Research Notes:
1329 Jan. 10. Leicester. Grant to Thomas Blaket, king's yeoman, of the wardship and marriage of the heir of John Blaket, tenant in chief. [1]
1332 July 24. Woodstock. To the justices of the Bench. Bona, late the wife of Thomas fitz Woodstock. Bernard, has shewn the king that whereas she, by the king's writ against Thomas Blaket, keeper of the land and heir of John Blaket, tenant in chief, demanded before them a third part of two parts of the manor of Adyngton, co. Buckingham, as her dower from the freehold of the said Thomas fitz Bernard, and the said Thomas Blaket alleged that he held the custody of the said lands, which were in the king's hands by reason of the minority of the heir of the said John, until the majority of the said heir by the king's letters patent, and that he ought not to answer therefor without consulting the king, by pretext whereof the justices deferred proceeding in the plea, wherefore she has besought the king to provide a remedy: the king therefore orders them to proceed in the plea, and to render justice to the parties notwithstanding the said allegation. [2]
Petitioners: Bona (Bone) [Fitz Bernard], widow of Thomas Fitz Bernard. Addressees: King and council. Places mentioned: Addington, [Buckinghamshire]. Other people mentioned: Thomas Fitz Bernard; Thomas Blaket; John Blaket; William de Herle, justice. Nature of request: Bona, widow of Thomas Fitz Bernard, states that she has sued a writ of dower against Thomas Blaket, who has the wardship of the land and heir of John Blaket, claiming a third of two thirds of the manor of Addington, but that Thomas is claiming that the King has granted him wardship of these lands and tenements during the minority of the heir, and demands judgment as to whether he should answer on this without the King. She requests a remedy, and a writ to the justices to proceed in this plea, notwithstanding the grant made to Thomas. The petition dates to 1332 as the privy seal warrant with which it was formerly enclosed, no.5675 of C 81/192, is dated 24 July 6 Edward III. [3]
Knights of the shire who represented Buckinghamshire in the Parliament of England include:
John Blaket 7 February 1328-5 March 1328, 24 April 1328-14 May 1328, and 11 March 1330-21 March 1330
Thomas Blaket 19 September 1334-23 September 1334, 26 May 1335-3 June 1335, and 11 March 1336-20 March 1336
John Blaket 20 January 1340-19 February 1340
[4]
Blaket Johannes is committed to prison in Pontefract. The John Blaket, of Addington, etc., died 1328, leaving a son, John, then 13 years of age. This last John Blaket, the father, had a brother Thomas. Thomas Blaket performed military service for the Abbot of S. Edmund's, at the muster at Tweedmouth, in the expedition against the Scotch, 4th Edw. II., 1311. He is certified as one of the lords - of the townships of Salford and Cornwell, Oxon, l0th Edw. II., 1322. A writ is directed to Maurice Draugheswerd to arrest John, Thomas, and Roger Blaket, and to send them to prison, being accomplices in war against the King.
Thomas Blaket, brother of John, obtained from the King, the wardship of John, son and heir of John; being, as stated above, at his father's death, 13 years of age. Accordingly, 8th Ed. III., 1334, during the minority of his nephew, Thomas enters an action in King's Bench against Thomas Attegate, his bailitf, in Addington, Aston, Barnard, etc., for errors in accounts (Dc Banco, 8th Ed. III.) In the same year Thomas, the uncle, was sheriff for Bucks, possibly as proxy for the nephew.
[1] Calendar of the Patent Rolls, Edward III, Vol. 1, 1327-1330 (London: HMSO, 1891), 344, [InternetArchive], [HathiTrust].
[2] Calendar of the Close Rolls, Edward III, Vol. II, 1330-1333 (London: HMSO, 1898), 482, [InternetArchive], [HathiTrust].
[3] The National Archives of the United Kingdom Catalog, SC 8/240/11958, [UKNationalArchives].
[4] Wikipedia article about Knights_of_Buckinghamshire, content subject to change, [Wikipedia].