Sir Francis Blake (c.1737 – 22 May 1818) was a

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 ...

(1784), a major land owner of that county, and a political writer. He succeeded to the Baronetcy of Twizell Castle on the death of his father

Sir Francis Blake, 1st Baronet, of Twizell Castle 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 ...

in 1780. He inherited substantial Northumberland estates including

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 ...

, Tillmouth House,

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. ...

and

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 ...

, the latter being sold in 1807. He also purchased, in 1788, a estate at

Duddo Duddo is a village and civil parish in Northumberland, about southwest of Berwick-upon-Tweed. History Duddo Five Stones is a stone circle to the north of the village. It is a Scheduled Monument. Duddo Tower, south of the village, was ...

from John Clavering of

Callaly Castle Callaly Castle is a Grade I listed building and a substantial country house to the north of the village of Callaly, which is some to the west of Alnwick, Northumberland, England. It is situated near the site of a 12th-century motte castle an ...

for £1400 which his son sold in 1823 for £45000. His seat was initially at Fowberry and later at Tillmouth. Blake married Elizabeth née Douglas of

Broxbourne Broxbourne is a town and former civil parish, now in the unparished area of Hoddesdon, in the Broxbourne district, in Hertfordshire, England, north of London, with a population of 15,303 at the 2011 Census.Broxbourne Town population 2011 It is ...

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...

in 1772, and was succeeded by their eldest 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 ...

Works

*''The Efficacy of a Sinking Fund of one Million per annum Considered'', 1786 *''The Propriety of an Actual Payment of the Public Debt Considered'', 1786 *''The True Policy of Great Britain Considered'', 1787

References

*Gordon Goodwin
‘Blake, Sir Francis, second baronet (1736/7–1818)’
rev. Philip Carter, ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004 {{DEFAULTSORT:Blake, Francis, 2nd Baronet 1730s births 1818 deaths Baronets in the Baronetage of Great Britain English political writers High Sheriffs of Northumberland