Sir Francis Blake, 3rd Baronet, of Twizell Castle facts for kids

Sir Francis Blake, 3rd Baronet (born around 1774 – died 10 September 1860) was an important person from Northumberland, England. He owned a lot of land, was a politician, and held a special title called a baronet. A baronet is like a knight, but the title can be passed down in the family.

Early Life and Family

Francis Blake was born in a place called Heston. His father was also named Sir Francis Blake, who was the 2nd Baronet. His mother was the daughter of Alexander Douglas. When his father passed away in 1818, Francis Blake became the 3rd Baronet.

His Public Roles

Sir Francis Blake had a career in both the military and politics.

Military Service

In 1794, he became a captain in the Northumberland Militia. The Militia was a group of citizens who trained to defend their local area. A year later, in 1795, he was made a colonel in the Northumberland Fencibles. The Fencibles were similar to the Militia but could be sent to other parts of the country for defense.

Political Career

Sir Francis Blake became a Member of Parliament (MP) in 1820. An MP is a person elected to represent their area in the British House of Commons, which is a part of the UK government. He represented the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed. He served as an MP until 1826. He was then re-elected for the same area in 1827 and continued to be an MP until 1834.

Land Ownership

Sir Francis Blake owned several large properties in Northumberland. These included Twizell Castle, Tillmouth House, Seghill, and Duddo. In 1823, he sold the Duddo estate.

Later Life and Legacy

In 1827, Sir Francis Blake married Jane, who was the daughter of William Neale. However, they did not have any children who could legally inherit his baronet title. Because of this, when Sir Francis Blake died on 10 September 1860, his baronetcy title ended.

He did have a son named Frederick Blake (1835–1909), but this son could not inherit the title. Sir Francis Blake made sure that Frederick received property at Seghill during his lifetime. He also left money to Helen, who was the widow of his brother, Robert Dudley Blake.

The main person who received things from Sir Francis Blake's will was Captain Francis Blake (1832–1861). Captain Francis Blake's son, Francis Douglas Blake, later became a baronet himself in 1907. After Helen Blake passed away, the family bought back Seghill Park from the government.