From: lakepch at sun-link.com (Jackie and/or Frank Lake)
Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2000 22:21:40 -0400
Subject: Research at the PRO, London and Another Possible Relation of John Lake of Gravesend?

Things are quiet on the Lake mailing list front - too quiet!

Recently, I was contacted by a lady from Maryland who was trying to find the
origins of her great-great-grandfather John Proctor Lake of Anguilla in the
West Indies. He may have been a judge or lawyer sent there presumably by the
British government in the early 19th century. I thought I see what I could
find at the PRO (Public Record Office) in London with an on-line search. The
PRO is the depository for many 'official' records of the English sovereigns,
their courts judicial and otherwise and other instruments of government,
going back many centuries as well as other 'national' bodies, government and
otherwise.

I did not find anything about John Proctor Lake but plenty of other Lake
references.

There is a great deal of correspondence of Sir Thomas Lake who was one of
James I (VI if you are Scottish) two Secretaries of State and a reasonable
amount connected with Thomas and Sir Bilby Lake of Hudson's Bay Company
fame. Other references to Lakes include quite a few wills and court records
of disputes over land and estates going back to Richard II, late 1300s I
think. There are many other documents and records, reports etc of modern and
therefore limited genealogical interest. However, one reference to a
document caught my eye and I thought I might pass it on. Perhaps Annette
Truesdell already has it in her database. I must emphasize that only the
reference to the documents can be viewed. In most cases copies of documents
can be made and obtained by credit card. If you click on the link
http://catalogue.pro.gov.uk/ListInt/browse_documents_selected.asp?iMode=1&lc
ode=SP&class=46&subclass=%2D1&piece=163&item=fo+203

you should see details of a document referring to a John Lake, mayor of
Hethe (Hythe, Kent) in 1597, concerning the supply of beer. Hythe was one of
the Cinque Ports which supplied ships to the King in times of need during
the Middle Ages. I imaging it was still a town of some importance in 1597
and its mayor someone of some standing. There were other Lakes in the area,
at Goudhurst and the family of Thomas Spicer lived in the area too.

Maybe a lead on John Lake of Gravesend ancestry - maybe nothing. I have not
researched the Kent parish records and nothing turned up in my PRO search of
a will of this John Lake. I am not sure how much of the probate records of
Kent will be at the PRO, possibly all but not all may have been referenced
on line. There might be records of the town of Hythe from that time. They
could be kept at Maidstone which is where I imagine the Kent Records Office
is situated.

Well, something to think about, if you are interested in John Lake of
Gravesend and his ancestry. An excuse for a genealogical vacation in
England, perhaps.

Frank

PS The home page of the PRO is http://www.pro.gov.uk



From: lakepch at sun-link.com (Jackie and/or Frank Lake)
Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2000 23:24:14 -0400
Subject: [lake-surname] Research at the PRO, London and Another Possible Relation of John Lake of Gravesend?

Further to my posting, I tried the link on the posting I received. To be
able to get it to work, the whole of the link address must be used. This
will include everything up to ...'&item=fo+203'. You may need to copy it to
the URL line on your browser instead of just double clicking on the link in
the posting.

Frank