Mary Verney (née Blacknall, 1616 – 10 May 1650) was the wife of

Sir Ralph Verney, 1st Baronet, of Middle Claydon Sir Ralph Verney, 1st Baronet DL, JP (12 November 1613 – 24 September 1696) was an English baronet and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1640 and 1690. Background Baptised at Hillesden in Buckinghamshire, ...

DL, JP (1613–1696), an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

baronet and politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

. Mary Blacknall was the daughter of

John Blacknall John Blacknall (1583 – 21 August 1625) was a landowner and benefactor to Abingdon-on-Thames. Early life and education He was born in 1583, son of William Jr. His grandfather William Sr. was a wealthy landowner and owner of the Abbey mills. Will ...

, a mill-owner, of

Wasing Wasing is an agricultural and woodland village, country estate and parish in West Berkshire, England owned almost wholly by the descendants of the Mount family, currently Joshua Dugdale. In local administration, its few inhabitants convene the ...

and Abingdon,

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

. She came from a wealthy family and was christened on 19 February 1616 in Abingdon. On 31 May 1629, aged c.13, Mary Blacknall married Ralph Verney, aged 15, of the

Verney family The Verney family purchased the manor of Middle Claydon in Buckinghamshire, England, in the 1460s and still resides there today at the manor house known as Claydon House. This family had been seated previously at Fleetmarston in Buckinghamshire ...

Hillesden Hillesden is a village and civil parish in north-west Buckinghamshire, England, about south of Buckingham. The village name is Anglo-Saxon in origin, and means 'Hild's hill'. In the Domesday Book of 1086 the village was recorded as ''Ilesdo ...

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...

. Despite the early marriage, it was a happy one. Ralph and Mary Verney had three sons and three daughters at

Claydon House Claydon House is a English country house, country house in the Aylesbury Vale, Buckinghamshire, England, near the village of Middle Claydon. It was built between 1757 and 1771 and is now owned by the National Trust for Places of Historic Interes ...

in Buckinghamshire: # Mary Verney (21 July 1632 – 22 July 1632) # Anna Maria Verney (16 September 1634 – 22 May 1638) # Edmund Verney, Esquire (25 December 1636 – 4 September 1688) #* Married Mary Abel (1641-1715) in 1662 # Margaret Verney (8 January 1639 – 3 October 1647) #

John Verney, 1st Viscount Fermanagh John Verney, 1st Viscount Fermanagh (5 November 1640 – 23 June 1717), known as Sir John Verney, 2nd Baronet, between 1696 and 1703, was an English peer, merchant and Tory politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1710 to 1717. Early life ...

(5 November 1640 – 23 June 1717) # Ralph Verney (3 June 1647 – before 3 October 1647) Mary Verney died on 10 May 1650 in

Blois Blois ( ; ) is a commune and the capital city of Loir-et-Cher department, in Centre-Val de Loire, France, on the banks of the lower Loire river between Orléans and Tours. With 45,898 inhabitants by 2019, Blois is the most populated city of the ...

Loir-et-Cher Loir-et-Cher (, ) is a department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France. Its name is originated from two rivers which cross it, the Loir in its northern part and the Cher in its southern part. Its prefecture is Blois. The INSEE and La P ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, where she accompanied her husband while he was in exile. She was buried at

Middle Claydon Middle Claydon is a village and civil parish in the Aylesbury Vale district of Buckinghamshire, England. The village is about south of Buckingham and about west of Winslow. The toponym "Claydon" is derived from the Old English for "clay hill" ...

on 19 November 1650.

Legacy

Two portraits of Mary Blacknall hang in

in Buckinghamshire, the country seat of the Verney family, now administered by the

National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

. She brought with her as heirlooms the

Abingdon Monks' Map The Abingdon Monks' Map (commonly known as The Monks' Map) is a 16th-century map of the River Thames around the town of Abingdon, Oxfordshire (formerly in Berkshire), England. It is held in the collection of the Abingdon County Hall Museum. The ...

and the Blacknall Map from the Blacknall family. The Monks' Map has since been returned to Abingdon and is in

Abingdon County Hall Museum Abingdon County Hall Museum (also known as Abingdon Museum) is a local museum in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England. The museum is run by Abingdon Town Council and supported by Abingdon Museum Friends, a registered charity. It is a Grade II li ...

. The Blacknall Map is still at Claydon House. A bust of Mary Blacknall can be found on a memorial in the church next to Claydon House.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blacknall, Mary 1616 births 1650 deaths People from Abingdon-on-Thames

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

Wives of baronets