BLATHERWICK FAMILY INFORMATION CENTRE

This site, which started in April 1999, contains a great deal of general information on the Blatherwick family. In addition, you can view masses of fascinating family history research, including a Blatherwick coat of arms & pictures of Blatherwycke Hall. The site also describes some famous Blatherwicks & the search for John & Kenneth Blatherwick.

General Family Information . 

Family history research .. Family coat of arms .... Blatherwycke Hall 

Famous Blatherwicks .... The search for John & Ken Blatherwick

General family information

This curious surname is an old Nottinghamshire (UK) name; it is still localised even today after 600 years (or more) of use as a surname. (Nottinghamshire is a county in the middle of England). The name is so rare that neither of the standard reference books of surnames include the name Blatherwick. Both Reaney's "Dictionary of Surnames" and the "Oxford Dictionary of Surnames" disregard this quaint Nottinghamshire name.

The first reference to the name in official documents occurs in 1314 where a manuscript (FF.VII.278) mentions SIMON DE BLATHERWICK who was the Rector of Barton in Norfolk. CHRISTABELL BLATHERWICK is recorded back in 1583. Christabell was from Lambley (Notts) & on 6th October 1583 she married one William Spibie at Lambley. Another early mention of the surname is in a Harleian manuscript which includes a list of freeholders in Nottinghamshire in 1698. One of the listed names is:- JOSEPH BLATHERWICK OF LAMLEY. The place name, Lambley (note the different spelling), is a village 8 kilometers north east of Nottingham.

The Parish of Blatherwycke is first mentioned in the English parish registers in 1621 & is described as being 10 kilometers north east of Rockingham. Today there is a village in Northamptonshire called Blatherwycke about 7 kilometers north east of Corby. (The village was called Blarewich in the Domesday Book of 1086). There is also a Lake Blatherwycke. Blatherwycke & its lake are just off the A43 road.  

Blatherwycke Hall

Blatherwycke Hall - some details & pictures 

This splendid Georgian house was built in Northamptonshire during 1720-24, at a total cost of 3,838 pounds two shillings and sixpence. The house was built for Henry O'Brien by Robert Wright of Castor near Peterborough. The design was by Thomas Ripley who had posts in the King's Works & who designed several notable houses. During the Second World War, the building was used by the military & was badly damaged by them. It was subsequently put up for auction & was demolished in 1948 for the building materials to be re-used.

 
                An early drawing of the hall with 2 wings. 

    A later view 

Another view showing a hunt is from Kate Blatherwick

Another view from Michael Day

According to Tony Walsh, Blatherwycke Hall was in the village of Blatherwyke in east Northamptonshire, and the only remnant of the hall today is the stable block. On the rear of the stable block is a coat of arms (arm with sword) with the inscription D.O.B underneath.

Research by Marcus Botterill reveals that D.O.B. were the initials of Donagh O'Brien, an early owner of the hall. 


Blatherwycke Hall Estate

The plan shown below gives the estate as it was in 1847. In order to examine the plan in detail, it would be best to re-size the map. Try multiplying the image by 4. The plan has been kindly supplied by Niall Rudd.

Blatherwycke Hall is seen just above the islands in the lake; there are several islands in the lake which was formed from a small river. As well as the islands, a boat house can be seen. In front of the hall are gardens with a large fountain. Nearby is the village church. The hall is situated in a deer park which includes a statue, a summer house and a race course. All told, the owners were clearly far wealthier than me and you!

The Search For John & Kenneth Blatherwick

This search for John & Ken Blatherick is now over

Norman Blatherwick was born, one of 4 children, on 3rd February 1931 at Perlethorpe-cum-Budby in North Nottinghamshire (UK), before moving to Worksop & then Blidworth (again both in Nottinghamshire). Norman now lives in Australia & wanted to track down his missing brothers & his sister, all last seen in a childrens home in Worksop around 1946. Details of the brothers are given below, together with details of the sister. All are deceased.

The youngest brother was called John Alan Blatherwick . John Alan was born 27th Nov 1936. at Kilton Hospital, Worksop. John, with his two brothers & his sister, was soon placed in the Children's Home on Cheapside in Worksop, but was subsequently adopted & took a different surname, namely Hird. John Hird lived all his life in Worksop & died there in 1990. The sister was called Frances Helen Blatherwick and she was born Feb 1934. She died before she was 2 years old. The eldest brother was Kenneth Algernon Blatherwick (1929 - 1984). After a long & painful search by Ann & Eddie Blatherwick, much information has been discovered about John Hird and about Kenneth Algernon Blatherwick & his family.

By the way, research so far has not revealed anybody else called Norman Blatherwick Is Aussie Norman the only person in the world called Norman Blatherwick? Sure looks like it!

Another man actually called Norman Blatherwick
has now been tracked down
- this time in the United States!

Both Norman Blatherwicks had resided in Blidworth,
a tiny hamlet in Nottinghamshire (UK),
so they just had to be related!

Unfortunately, this Norman is no longer with us:-
Norman Blatherwick - b. Blidworth 1906, d. Florida 1988.

Yet another Norman Blatherwick has been tracked down, athough this guy was actually Norman Henry Blatherwick (1912-1972). He was a surgeon in Los Angeles.

 A fourth Norman Blatherwick has surfaced. Lewis Norman Blatherwick was born Bolsover 1911, trained as a chemist but worked in Clowne for 45 years as an optician!  His sons are Paul David Blatherwick & Alan John Blatherwick. (The latter's name is curiously similar to John Alan Blatherwick, the subject of the original search above & the reason for this site coming into existence. Alan John Blatherwick lives in Oz).

What is it about this Blatherwick breed which drives them to populate distant realms?

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While the striking name of Blatherwick has spread to Canada, United States, South Africa & Australia, it has not travelled so well in England. The whole of the London Telephone Directory contains merely one Blatherwick. The 1901 Census listed 121 people called Blatherwick in the whole of Nottinghamshire. The following table has been kindly supplied by David Blatherwick - a Nottingham lad. The table shows the distribution of Blatherwicks in England in 2002, & demonstrates how few of the family have migrated far from the Blatherwick homelands!

Cornwall	1	London	3	Hampshire	5
Hereford & Worcs.	1	Cambridgeshire	4	Merseyside	6
Avon	1	Cheshire	4	West Midlands	8
Suffolk	1	Dorset	4	Kent	8
Oxfordshire	1	Hertfordshire	4	Leicestershire	15
Shropshire	1	Humberside	4	Derbyshire	26
Surrey	1	Northampton	4	Lincolnshire	28
Scotland	2	Somerset	4	Yorkshire	33
Bucks	2	Staffordshire	4	Nottinghamshire	153
Middlesex	2	Sussex	4	TOTAL	334

 

Famous Blatherwicks :

Some famous Blatherwicks are detailed below

• Charles Blatherwick (died 1895). A London doctor who became a famous water colour artist when he worked in Scotland. Known for his Scottish landscapes. Exhibited at Royal Academy three times. He was also a minor novelist. [More info on Charles is sought - see below]

• Frederick Francis Blatherwick. Celebrated captain of England at hockey. Born in Sri Lanka in 1880 - his father owned tea plantations there. By 1901 he was living in North Wales and played for Cheshire Hockey Club, Cheshire County & the North of England. Marrying Isabel Pierson of Brancepeth, Durham, he went on to play for Durham County. 1903 to 1906 he played hockey for England and was captain on three occasions. Was described as "England's most finished and scientific centre half." Worked in Sri Lanka 1906-11. From 1920 to 1937, he managed tea plantations in Kenya. [Information supplied by James Ormandy who is doing research work on hockey]

• Miss Lily Blatherwick (1854-1934). Daughter of above doctor, lived Helensburg in Scotland. Distinguished flower painter & landscape artist. Also exhibited at Royal Academy - some 25 times. Married twice, but used her maiden name as a painter. [More info on Lily is available - please see below]

The Blatherwick Memorial

The South African Memorial

Michael Clift heard of this memorial many years ago when he was in the British South Africa Police . Michael said the memorial was in a BSAP depot in Salisbury.

Research by Julie Brutnell shows a war grave in South Africa for Captain James Blatherwick, British South African Police, who died on 26th Oct 1918. Geraint Jones, an ex-member of the British South Africa Police, has now confirmed that the Blatherwick Memorial was for Captain James Blatherwick; the memorial is in Green Square, Morris Training Depot in Salisbury.

Andrew D. Field, who runs the British South Africa Police website at www.bsap.org , comments that the memorial was erected in 1921; it honoured Captain Blatherwick as the first ever Regimental Sergeant Major in the history of the BSAP. Andrew points that the good captain may have died on 26th November and not October 26th; he also suspects that the memorial may have been removed.

Captain Blatherwick was born in Cape Town on 2nd January 1869 & joined the BSAP aged 27 in 1896 as a Troop Sergeant. RSM 1897. Inspector 1913. Commissioned in 1917 & became Depot Commandant before he died in 1918. Served for 22 years with BSAP. A BSAP memorial is to be placed at the National Memorial Arboretum (near Lichfield, UK) where there are already about 150 memorials of national significance. The new memorial for the BSAP will be a smaller version of the Blatherwick Memorial & will be sculpted by Winston Hart.

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Blatherwick marriages & baptisms at the parishes of Burton Joyce, Gedling etc 1789 - 1842 have been researched at great length by Margaret Tadman & her detailed findings are available on this site. There is also a partial family tree, as well. To view these extensive pages of research (although in a slightly condensed format), please click on Margaret Tadman research

Dr Charles Blatherwick & Lily Blatherwick (see above) John Jeff is seeking further information on Dr Charles Blatherwick & his parents. John is descended from Charles through Edith Blatherwick who was the elder sister of Lily Blatherwick. Edith was to marry William Raikes in 1879, while her more famous sister, Lily, married A. S. Hartrick (OBE), the eminent artist (exhibited 29 times at the RA) & author of several art reference books. He was a friend of Gaugin.

John Jeff writes "The Blatherwick family spent the summer months of 1871 at Kilmahonaig, Crinan, Argyllshire (now Kilmahumaig), having journeyed up from Row (now Rhu) in Dunbartonshire by steamer. They kept a large illustrated diary of their stay, the Kilmahonaig Journal (in our bookshelves), listing their visitors, what they saw or shot for the pot, and anything of interest, together with pages of poetry or doggerel."
Regarding Dr Charles Blatherwick, he comments: "Edith Blatherwick's father was Dr Charles Blatherwick, who studied for his MD in Dublin but, as far as I can discover, never actually practised medicine, as his occupation was 'Gentleman'. A watercolour and landscape painter, he was Treasurer of the Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour (RSW), whose members seemed to enjoy sumptuous Dinners, and President of the Glasgow Pen & Ink Club. He only had 3 exhibits in the Royal Academy, a few of his watercolours adorn our walls, and there is also the beautifully illustrated-in-minature diary of his journey from Liverpool to Pau in SW France in 1880, in our bookshelves. He also wrote popular songs of the time, what would now be regarded as sentimental old rubbish, and there are a couple of examples amongst my sheet music. They all lived at a house called Dunaivon, Rhu, Helensburgh."
If you can help John Jeff with more info on Charles Blatherwick & his ancestors, please email John Jeff now.

Some of Samuel & Margaret's children were: Samuel (born out of wedlock 1884), Elizabeth (born about 1886), John (born about 1886), James (b 1890), Harry (b 1894), Ernest (b 1899), Albert Ernest (b 1902), Lillian (date?) & Naomi Doris (b 1905) - known as "Big" Doris! (There was a twin to "Big" Doris). Samuel & Margaret Blatherwick also took in children of relatives, for example Herbert Blatherwick whose mother was the Emma Blatherwick of the last paragraph. The first few children were born in Awsworth, Nottinghamshire. Awsworth is a village 7 kms west of Nottingham & just south of Eastwood. The other children were born at Ilkeston in Derbyshire. James Blatherwick (born 1890) married Eliza Savage & they had 3 children: Harry, Doris Hilda & one other daughter.
The Ilkeston Advertiser featured James & Eliza Blatherwick in 1961: "A man, who started work at Cossall Colliery when he was 13 & earned 18d a day (less than 8p), and his wife celebrate their Golden Wedding Anniversary this weekend. They are Mr & Mrs James Blatherwick of 3 Little Hallam Lane, Ilkeston. Throughout his long career, Mr Blatherwick has worked as a collier, greengrocer, fishmonger, barman & finally fish-fryer. A native of Ilkeston, he was born on Awsworth Road & went to Chaucer School. He is a member of a family of 21, six of whom are still living."
So far 13 of this amazingly large family of 21 are accounted for, but somewhere are another 8 siblings or cousins/relatives brought up in this family. Do you know any Blatherwick who might be part of this family?

Elizabeth Blatherwick of Oxton (1835-1920). Elizabeth was christened at Oxton (Notts) on 26th April 1835. Her parents were Samuel Blatherwick (labourer) and Ann Blatherwick. When Elizabeth was 5 months pregnant, she married George Walker at Nuthall (Notts) on 13.3.1854. Elizabeth was able to sign her name on the marriage certificate, but George had to sign X. George (b 1835 approx) is said to have had a small farm at Greaves Lane, a hamlet near Edingley & Halam.

The couple went on to have 10 children before George died in 1881 at Oxton. The 10 children were Thomas (b 1854), William (b 1856), Mary (b 1859), Joseph (b 1861), Hannah (b 1863), George (b 1866), Lucy (b 1868), John (b 1871), Lizzie (b 1873), Ellen (b 1876). The first 8 children were born at Oxton.

Elizabeth died at Halam in 1920 aged 85. She outlived her husband by 39 years.

In Oxton churchyard there are Walker family graves & also some impressive Blatherwick graves. These are situated behind the yew trees to the right of the church when seen from the road.
The graves date from 1736 onwards. In the church is a flag with a brass plate saying 'This state flag of Pennsylvania (USA) was given by the Governor (The Hon. J. S. Fine) to Oxton Church in 1951 to commemorate those sons of Oxton who in the 17th Century assisted William Penn in the founding of the famous colony'. Oxton Church registers commence in 1652. 

This information is supplied by Patricia Anne Sheppard (nee Walker) who is descended from Elizabeth Blatherwick & George Walker. More information is sought on both families. To contact Anne Sheppard.   

A coat of arms was adopted by the family (but see below for more about this).

A Blatherwick coat of arms?
 

Under the crest there is a motto which says "Defensio non offensio ." The coat of arms is described thus:-  "He beareth Chequy argent and azure, a Chief Gules by the name of Blatherwicke, crest, an arm embowed in armour, holding a Sword ppr. - Granted Council of Trent A.D. 1564." Chequey - a shield with a chequered surface; argent - usually shown as white since silver would tarnish; azure - blue; a Chief Gules - Gules was the colour red, while Chief was a geometrical design on the top part of the shield. Embowed - the arm was bent; ppr - proper (in its natural colours).

Jane Leaper of Alberta, Canada, points out that the Council of Trent cannot have granted the Blatherwick coat of arms.  The Council was actually held in Trentino Italy (Trent is the English name for Trentino) and the Council  was held to resolve problems in the Roman Catholic church.  It did not grant arms, and would have had no power to grant arms to an English family anyway.  So, I rather think the Sheffield Blatherwicks were the victims of a Victorian con-man; something which is interesting in itself.  (Jane is descended from Ann Blatherwick, born Carlton, Nottingham, in 1790).

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Other Blatherwick information from Diane Lewis refers to Colwick & Burton Joyce: -
William Blatherwick married Tabitha Ward on 9 Feb 1724 at Colwick Notts John Blatherwick married Hannah Cook on 26 Feb 1749 at Burton Joyce. John may have been the son of William & Tabitha, but not proven. John c 4 Nov 1726 at Burton Joyce, Hannah c Mar 1726 or 1728 at Arnold, Notts. The couple had 4 children: John c 17 Nov 1750, Samuel c 10 Feb 1754, Dorothy c 18 Apr 1760, James c 20 Mar 1763.

John & Susan had 10 children; the first five being born in England with the other five born in Ontario & Winnipeg:-
John Henry Charles b 1862, Maria Thirza b 1864, Francis Gobden b 1865, Henry b 1867, Eva Agnes b 1870, Charles Harford b 1872, Samuel Sharland b 1873, Joseph Henson b 1875, Susan b 1877, Annie Sarah b 1879. Further information about these children & their descendants is available from John Blatherwick .

To contact John Blatherwick in Canada, please prod your mouse now

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Nottinghamshire Local History Societies, click here for details

For information on Nottinghamshire surnames, visit:-
Notts Family History Society

For information on Northamptonshire surnames, visit:-
Northamptonshire Family History Society

For information on Derbyshire surnames visit:-
Derbyshire Family History Society

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These interesting pages were assembled by Keith Morris. For info on Keith, please click here

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