When I think about Gnosall's history (which is oddly more often than I care to admit), my mind often turns to St Lawrence Church, the village lock-up, or perhaps the canal and its navvies who built it. Yet today I'm forced to remember one of the village's most remarkable sons, who helped establish a community on the other side of the Atlantic that still thrives today.
His name was Rev. Adam Blakeman, and although he may not be widely known locally, his story links our Staffordshire village with the early history of America.
And today - the 10th of June 2026 - is his 430th birthday!
Born in Gnosall
Parish records show that Adam Blakeman was baptised in Gnosall on 10th June 1596. His father, John Blakeman, was a schoolmaster, and the family had deep roots in the area.
The young Adam grew up around the village and was baptised at St Lawrence Church, which even then had already stood for centuries. Life in rural Staffordshire would have been very different from today, with farming, livestock and the church forming the centre of daily life.
St Lawrence Church, Gnosall, where Adam Blakeman was baptised
Nobody could have imagined (sounds like the intro to War of the Worlds) that a boy from Gnosall would one day leave his mark on the New World for ever.
A Calling Beyond England
After studying theology at Oxford University, Adam Blakeman became a minister. However, England in the early seventeenth century was a time of religious tension, and many ministers who held Puritan beliefs found themselves at odds with the church.
His decision to leave England was largely down to this period of growing religious and political unrest which was spreading across the country. During the reign of King Charles I, many Puritans felt that the Church of England was moving away from the simpler form of worship they believed the Bible taught. Ministers who preached outside these accepted norms often found themselves under pressure, suspended from their duties, or facing increasing restrictions.
King Charles I and Prince Rupert before the English Civil War
This was also a very unsettled period in English history. Tensions between the King and the Parliament were gradually worsening, and within a few years the country descended into the English Civil War in 1642. Although Adam Blakeman left before fighting broke out, the atmosphere of division and uncertainty was almost certainly felt, even in rural areas like Gnosall.
The Final Farewell
Like thousands of others during the Great Puritan Migration, he chose to seek a new life in New England, America. It was not just a voyage to look for opportunity, but due to the pressures in England.
Seeking greater freedom, Blakeman, William Beardsley and a group of 35 families crossed the Atlantic during the 1630s, joining thousands of others who were settling in New England. They followed the journeys made by others before them, including their predecessors on the famous Mayflower ship.
Conditions onboard would have been cramped and dangerous
The journey itself must have been terrifying. As an ex-Royal Navy serviceman myself, who has made the Atlantic crossing a couple of times, I know the weather conditions at sea are often unpredictable - and dangerous. Onboard his ship the conditions would have been pretty atrocious, with very little room to eat and sleep. Crossing the Atlantic would have been slow and boring - as many as two months at sea as opposed to the week or so it takes a ship today.
Many would have perished due to a lack of fresh food, illness or storms.
On landing In 1639, Rev. Blakeman led settlers to a new community called "Cupheag" - a native Paugusset word for "shelter" - beside the Housatonic River in what is now Connecticut. The settlement eventually became the town of Stratford in honour of Stratford-upon-Avon, where he served not only as its first minister, but also one of its leading figures for more than a quarter of a century.
There were no ready-made towns waiting for them on arrival - they must have faced immense challenges creating new communities out of the wilderness. Houses needed to be built, crops planted in fields, and society organised from scratch.
Gnosall's Adventurous Son
I find it remarkable that a man who had once walked the lanes of Gnosall undertook such an incredibly hazardous (and adventurous) journey, leaving everything familiar behind him. At this time even travelling to London was a challenge, but Rev. Blakeman crossed a whole ocean and established a new settlement that is thriving today.
His influence was so highly regarded that fellow minister Thomas Hooker, one of Connecticut's founding fathers, is said to have remarked that if he could choose anywhere to live and die, it would be under Adam Blakeman's ministry. That's quite a legacy.
A Lasting Legacy
Rev. Adam Blakeman remained in Stratford until his death in 1665. Today, the town has a population of more than 50,000 people and is considered one of the oldest settlements in Connecticut. I like to think that one day I too will visit Stratford, Connecticut to pay homage to this remarkable man - although opportunities to do this are quite rare when you have children!
Plaque located at Stratford, Connecticut - copyright https://www.stratfordct.gov
But today, thousands of people bearing the surnames Blakeman and Blackman across the United States can trace their ancestry back to the early settlers who followed him.
And it all began with a child baptised here in Gnosall.
A Hidden Piece of Gnosall's Story
Villages like ours are sometimes thought of as quiet places that history simply passed through. But stories like Adam Blakeman's remind us that Gnosall's influence has reached much further than our parish boundaries.
Long before aeroplanes and the internet made the world feel smaller, a man from our village crossed an ocean and helped build a community that still flourishes nearly four centuries later.
Not bad for a lad from Gnosall. Happy birthday, sir.
Note: Image of Rev. Adam Blakeman used in the header is a stylised depiction, since no portraits of him exist.
