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A BLAYLOCK FAMILY HISTORY Introduction My family history research has two objectives. One is to see how far back in time I can trace my Blaylock family line and the second to see if there is any connection with my family and the Blaylock Clockmakers of Longtown and Carlisle in the old English county of Cumberland. I have had some success with the former but none so far with the latter. Before commencing my research I was aware that Blaylock was a family name associated with the English and Scottish Border region, particularly the northern parts of Cumberland. In the context of English family history, it is in Cumberland that the name is met with most frequently, but Blaylock families can also be found in Westmorland, Northumberland and Dumfriesshire in Scotland. The history of the county of Cumberland is complex and greatly associated with periods of warfare, feuding and plain banditry. In ancient times Cumberland was part of the Kingdom of Strathclyde which stretched from its northern extremities on the River Clyde in Scotland to the county of Lancashire, England in the south. The people were a mixture of Gaelic/Celts who had settled in the region from the European mainland. The first written record of the family name is not found in the county of Cumberland but in Worcestershire and is thought to be that of Peter Blacloke who is recorded in the Hundred Rolls for Worcester in 1275. Another early record is that of Robert Blaykelok who is mentioned in the Register of the Freemen of the City of York in 1431. In Cumberland, the name can be traced back to at least the early 1500's. I have seen a number of interesting accounts of the origin of the name, some are quite romantic suggesting a derivation from a Gaelic reference meaning a Black Lake but in truth I feel it is simply derived from the description applied to a person with black or dark hair, blaec locc in Old English. I say this because on many of my frequent trips to the North of England I have found it common practice to refer to people of unknown name by a descriptive reference to their physical appearance. It is also interesting to note the common use of the word "black" in describing local geographical features in the Scottish Border region such as the river Black Line. In Cumberland near Carlisle we have Blackhall High and Blackhall Low and I am sure there are many others. The spelling of the name varies in the parish records in Cumberland probably at the whim of the church minister. It is interesting to examine the records for Christopher Blaylock of the village of Walton, North Cumberland. He was baptized at Walton on 9th February 1755 as the son of William Blacklock and on 10th December 1781 he married Jane Railton at Kirklinton, again with his name spelt Blacklock. On 4th July 1784 he baptized his first child in the parish church of Saint Mary, Carlisle. The baptismal register reads "William, son of Christopher and Jane Blaylock of Kirklinton husbandman". Why the family thought it necessary to travel to Carlisle for the baptism is not certain but this was their first child and at the time the church of Saint Mary, Carlisle, was part of Carlisle Cathedral. Two further children, Ann and Sarah, were baptized in Walton parish church and on both occasions the name is spelt Blaicklock. Their fourth child, Jane, was baptized at Saint Cuthbert's, Carlisle on 17th September 1797 and here the spelling reverts to Blacklock. There is no doubt that these records all refer to the same family as the mother's name is also included. The last record I have found for Christopher is on 11th July 1808 when the Manorial Court Roll for Walton tells us that Christopher Blaylock took over the tenancy of a cottage and garden from his older brother Joseph Blaylock. Whilst the Blaylock name has strong associations with the English/Scottish Border it is not included in the names of the infamous Border Reivers who virtually terrorised the area for a long period up until the Union of the English and Scottish Crowns in 1603. The names of the Border Reivers include Armstrongs, Elliots, Grahams and many others. In one account of the arrest of a notorious reiver, Kinmont Willie (Armstrong), some outlaws had captured a certain Blacklock in a raid on Bewcastle in the year 1596. The outlaws were pursued to the home of Peter of the Harelaw where they found Kinmont Willie. Kinmont Willie was taken to Carlisle and imprisoned in the Castle but later escaped in a daring raid. The Union of the English and Scottish Crowns under King James prevented the Reivers from committing their normal acts of thieving cattle and goods on one side of the Border and taking safe refuge with their bounty on the other. A common law under one King now prevailed. The first member of the family to settle in America is thought to be Thomas Blacklock. Thomas is known to have been born in Cumberland, possibly in the parish of Holme Cultram. He sailed on the ship Forward Frigate and landed on the Eastern shore of Virginia in 1622. A Martha Blacklock settled in Maryland in 1722. The greatest concentration of the name is today to be found in the USA. Page last updated 03 March 2002 |