“Thomas Riley Blanckley was Clerk of the Survey at Portsmouth and was made Commissioner of the Victualling Office in 1746. His Naval Expositor, first printed in 1750, was the first illustrated maritime dictionary in the English language. Manuscript, illustrated, in a copperplate hand, of Thomas Riley Blanckley's alphabetically arranged maritime dictionary, first published in 1750. The illustrations are done in colored pen and wash. Both text and illustrations vary somewhat from the first published edition. Ex libris James Hope. Purchased from Sotheby's on the Edwin J. Beinecke Book Fund, 2008. Binding: contemporary full red morocco, gilt spine in compartments; marbled endpapers.” 

yale.edu

26 Jan 1750 

Thomas Corbett. Mr Blanckley, Naval Officer at Gibraltar, has drawn a bill that was not countersigned but has a certificate signed by Mr Sims. Have deferred paying the bill and ask for orders.

(National Archives record)

This is Henry Blanckley, my 5th great-grandfather

4 Jun 1750 

Extract of letter from Henry Blanckley, Naval Officer at Gibraltar. Is sending the defects of the Chapel or Centre pavilion and Upper Gallery of the Hospital with an estimate for its repair.

(National Archives record)

10 Sep 1752

Augustus Hervey’s journal records his hounding Henry Blanckley in Gibraltar

The 10th  got into Gibraltar, and having long resolved where-ever I met Mr. Blankley (who was Naval officer here now) to call him to an account for his behaviour at Portsmouth in the year 1746 [it was actually ’47]  which I related before, I desired Captain Morgan, a friend of mine and an officer of the garrison, to go to that fellow and tell him that to avoid any intercourse with him I desired he would immediately give me satisfaction for his conduct and that we must meet with sword and pistol at 4 o'clock on the Neutral Ground. He sent me word by Captain Morgan he desired to ask my pardon publickly in any manner I pleased, upon which Captain Morgan and Lord Robert Manners, whom I sent too, told me, surely it was sufficient, let his offence have been what it would. And so he came with his friend, and asked me pardon before these gentlemen all in the humblest manner. I asked then these gentlemen before him if they thought this was publick enough ; on their saying surely so, I turned to him and told him I should think no more of it. Everyone said I had done wrong had I done more. I stayed here but three days, as it was a wretched place to be at and as I had such great sums on board for Italy that I was. uneasy to get it landed.

29 Sep 1752 

Birth of Henry Stanyford Banckley in Gibraltar

My 4th great-grandfather.  

Family records for this period in  Gibraltar are extremely elusive, but we know HSB’s birth date from a transcription of his tomb (left) and that he was born in Gibraltar from a letter written by his granddaughter (right).  We also know his mother was Elizabeth, aged only 16 when HSB was born, and that he had a sister called Ann Elizabeth,

29 Jan 1761 

Henry’s brother Stanyford Blanckley (now a London apothecary) and his pet monkey are the subject of his boy neighbour, Jeremy Bentham’s satirical poetry:

27 May 1772

London Review critique of the news that naval buttons were soon to sport anchor motifs referencing the illustrations in ’Blankley’s Naval Expositor’ (left)

15 Mar 1773 

Henry Jenkins, Clerk, Gibraltar Yard. Has informed the Board of the death of Mr. Blanckley Naval Officer here and Captain Stott of the Alarm, the Commanding Officer, ordered the keys of the stores to be delivered to him. Has been the Clerk here for 25 years and acted for Mr. Blanckley whilst he was absent but Captain Stott has appointed Mr. Morris, Master of the Alarm, to take the stores into his charge. He is now unable to settle Mr. Blanckley's public accounts, which are in arrears or to sort the victualling accounts. Asks if in view of his long service he may succeed the deceased. 

(National Archives record)

This is Henry Blanckley, my 5th great-grandfather

C. 1784

Mary and Henry Stanyford Blanckley’s first child Ann is born.  Ann was baptised in St Martin in the Fields, Middlesex on 5 Feb 1784 (right).

5 Mar 1785

Mary and Henry Stanyford Blanckley’s first son is born, they name him Henry Stanyford Blanckley

He is described as turning 22 on 5th March, 

Six Years Residence in Algiers, 1839,  (memoirs published by 

his paternal half sister), page 30.   There is no baptism record for him in Little Hallingbury Parish records, so his family must have moved there after his baptism.

8 Jan 1787

Mary and Henry Stanyford Blanckley’s daughter Maria is born on 8th January 1787 and baptised in Little Hallingbury parish church on 28th January (right).

5 Oct 1787

Henry Stanyford Blanckley listed as an Essex gamekeeper resident in Little Hallingbury (left)

3 Sep 1788

Twins: Mary and Henry Stanyford Blanckley’s twins Charles and Caroline are born on 3rd September and baptised in Little Hallingbury parish church on 7th October (right (amalgamated entries)).

Monday 19 Oct 1789 (and the day after)

Catalogue of household furniture of Captain Blankley, Little Hallingbury who is moving abroad.

Source: Essex Records Office

The family evidently left England after their furniture auction, although Henry Stanyford Blanckley does not appear to have received a foreign posting until December the following year.  

The final pages (apparently listing the possessions they wished to keep longest) are missing, but their catalogue lists:

A CATALOGUE 

Of all the neat and genteel 

Household Furniture,

Fixtures, Brewing and Dairy Utensils, Beer Casks, about fifteen Loads of exceedingly good Meadow and Clover Hay, and other Valuable Effects

The Property of

CAPTAIN BLANKLEY

Of Little Hallingbury, in the County of Essex

(Leaving the Country,)

Which will be sold by Auction,

ON THE PREMISES, By Francis Cotsford,

On Monday, the 19th October, 1789, And the following Day.

CATALOGUE, &c.

First Day’s Sale

Monday, the 19th October, 1789

Numb. I. KITCHEN

LOT

1 A shovel, tongs, poker and fender

2 A pair of bellows, filter and trevits

3 A pair of flat irons, flesh fork, toasting fork, a chopping knife and a set of skewers

4 A chaffing-dish, footman and gridiron

5 A gridiron, pot iron, pair of light racks and salt box

6 Two pair of flat-irons, a spit, hold salt and pair of steak tongs

7 A fender, spit and cleaver

8 A meat screen lined with tin

9 A japann’d plate warmer and a candlebox

10 A large tin boiler, stewpot and kettle

11 A stewpan, dutch oven and pea boiler

12 Three tin saucepans, cullendar and plate basket

13 Three tin saucepans, tea kettle, slice and ladle

14 Four tin saucepans, fish kettle, tea kettle, lanthorn, dust pan, 2 tinder boxes and pint pot

15 Two baking pans, 1 cake ditto, 2 flat candlesticks, cheese toaster, funnel, chocolate pot, 2 pepers, 1 dredger and 4 extinguishers 

16 A candle safe and sundry tin ware

17 A wind up jack complete

18 A large ironing board fixed

19 A large oval dining table

20 Six wood bottom chairs

21 A japann’d tea board, waiter, knife box and 6 dessert knives and forks

23 [22 is not present] A knife box with 13 knives and 15 forks

24 A large tray

25 A large cupboard with drawer as fix’d

Numb. II. Back Chamber.

26  A tent bedstead with blue check furniture

27 A feather bed and bolster

28 A quilt and pair of blankets

29 A neat mahogany dressing chest of drawers

30 A linen press with pannel doors, painted

Numb. III. Servant’s Room.

31 A stump sacking bedstead with blue harrateen furniture

32 A feather bed and bolster

33 A pair of blankets

34 A quilt and not Mrs Vale’s coverlid

35 An easy chair cover’d with green morine and brass nail’d

36 Six beech chairs matted seats

37 A square, deal table

38 A scotch carpet, small glass and 3 baskets

39 A small stove grate and fender

Numb. IV. DAIRY.

40 A barrel churn and stand

41 A milk pail, stool, chopping block, ditto board, small flower tub and pat board

44 [42 & 43 are not present] Five large milk pans

45 Five ditto, 2 pots, 3 small pans and 2 sieves

46 A pickling tub and cover

Numb. V. Brewhouse.

47 A 70-gallon brewing copper

48 Iron work to ditto

49 An iron bound mash tub

50 Two working tubs

51 Two ditto

52 A 2 ear’d tub

53 Two wash tubs

54 A large plate rack

55 Three cloaths horses

56 A jet mash rule, tap-horse and strainer

57 Two pails, 2 small tubs and a large bowl

58 Two wood bowls, 1 pail and 2 coal tubs

59 A large sink fixed

60 An iron peal, shovel, &c.

C. 1790

Birth of Edward Blanckley (pictured right).

Edward was presumably born in Mahon, where his father was stationed.  His burial records give his birth year as both 1790 and ’91.

25 Jan 1797

Death of Elizabeth, Henry Stanyford Blanckley’s mother (pictured right) in Bathford, Somerset (see memorial inscription (left).

10 Mar 1798

Death of Mary Blanckley née Rogers at Bristol Hotwells (a then fashionable health spa)

She had first lodged at Bath for her ‘final illness’ (below):

“I know that our grandmother died at Bristol, she was in her last illness in Bath, & went to what was then called Bristol Hotwells as a last ressource (sic), & there she died.  All this I heard from my mother” Extract from 1875 letter from Mary Louisa (Maria’s daughter) to Henriette (HSB Jr’s daughter). Blanckley Family Papers, Box B-000820; Folder 8, Manuscripts Division, Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, Princeton University Library