second marriage, to Bridget Brome/Blount/Stanley. The above James is the son of James Blount, son by Thomas's first marriage to Frances (surname not yet found).
Charles makes the following bequest: "unto my cozen James Blount one of the Sonnes of my late brother James Blount Esquire deceased the summe of fiftie pounds in case he be living or such returned from beyond the seas where now he is to demand the same."
And that, apart from the clues given off from the "James Blount Coat of Arms" is all that we have found to date.
Also on www.lamartin.com is the 1622 will of Thomas Blount, grandfather of the younger James, a copy of which is held in the Worcester County Record Office, County Hall, Worcestershire. He begins his will by stating that he is "intending to go beyond the seas by gode permission".
Thomas had previously sold his manor of Astley. In his will he bequeathed to his wife "the last of all my goods and household stuff". He was selling up, getting ready to go overseas; there is no mention of his being buried in Astley.
Victoria County History, Worcestershire, Astley, Glasshampton (www.british-history.ac.uk and summarized by Kyle,again, on www.lamartin.com) informs us that "With Astley it was leased by the commissioners in 1600 to John Harris on account of the (catholic) recusancy of Thomas Blount who did not sell it with Astley to John Winford, but died seised of it on 30th November 1624. This coming summer, when again in England, I shall search for probate of this will, in the hope that we may find *where* Thomas died (unless anyone can find this before me).
In 1590 Thomas settled the manor of Glasshampton on himself and his second wife Bridget ... and their heirs male ... Glasshampton then passed to Francis, Thomas's eldest son by Bridget.
Victoria also tells us that the advowson (i.e. the right of presentation to a vacant benefice) of the church at Astley "had always been held with the manor except for a short interval after the sale (of Astley) to John Winford in 1620, when it was retained by Thomas Blount. His son James had livery of it in 1627." A definition of "livery" in this context, given by www.duhaime.org, is "An archaic legal word from the feudal system referring to the actual legal transmission of possession of an object to another. For example, a knight would obtain an estate in land as tenure in exchange for serving in the king's army for 40 days a year. The king would give exclusive possession of the land (i.e. "livery") to the knight. Livery (now "delivery") of the land was important in completing legal possession or, as it was known in the feudal system, seisin".
Victoria continues: "... but with his brother Francis conveyed it to John Winford in 1629". I do not understand why, when the advowson was in the hands of the older James, why his half-brother, Francis, should have been involved in this conveyance. Did Francis act for James? Where was James?
We know that the older James married, but we do not know to whom. We know that the Bishop's Transcripts for Astley show that in 1622 "John Blount the sonne of James Blount, gent., was buried the last day of January".
And, apart from Uncle Charles' will, I know nothing of the younger James. We do not have his date of baptism (nor that of his brother, John), nor his marriage. I have found no information of his purchasing or leasing land, nor acting as witness in transactions of others, neither have I found any mention of his taking part in the English Civil War.
Then, in 1655, he is in America, politically involved and apparently with a military background. I wonder, only *wonder*, mind, whether he was in America far earlier than previously believed.
Any thoughts?
Gillian
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