Sir Ralph Freke, 1st Baronet ( – 1717) of West Bilney,

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

, and Rathbarry (afterwards Castle Freke),

County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns a ...

, was a

baronet 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 14t ...

in the

Baronetage of Great Britain Baronets are a rank in the British aristocracy. The current Baronetage of the United Kingdom has replaced the earlier but existing Baronetages of England, Nova Scotia, Ireland, and Great Britain. Baronetage of England (1611–1705) King James I ...

and a

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 ...

in the

Irish House of Commons The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from 1297 until 1800. The upper house was the House of Lords. The membership of the House of Commons was directly elected, but on a highly restrictive fran ...

. He was the son and heir of

Percy Freke Sir Percy Freke, 2nd Baronet (30 April 1700 – 10 April 1728) of West Bilney, Norfolk and Castle Freke, County Cork, was a baronet in the Baronetage of Great Britain and a Member of Parliament in the Irish House of Commons. His first name was ...

, of Rathbarry, by Elizabeth, the daughter of Ralph Freke of Hannington, Wiltshire and Cicely Culpepper. Percy Freke was the son of Arthur Freke and his wife Dorothy, and was named after his maternal grandfather, Sir Percy Smith of

Youghal Youghal ( ; ) is a seaside resort town in County Cork, Ireland. Located on the estuary of the River Blackwater, the town is a former military and economic centre. Located on the edge of a steep riverbank, the town has a long and narrow layout. ...

, County Cork. Percy Freke purchased the estate of West Bilney in Norfolk, was

High Sheriff of County Cork The High Sheriff of County Cork was the Sovereign's judicial representative in County Cork. Initially an office for lifetime, assigned by the Sovereign, the High Sheriff became an annual appointment following the Provisions of Oxford in 1258. ...

in 1694, and was the Member of Parliament in the Irish House of Commons for

Clonakilty Clonakilty (; ), sometimes shortened to Clon, is a town in County Cork, Ireland. The town is located at the head of the tidal Clonakilty Bay. The rural hinterland is used mainly for dairy farming. The town's population as of 2016 was 4,592. Th ...

in 1692–93 and 1695–99, and the member for

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

from 1703 until his death in May 1707.

Cokayne, George Edward George Edward Cokayne, (29 April 1825 – 6 August 1911), was an English genealogist and long-serving herald at the College of Arms in London, who eventually rose to the rank of Clarenceux King of Arms. He wrote such authoritative and standar ...

(1906)
Complete Baronetage
'. Volume V. Exeter: W. Pollard & Co. . p. 15 Ralph Freke's mother, Elizabeth Freke, lived from 1641 to 1714. Like other aristocratic women of the time, she cultivated a collection of medical and culinary recipes. From these medical recipes, she would make medicine to treat herself, her son, and her husband in times of sickness. These medicines were used to treat general health concerns, like weakness, as well as specific ailments. she also kept a diary, which chronicles her rather turbulent family life. Ralph Freke was born after 1673, and was Member of Parliament in the Irish House of Commons for Clonakilty over three parliaments from 1703 until his death in 1717. He was High Sheriff of County Cork in 1709, and was created a

on 4 June 1713. He married Elizabeth, the daughter of

Sir John Meade, 1st Baronet Sir John Meade, 1st Baronet (1642–1707) was an Irish barrister, judge and politician. He was the first of the Meade Baronets of Balintubber, and an ancestor of the Earls of Clanwilliam. He was unusual among the lawyers of his time for his lack o ...

and his second wife Elizabeth Redman, daughter of Colonel Daniel Redman of Ballylinch Castle, on 5 March 1699. After his death in 1717, the baronetcy was inherited by his eldest son,

Percy The English surname Percy is of Norman origin, coming from Normandy to England, United Kingdom. It was from the House of Percy, Norman lords of Northumberland, derives from the village of Percy-en-Auge in Normandy. From there, it came into use ...

; his widow remarried

James King, 4th Baron Kingston James King, 4th Baron Kingston (1693 – 26 December 1761) was a British member of the peerage. King was a prominent freemason, being the Grand Master of the Premier Grand Lodge of England for 1728–1730 and also Grand Master of the Grand Lodge ...

. His second son, Ralph, died unmarried in 1727, and his third son,

John Redmond John Edward Redmond (1 September 1856 – 6 March 1918) was an Irish nationalist politician, barrister, and MP in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. He was best known as leader of the moderate Irish Parliamentary Party (IPP) from ...

, also died without issue. The Freke estate was eventually inherited by Ralph Freke's only daughter Grace, who married Hon. John Evans, a younger son of

George Evans, 1st Baron Carbery George Evans, 1st Baron Carbery PC (Ire) (c. 1680 – 28 August 1749) was an Irish politician and peer. A member of a County Limerick family of Whigs, he entered the Irish House of Commons and was created a peer in 1715 as a reward for his father's ...

, and his wife Anne Stafford of

Laxton, Northamptonshire Laxton is a village in North Northamptonshire, east of Corby and approximately west of the A43. At the time of the 2001 census, the parish's population was 160 people, increasing to 234 at the 2011 census. History The villages name means 'L ...

. Burke, John; Burke, John Bernard (1838
''A genealogical and heraldic history of the extinct and dormant baronetcies of England''
Scott, Webster, and Geary. p. 210

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Freke, Ralph 1717 deaths Baronets in the Baronetage of Great Britain High Sheriffs of County Cork Irish MPs 1703–1713 Irish MPs 1713–1714 Irish MPs 1715–1727 Year of birth uncertain Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Cork constituencies