British Naval Officer. He received recognition as a 17th-century as the Admiral at Sea and Chief Founder of England's Naval Supremacy. He was a Member of Parliament for his hometown, and joined the Parliamentary side as the English Civil War started. He served under Oliver Cornell in the English Civil War and the Anglo-Spanish War. He fought at four sieges in the West Country and, at the end of the Civil War, was appointed General At Sea. His first major exploit was to chase Prince Rupert's Fleet from Ireland to the Portuguese coast, where he virtually demolished the Royalist warships. He also captured the Scilly Isles, the last Royalist outpost in the country, and was made a member of the Council of State. When the first Anglo-Dutch War started, Blake was defeated at the Battle Of Goodwin Sands but rallied and finally defeated the Dutch forces. He later fought valiantly in the Anglo-Spanish War but died of old injuries as his ship returned to Britain. His viscera were buried in Plymouth, the rest of his remains returned to London and interred in Westminster Abbey. When Charles II was restored to the throne three years later, the bodies of Blake and many other Parliamentarians were "ejected from their graves in the Abbey" and reburied in nearby Saint Margaret's church in September of 1661. Recognized as a naval hero, a huge bronze monument statue of him was erected in 1900 near the corn market at Bridgewater in Somerset. In 1986 the statue was relocated to downtown on Cornhill Street.
British Naval Officer. He received recognition as a 17th-century as the Admiral at Sea and Chief Founder of England's Naval Supremacy. He was a Member of Parliament for his hometown, and joined the Parliamentary side as the English Civil War started. He served under Oliver Cornell in the English Civil War and the Anglo-Spanish War. He fought at four sieges in the West Country and, at the end of the Civil War, was appointed General At Sea. His first major exploit was to chase Prince Rupert's Fleet from Ireland to the Portuguese coast, where he virtually demolished the Royalist warships. He also captured the Scilly Isles, the last Royalist outpost in the country, and was made a member of the Council of State. When the first Anglo-Dutch War started, Blake was defeated at the Battle Of Goodwin Sands but rallied and finally defeated the Dutch forces. He later fought valiantly in the Anglo-Spanish War but died of old injuries as his ship returned to Britain. His viscera were buried in Plymouth, the rest of his remains returned to London and interred in Westminster Abbey. When Charles II was restored to the throne three years later, the bodies of Blake and many other Parliamentarians were "ejected from their graves in the Abbey" and reburied in nearby Saint Margaret's church in September of 1661. Recognized as a naval hero, a huge bronze monument statue of him was erected in 1900 near the corn market at Bridgewater in Somerset. In 1986 the statue was relocated to downtown on Cornhill Street.
Bio by: Lori Huey Hebert
Advertisement
See more Blake memorials in:
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
