Sir Francis Blake was a High Sheriff of Northumberland

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 most of the responsibilities associated with the post...

 (1784), a major land owner of that county, and a political writer.

He succeeded to the Baronetcy of Twizell Castle

Blake Baronets

There have been four Baronetcies for persons with the surname Blake, one in the Baronetage of Ireland, two in the Baronetage of Great Britain and one in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom...

 on the death of his father Sir Francis Blake, 1st Baronet, of Twizell Castle

Sir Francis Blake, 1st Baronet, of Twizell Castle

Sir Francis Blake was a Northumbrian landowner who was created 1st Baronet of Twizell in the Baronetage of Great Britain on 25 May 1774....

 in 1780.

He inherited substantial Northumberland estates including Twizell Castle

Twizell Castle

Twizell Castle 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 river. It is located south-west of Berwick Upon Tweed. The site is visible...

, Tillmouth House, Seghill

Seghill

Seghill is a small 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

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 remains of an original pele tower.In the late 16th...

, the latter being sold in 1807. He also purchased, in 1788, a 1600 acres (6.5 km²) estate at Duddo

Duddo

Duddo is a village in Northumberland situated about south west of Berwick on Tweed.- Landmarks :The ruinous remains of Duddo Tower occupy a prominence to the south of the village....

 from John Clavering of Callaly Castle

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...

 for £1400 which his son sold in 1823 for £45000.

His seat was at initially at Fowberry and later at Tillmouth.

Blake married Elizabeth née Douglas of Broxbourne

Broxbourne

Broxbourne is a commuter town in the Broxbourne borough of Hertfordshire in the East of England with a population of 13,298 in 2001.It is located 17.1 miles north north-east of Charing Cross in London and about a mile north of Wormley and south of Hoddesdon...

, Hertfordshire

Hertfordshire

Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...

 in 1772, and was succeeded by their eldest son Francis

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