William Blake

1819–1898
Birchanger, Essex, England, United Kingdom

The Life of William

When William Blake was born in 1819, in Birchanger, Essex, England, United Kingdom, his father, Joseph Blake, was 25 and his mother, Mary Bush, was 25. He married Emma Silvester on 12 January 1845. They were the parents of at least 8 sons and 5 daughters. He lived in Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom for about 40 years. He was buried in Birchanger, Essex, England, United Kingdom.

Photos & Memories (1)

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Family Time Line

William Blake
1819–1898
Emma Silvester
1825–
Marriage: 12 January 1845
James Blake
1846–
Mary Ann Blake
1848–
Fanny Blake
1849–
John Blake
1849–
George Blakes
1851–
James Blakes
1851–
Arthur Blake
1853–
Timothy Blakes
1854–
Sarah Jane Blakes
1856–
Charles Blake
1857–
Elizabeth Blake
1860–
Sophia Blake
1863–
Henry Blake
1866–

Spouse & Children

MARRIAGE
12 January 1845
children

(13)

  • James Blake

    Male1846–Male

  • Mary Ann Blake

    Female1848–Female

  • Fanny Blake

    Female1849–Female

  • John Blake

    Male1849–Male

  • George Blakes

    Male1851–Male

+8 More Children

Parents & Siblings

  • Joseph Blake

    Male1794–1880Male

  • Mary Bush

    Female1794–1884Female

siblings

(13)

  • Anne Blake

    Female1817–Female

  • George Blakes

    Male1818–1902Male

  • William Blake

    Male1819–1898Male

  • Jane Blake

    Female1821–Female

  • Esther Blake

    Female1823–1841Female

+8 More Children

World Events (6)

1823

Age 4

Rugby Football 'invented' at Rugby School.
1833 · The Factory Act Restricts Child Labor

Age 14

The Factory Act restricted the hours women and children could work in textile mills. No child under the age of 9 were allowed to work, and children ages 9-13 could not work longer than 9 hours per day. Children up to the age of 13 were required to receive at least two hours of schooling, six days per week.
1843

Age 24

Dickens A Christmas Carol was first published.

Name Meaning

1 English: variant of Black 1, meaning ‘swarthy’ or ‘dark-haired’, from a byform of the Old English adjective blæc, blac ‘black’, with change of vowel length.2 English: nickname from Old English blāc ‘wan’, ‘pale’, ‘white’, ‘fair’. In Middle English the two words blac and blāc, with opposite meanings, fell together as Middle English blake. In the absence of independent evidence as to whether the person referred to was dark or fair, it is now impossible to tell which sense was originally meant.3 Irish: Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Bláthmhaic ‘descendant of Bláthmhac’, a personal name from bláth ‘flower’, ‘blossom’, ‘fame’, ‘prosperity’ + mac ‘son’. In some instances, however, the Irish name is derived from Old English blæc ‘dark’, ‘swarthy’, as in 1 above. Many bearers are descended from Richard Caddell, nicknamed le blac, sheriff of Connacht in the early 14th century. The English name has been Gaelicized de Bláca.

Possible Related Names

Dictionary of American Family Names © Patrick Hanks 2003, 2006.

Sources (3)

  • William Blake, "England and Wales Census, 1891"
  • William Blake, "England and Wales Census, 1881"
  • William Blake, "England and Wales Census, 1861"

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