Sterry Cottage Blakeney (General)

by mrsbruso , Thursday, March 31, 2011, 00:32 (4991 days ago) @ peteressex

Today I received an image of the Last Will and Testament of Mary Ann James (formerly Lewis, nee Clarke) from 1918, including the following text:

"...bequeath unto my eldest son William Richard Lewis the homestead Box Tree Cottage, garden and orchard sitauted at New Road Blakeney. I give and bequeath unto my son Thomas James Lewis Sterry Cottage and garden on Blakeney Hill. I give unto my daughter Elizabeth Ann Cadogan the house, garden and building site New Road Blakeney currently in the occupation of Mr. Oliver Virgo. I give and bequeath unto my son Charles George Lewis the cottage and garden and orchard now in the occupation of Mr. William Green and Mr. Frank Virgo respectively."

I was hoping to better identify the parcels . . .

Box Tree Cottage I am familiar with, but I don't know where the other locations are, although I am assuming they are in the immediate environs. Box Tree Cottage is now on Blakeney Hill Road rather that New Road, and I thought that someone might be able to tell me where Sterry Cottage was located.

My understanding is that some of the Sterry family had emigrated to America during the 1800s, so the land might have been sold at that time. William and Richard Clarke's wills don't give any great identifiers as to where given land or orchards are located.

Although there are comparitively few Virgos, there are multiple Franks and Olivers in earlier census enumerations listed on Ancestry. I am going to check on the 1911 census tonight in the hopes of narrowing the field.