Page 9 - 3rdPub1
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The Blaker Society ©      accents that  indicate abbreviations. We therefore  have to rely on  her






                          Fenwick’s transcript does not preserve the various signs and


                                                                                                  r
                   judgment  that  none of the  Blaks or  Blakes above conceals a Blak   or
                        r
                   Blak e. The two Blaks are shown as such, not Blak’. If we cannot rely on
                   her judgment, all the  Blak and Blake are suspect, but Black and  Blake
                   being common surnames we would expect there to be a fair scattering of
                   them.
                          If we take an unequivocally –er surname, such as Carpenter, there
                   are 21 Carpent* entries in Sussex, 19  as Carpenter, 1 Carpentir, 1
                   Carpentyr,  none  rendered as Carpent’ (although that appears  in  the
                   Wiltshire returns), and certainly no Carpent. So there is nothing there to
                   suggest that Fenwick clips her entries.
                          With two-syllable occupational surnames such as Carter and
                   Thatcher, the spelling is often as –ere, i. e., Cartere, Thatchere. And these
                   occupational surnames appear  more  frequently among the ‘commoners’
                   than the ‘artisans’, so we have nothing in this record to militate for or
                   against Blaker originating as an occupational surname. It is striking how
                   many Millers were  millers, Taylors tailors, &c., showing that surnames
                   were still forming or had formed recently in Sussex in 1379. Patronymics
                   such as Johnson (filius Johannis) &c. are almost completely absent, that
                   form of hereditary surname having yet to emerge for the underclasses.

                                                        Bloker

                                                      9
                          The only Blok* entry is:

                                               Fishersgate Half-Hundred

                                                  Villata de Southwyke
                                                        Southwick

                   ...
                   E179/189/42/3d
                   ...
                   Johanna Wytyng                      4d
                   Simon Chate                         4d
                   Beatrix Chate                       4d
                   Robertus Wegge                      4d
                   Alice Cokayle                       4d
                   Alice Blokere                       4d
                   Ricardus Gerveys                    4d

                   Summa 10s 8d

                   9  p, 587
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