Edward Blake (b1870) was born June 29, 1870 in the town of Faversham, Kent, England. It is also known that he spent several years in the East Surrey Regiment of the British Army. The records agree on these two points. However, other details of his life, including the origins of his parents, where he grew up and how he spent his time in the military are not so well known. Tying down these details has been a challenging task and, to date, has included a searches of the 1871, 1881 and 1891 British census records, reviews of birth, marriage and death records, studying British military records and searching the LDS IGI and Ancestral File records. Many of these records are summarized in the appendix. An attempt has also been made to locate and identify Edward's parents, not an easy task as it appears they carefully avoided being included in any of the British census. This fact will later be used to support a reconstruction of the family history. At any rate, the following presents what is considered to be the most likely history of Edward and his family.
Although Edward was born in Faversham, the family didn't spend much time there. By the 1871 census, Edward (b1870), his mother Jenette (b1854), and his father Edward (b1833) had moved on to East London. Just how long it took to get there is not clear but they were gone from Faversham by April 1871 and appeared next in Hoxton in January 1873 when their second child, Robina (b1873), was born. Keeping on the move seems to have been a common thing in Edward's (b1833) life.
Edward (b1833) was christened in the All Saints church in Stamford, Lincolnshire on May 28, 1833. His mother was shown as Sarah Blake with no father indicated. At a later time, when he married in Edinburgh, he indicated that Robert Blake and Sarah Blake were his mother and father. A search of the IGI for England for the 1830 time period produced a Robert Blake marrying a Sarah Yates on November 23, 1832 in Horbling, Lincolnshire. As this was the only case found of a Robert Blake marrying a Sarah, it is assumed that these were his parents. It's not clear why Robert is not noted in the birth of Edward. No indication has been found that this marriage produced other children.
Edward (b1833) next appears in 1863 in the marriage records of the United Presbyterian Church in Edinburgh, Scotland. The occasion of the entry was his marriage on July 20, 1863 to Robina Cuthbertson (b1834), a 29 year old spinster living in Edinburgh.. At this time, Edward (b1833) gave his age as 28, indicated his last residence was someplace in Berkshire, and that his current trade was bricklayer. Witnesses were shown as James Robertson Hunter and David Cuthbertson. Robina's home address at the time of the marriage, 105 Causwayside, became their permanent resident after the wedding. The marriage was followed about five months later by the birth of Margaret Fairbairn on December 12, 1863. Fairbairn was Robina's maiden name. There were two other children, Elizabeth (July 21, 1865) and Cuthbert Thomas Hugh (September 27, 1869). Edward signed the birth entry for each child except Cuthbert. The birth of Elizabeth was the last time Edward (b1833) appears in any official record in Edinburgh. He was not living with Robina at 105 Causewayside during the 1871 census and, in fact, Robina notes that her surname is Cuthbertson or Blake followed by a question mark indicating she wasn't sure at that point. In that entry, two children are show living with her, Sarah Elizabeth (5) and Cuthbert (1). It's not clear where Margaret Fairbairn, if living, might have been.
Edward (b1833) appears officially next in Faversham, England in the birth record of Edward (b1870). The mother is shown as Jenette Hunter. This was on the 29th of June 1870 almost exactly nine months after the birth of Cuthbert. Perhaps this was when Edward (b1833) got to know the 16-year-old Scottish girl from Paisley. We'll probably never know. It is evident that he didn't return to Edinburgh and, in fact, does not appear again in any official records except for the births of Edward (b1870) and Robina (b1873). It is interesting to note that his first child by Jenette was named after the father (none of the children by Robina honored Edward or his family). The second was named Robina (for his first wife?) and the third was named James, perhaps for his friend and witness at his first marriage.
One can only guess what Edward's early childhood might have been like but it probably wasn't very easy. The records imply that he grew up in east London, probably Shoreditch and White Castle. Descriptive material included with a replica of an 1872 ordnance map of Shoreditch, states "A contemporary journalist described as 'Motley, struggling, anxious and poverty-stricken' the Sunday crowds which frequented the shops and stalls of Hoxton Street, the long street running south/north in the middle of Shoreditch. Shoreditch with its mere 640 acres had grown faster than any other London parish in the first half of the century and by 1851 had nearly 130,000 inhabitants. Shorditch in 1870 was still grossly overcrowded." So, there was crowding and poverty, two factors that dictate against quality living. Another problem for him may have been his rather small size. When measured for induction into the British Army at age 18 years, he was 5 feet 3 1/4 inches and weighed 127 pounds. At this size, he would have had to be pretty tough to survive.
Edward (b1870) was said to have left home at age 14 years to join the British Army but that is not confirmed in his official military record. There is an indication of service prior to his formal enlistment in 1890 in the response he gave to questions on the application. One asked, "Do you now belong to Her Majesty's Army, the Marines, the Militia, the Militia Reserve, the Royal Navy, the Naval Artillery Volunteers, the Army Reserve, or the Naval Reserve Force? His answer was "Yes, 3rd E Surrey Regt." A second question asked, "Have you ever served in Her Majesty's Army, the Marines, the Militia, the Militia Reserve, or the Royal Navy? If so, to what Corps?" To this he answered "Yes, 3rd E Surrey Regt. Released." It would appear from these answers that Edward (b1870) did spend some time in the East Surrey Regiment prior to the 12 year term of enlistment that began on 9 February 1890. But none of this time is detailed in the permanent records. Perhaps there are other records that address this earlier military time but they've not yet been uncovered.
There are a few other details noted in the military record. For one, Edward (b1870) was at first a member of the Church of England but later joined the Baptist church in 1895, just under half way through his military enlistment. This was a happy decision for him as this allowed him to meet Isabella Thomson, another Baptist, during a visit to Glasgow, Scotland sometime near the end of his enlistment. It doesn't appear that Edward received much religious training as a youth. Neither he nor any of his siblings were christened or baptized in any of the churches near where they lived in Shoreditch. They may well have joined other churches later but there is no indication of this. His father, of course, had been married rather formally in the United Presbyterian Church in Edinburgh in 1863 but this may have been due mainly to the influence of his first wife, Robina. That Edward (b1870) should later become a devoted Mormon after his marriage to Isabella is an indication of the importance of faith in his life and of his desire to make sure his children had a solid religious upbringing.
Edward was born 29 June 1870 at 20 Priory Street in the district of Preston, town of Faversham, County of Kent, England. His parents were Edward Blake (brick sorter) and Jenette Hunter. Jenette was apparently unable to write as she placed an 'X' where she was supposed to have signed. Note: I visited this address during a visit to London in June of 1998 and found it to be one of about 50 two story row houses constructed to house families involved in the production of bricks. They are rather nice looking structures built around 1850 that are now being lived in by very middle class looking people. The address appears in the 1871 census but with no Blakes in residence.
Robina (b1873) was born 7 January 1873 at 9 Cropley Street, Hoxton New Town, district of Shoreditch, City of London, England. Her parents were shown as Edward Blake (laborer) and Jannet Hunter. Jannet again signed with an 'X'. The address appears in the 1871 and 1881 censuses with no Blakes shown in residence.
Edward Blake (b1833) married Robina Cuthbertson (b1832) on 20 July 1863 in the United Presbyterian Church in the district of Newington, Edinburgh, Scotland. Edward's age was shown as 28 and Robina's as 29. Edward's occupation was shown as bricklayer and Robina's status was noted as spinster. She was shown as residing at 105 Causewayside, Edinburgh and Edward's usual residence was shown as Iwockham, Berkshire. His parents were shown as Robert Blake (coach proprieter-deceased) and Sarah Blake. Although the maiden name is shown as Blake, it is more likely Yates.
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