Sir Francis Blake, 1st Baronet, FRS (27 April 1709 – 29 March 1780) was a Northumbrian landowner who was created 1st Baronet of Twizell in the Baronetage of Great Britain on 25 May 1774.

Life

He was the grandson of Sir Francis Blake, Knt., of

Cogges Cogges is an area beside the River Windrush in Witney, Oxfordshire, east of the town centre. It had been a separate village and until 1932 it was a separate civil parish. History The former village centres upon three historic buildings: the ...

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

, who acquired

Ford Castle Ford Castle is a Grade I listed building situated at a shallow crossing point on the River Till, Ford, Northumberland, England. The castle dates from about 1278. The owner Sir William Heron was granted a licence to crenellate the castle in 133 ...

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 on ...

on his marriage to Elizabeth, née Carr, and who purchased

Twizell Castle Twizell Castle (also spelt Twizel) is a Grade II* listed building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument which stands on a bend of the River Till at Tillmouth Park, Northumberland, northern England. Below it, the medieval Twizell Bridge spans the riv ...

, Northumberland, in about 1685; and was the son of Sarah, daughter of Sir Francis of Cogges and her cousin Robert Blake of

Menlough Menlough () is a village in northeast County Galway in Ireland. Located 35 km from Galway, 27 km from Tuam, 30 km from Ballinasloe, and 20 km from Athenry, it forms part of the civil parish of Killascobe. History Historical ...

(1697–1734). He was educated at

Lincoln College, Oxford Lincoln College (formally, The College of the Blessed Mary and All Saints, Lincoln) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford, situated on Turl Street in central Oxford. Lincoln was founded in 1427 by Richard Fleming, the ...

. He inherited the Twizell Castle estate (subject to his father's life interest) on the death of his grandfather in 1717. (

passed to his cousin

Francis Blake Delaval (1692–1752) Captain Francis Blake Delaval (27 December 1692 – 9 December 1752) was a Royal Navy officer and Member of Parliament. He was the son of Edward Delaval (related to the Delaval baronets) and his wife Mary, daughter of Sir Francis Blake of ...

). He supported the government during the

Jacobite rising of 1745 The Jacobite rising of 1745, also known as the Forty-five Rebellion or simply the '45 ( gd, Bliadhna Theàrlaich, , ), was an attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the Monarchy of Great Britain, British throne for his father, James Franci ...

. Described as an 'experimental philosopher', he was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...

in 1746. After his father's death in 1734, he moved out of Twizell Castle and settled at Tillmouth House nearby. He and his son embarked on a costly and ambitious project to build a new castle on the Twizell site. The design, five-storey

Gothick Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

, was by architect James Nesbit of Kelso. After some forty years the project, still unfinished, was abandoned. He served as

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 ...

in 1772. Blake acquired other estates including

Fowberry Tower Fowberry Tower is a Grade II* listed mansion house, situated on the banks of the River Till, near Chatton, Northumberland. The Manor of Fowberry was owned by the Fowberry family for over 400 years, and their 16th-century tower house incorporated ...

in 1776 and

Seghill Seghill is a large village located on the Northumberland border which is the county boundary between Northumberland and Tyne and Wear. Seghill is situated between the villages of Seaton Delaval and Annitsford, about north of Newcastle upon Tyne. ...

in 1777. On 29 March 1780, he died at Tilmouth, and is buried at

Houghton-le-Spring Houghton-le-Spring ( ) is a town in the City of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, North East England which has its recorded origins in Norman times. Historically in County Durham, it is now administered as part of the Tyne and Wear county. It is s ...

Family

He married Isabella, née Ayton, in 1732. His first son Robert died aged 21 in 1754. In his will, Blake left £60 for the creation of a monument to his son in the West

Cloister A cloister (from Latin ''claustrum'', "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against a ...

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...

. He was succeeded by his second son

Francis Francis may refer to: People *Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State and Bishop of Rome *Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Francis (surname) Places * Rural M ...

References

Attribution: * Endnotes: *Raines North Durham, pp. 314, 316; *Betham's Baronetage, iii. 439.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Blake, Francis, 1st Baronet 1709 births 1780 deaths Baronets in the Baronetage of Great Britain Fellows of the Royal Society Alumni of Lincoln College, Oxford High Sheriffs of Northumberland