John Riley (1646-1691) - Probably Sir Edward Blackett (1651-1652–1718), 2nd Bt - 584402 - National Trust

Memorial to Edward Blacket in Ripon Cathedral

Sir Edward Blackett, 2nd Baronet (25 October 1649 – 23 April 1718) was an English landowner 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. T ...

at various times between 1689 and 1701. Blackett was the eldest surviving son of William Blackett and his wife Elizabeth Kirkley. His father was a merchant of Newcastle and owned extensive property including coal mines. Blackett became a member of the Merchant Adventurers' company of Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1672. He married an heiress in 1674 and at some time after he acquired the estate of Newby Park at

Ripon Ripon () is a cathedral city in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. The city is located at the confluence of two tributaries of the River Ure, the Laver and Skell. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the city ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

. He was a J.P. for Northumberland and the North Riding of Yorkshire from 1677 and J.P, for Ripon from 1679. From 1679 to 1680, he was

High Sheriff of Northumberland This is a list of the High Sheriffs of the English county of Northumberland. The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries ...

which was during the Popish Plot and he was active in levying fines on recusants. However he was probably an opponent of exclusion, because he stayed on the commissions of the peace in 1680. He succeeded to the

baronetcy A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

on the death of his father in 1680. In 1684 he became a member of the Hostmen of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. As a J.P. in the North Riding he responded to the questions on the Test Act and Penal Laws in February 1688 but he was removed from the commission of peace later in the year 1688. He became freeman of Ripon in September 1688 and was re-appointed J.P. for Northumberland and the North Riding in 1689. He also became commissioner for assessment for Yorkshire West and North Riding and Northumberland. Also in 1689, Blackett was elected

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

for

for a year from 1689 to 1690. He demolished the old house on the Newby estate and in 1695 with the assistance of

Sir Christopher Wren Sir Christopher Wren PRS FRS (; – ) was one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history, as well as an anatomist, astronomer, geometer, and mathematician-physicist. He was accorded responsibility for rebuilding 52 churches ...

began building

Newby Hall Newby Hall is a country house beside the River Ure in the parish of Skelton-on-Ure in North Yorkshire, England. It is 3 miles south-east of Ripon and 6 miles south of Topcliffe Castle, by which the manor of Newby was originally held. A Grade ...

at a cost of £32,000, which remained the family seat until 1748. He was elected MP for

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land ...

in 1698 and sat until 1700. Blackett died at the age of 67 and was buried in Ripon Minster. Blackett married his first wife, Mary Norton, only child and heiress of Thomas Norton of Langthorpe Yorkshire, in 1674. She died without surviving issue. His second wife, whom he married in 1676, was Mary Yorke, only daughter of Sir John Yorke of Gowthwaite, and they had a large family. Finally, in 1699 he married his third and last wife, Lady Diana Delaval, widow of Sir Ralph Delaval and daughter of

George Booth, 1st Baron Delamer George Booth, 1st Baron Delamer (18 December 16228 August 1684), was an English landowner and politician from Cheshire, who served as an MP from 1646 to 1661, when he was elevated to the House of Lords as Baron Delamer. A member of the moder ...

. He was succeeded in the baronetcy by his eldest surviving son by his second marriage Edward who had been a captain in the Royal Navy until he became heir to the estates on the death of his elder brother in 1714.The Ship That Came Home: A. W. Purdue, published by Third Millennium Publishing Ltd.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blackett, Edward, 2nd Baronet 1649 births 1718 deaths Baronets in the Baronetage of England High Sheriffs of Northumberland English MPs 1689–1690 English MPs 1698–1700

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