Sir Charles Blois, 1st Baronet (14 September 1657 – 9 April 1738), of Grundisburgh Hall and Cockfield Hall, Yoxford, Suffolk, was a British

Tory A Tory () is an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The To ...

politician who sat in the English House of Commons and the

House of Commons of Great Britain The House of Commons of Great Britain was the lower house of the Parliament of Great Britain between 1707 and 1801. In 1707, as a result of the Acts of Union 1707, Acts of Union of that year, it replaced the House of Commons of England and the Pa ...

between 1695 and 1709.

Early life

Charles was the son of Sir William Blois, of Grundisburgh Hall and his first wife Martha Brooke (died 1657), daughter of Sir Robert Brooke (1572–1646) of Cockfield Hall and his wife Elizabeth. However as his mother died very soon after his birth, Charles's father remarried to Jane Barnardiston (daughter of Sir Nathaniel Barnardiston (1588–1653) of Kedington, Suffolk), who had previous been married to Charles's uncle John Brooke, brother of Martha. Jane was therefore the only mother that he knew. The principal heir to Cockfield Hall, his uncle Robert Brooke, died in 1669 in a bathing accident in the river Rhone in France. Charles's father Sir William Blois dying in 1676 (when Abigail Hodges, Sir William's sister, disputed the estate with Jane Blois, the relict), Charles married Mary Kemp, daughter of

Sir Robert Kemp, 2nd Baronet Sir Robert Kemp, 2nd Baronet (2 February 1627 – 26 September 1710), of Gissing Hall, Norfolk and Ubbeston, Suffolk, was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons of England, House of Commons between 1675 and 1685. Kemp was bor ...

, of Gissing Hall, Norfolk, on 11 May 1680. His grandmother, Elizabeth Brooke (having a life interest in Cockfield Hall), died there in 1683, and his aunt Mary Brooke (like Charles, a co-heir to the younger Robert Brooke) lived down to 1693. Having been created baronet in 1686, Charles succeeded to Cockfield Hall in 1693 and made his principal home there.P. Watson, 'Blois, Sir Charles, 1st Bt. (1657-1738), of Grundisburgh Hall, Suff.', in B.D. Henning (ed.), ''The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1660-1690'' (from Boydell and Brewer 1983)
History of Parliament Online
Accessed 5 September 2022. His sister Mary was the third wife of Sir Nevill Catlin and then wife of Sir Charles Turner, 1st Baronet.

Career

Blois was an Alderman of Dunwich from 1685 and was appointed to the commission of the peace for Suffolk in 1685. On 15 April 1686 he was created Baronet Blois, of

Grundisburgh Grundisburgh () is a village of 1,584 residents situated in the English county of Suffolk. It is in the East Suffolk district, six north-east from Ipswich and north-west of Woodbridge located on the B1079. Flowing through the village are ...

and Cockfield Hall. In March 1688, he was appointed a Commissioner for inquiry into recusancy fines for Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. He was removed from the Dunwich corporation in June 1688 but was restored in November 1688 and was Commissioner of assessment for Suffolk from 1689-90, and for Dunwich and Ipswich in 1689. He was returned as a Tory Member of Parliament for

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...

in a by-election on 28 May 1689. A very active Member of the Convention Parliament, he was appointed to 36 committees. He was returned in a contest as MP for Ipswich at the

1690 English general election The 1690 English general election occurred after the dissolution of the Convention Parliament summoned in the aftermath of the Glorious Revolution, and saw the partisan feuds in that parliament continue in the constituencies. The Tories made sig ...

and as a Court Tory continued a high level of activity in Parliament.D.W. Hayton, 'Blois, Sir Charles, 1st Bt. (1657-1738), of Grundisburgh Hall and Cockfield Hall, Yoxford, Suff.', in D. Hayton, E. Cruickshanks and S. Handley (eds), ''The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1690-1715'' (from Boydell and Brewer 2002)
History of Parliament
Cockfield Hall 114452

In 1693 Blois succeeded his aunt Mary Brooke to the Yoxford estate, which gave him an electoral interest at Dunwich. His wife Mary died in 1693 and he married as his second wife, by licence dated 18 April 1694, Anne Hawtrey, daughter of Ralph Hawtrey, MP of Eastcote House,

Ruislip Ruislip ( ) is a suburb in the London Borough of Hillingdon in northwest London. Prior to 1965 it was in Middlesex. Ruislip lies west-north-west of Charing Cross, London. The manor of Ruislip appears in the Domesday Book, and some of the ear ...

, Middlesex. He was defeated at Ipswich at the

1695 English general election The 1695 English general election was the first to be held under the terms of the Triennial Act 1694, which required parliament to be dissolved and fresh elections called at least every three years. This measure helped to fuel partisan rivalry ov ...

and did not stand in 1698. Blois was returned as MP for Dunwich at a by-election on 29 January 1700 and followed up with a return unopposed at the first general election of 1701. He was blacklisted for opposing the preparations for war with France. On his return unopposed at the second general election of 1701, he was classed with the Tories and voted on 26 February 1702 for the vindication of the impeachment proceedings against William III's ministers. He was returned unopposed at the

1702 In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Wednesday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar. Events January–March * January 2 – A total solar eclipse is visible from the southern ...

election and was active in Parliament with local matters. He voted for the Tack on 28 November 1704. At the

1705 English general election The 1705 English general election saw contests in 110 United Kingdom constituencies, constituencies in England and Wales, roughly 41% of the total. The election was fiercely fought, with mob violence and cries of "Church in Danger" occurring in ...

he was again unopposed at Dunwich and voted against the Court candidate for Speaker on 25 October 1705. There was a contest at Dunwich at the

1708 British general election The 1708 British general election was the first general election to be held after the Acts of Union had united the Parliaments of England and Scotland. The election saw the Whigs gain a majority in the House of Commons, and by November the Whi ...

and he was elected in the poll but was unseated on petition on 5 February 1709. He did not stand for Parliament again. He was bailiff of Dunwich in 1708 and from 1711 to 1712, and probably a portman in 1709.

Death and legacy

Blois died on 9 April 1738 and was buried at

.Will of Sir Charles Blois, Bart. (P.C.C. 1738, Brodrepp quire). By his first wife Mary, he had three sons, of whom two predeceased him, and a daughter. He was succeeded in the baronetcy by his surviving son, Charles, later 3rd Baronet. By his second wife Anne, he had two sons (one of whom predeceased him) and a daughter Anne. The surviving son, Ralph, became the 4th Baronet.

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blois, Sir Charles, 1st Baronet 1657 births 1738 deaths Baronets in the Baronetage of England People from Suffolk Coastal (district) Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) for Ipswich Members of the Parliament of England for Dunwich Politics of Suffolk English MPs 1689–1690 English MPs 1690–1695 English MPs 1701 English MPs 1701–1702 English MPs 1702–1705 English MPs 1705–1707 British MPs 1707–1708 British MPs 1708–1710 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies