Robert Norman William Blake, Baron Blake, (23 December 1916 – 20 September 2003), was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...

and peer. He is best known for his 1966 biography of Benjamin Disraeli, and for ''The Conservative Party from Peel to Churchill'', which grew out of his 1968

Ford lectures The Ford Lectures, technically the James Ford Lectures in British History, are an annual series of public lectures held at the University of Oxford on the subject of English or British history. They are usually devoted to a particular historical ...

Early life

Robert Blake was born in

Brundall Brundall is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is located on the north bank of the River Yare opposite Surlingham Broad and about 7 miles (11 km) east of the city of Norwich. History Brundall's name is of Anglo- ...

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...

, the elder son of William Joseph Blake, a schoolmaster, and of Norah Lindley Blake, (''née'' Daynes), the daughter of a leading Norwich solicitor. The family firm was Daynes, Hill & Perks, subsequently acquired by

Eversheds Eversheds Sutherland is a global multinational law practice created by a combination of law firms Eversheds LLP and Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP, in February 2017, and is one of the 50 largest law practices in the world. History 1988 to 20 ...

. He was said to be related to Admiral

Robert Blake Robert Blake may refer to: Sportspeople * Bob Blake (American football) (1885–1962), American football player * Robbie Blake (born 1976), English footballer * Bob Blake (ice hockey) (1914–2008), American ice hockey player * Rob Blake (born 196 ...

, of the

Parliamentary A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democratic governance of a state (or subordinate entity) where the executive derives its democratic legitimacy from its ability to command the support ("confidence") of the ...

navy. Blake was educated at a

dame school Dame schools were small, privately run schools for young children that emerged in the British Isles and its colonies during the early modern period. These schools were taught by a “school dame,” a local woman who would educate children f ...

in Brundall, King Edward VI's

Norwich School Norwich School (formally King Edward VI Grammar School, Norwich) is a selective English independent day school in the close of Norwich Cathedral, Norwich. Among the oldest schools in the United Kingdom, it has a traceable history to 1096 as a ...

, where his father taught History, and Magdalen College, Oxford, where he was an Eldon Law Scholar. He graduated from Oxford with a First in Modern Greats and a hockey

Blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when ...

. One of his contemporaries at Oxford was Keith Joseph. Blake had planned to go to the bar. However, when the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

broke out he was commissioned into the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

, turning down an offer from a friend to join

MI5 The Security Service, also known as MI5 ( Military Intelligence, Section 5), is the United Kingdom's domestic counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), G ...

. He was taken prisoner in

Tobruk Tobruk or Tobruck (; grc, Ἀντίπυργος, ''Antipyrgos''; la, Antipyrgus; it, Tobruch; ar, طبرق, Tubruq ''Ṭubruq''; also transliterated as ''Tobruch'' and ''Tubruk'') is a port city on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near ...

in 1942, escaped from Italy in 1944, and was mentioned in despatches. He worked for

MI6 The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), commonly known as MI6 ( Military Intelligence, Section 6), is the foreign intelligence service of the United Kingdom, tasked mainly with the covert overseas collection and analysis of human intelligenc ...

from 1944 to 1946, where he was a colleague of

Kim Philby Harold Adrian Russell "Kim" Philby (1 January 191211 May 1988) was a British intelligence officer and a double agent for the Soviet Union. In 1963 he was revealed to be a member of the Cambridge Five, a spy ring which had divulged British secr ...

Academic career

In 1947 he became a student (fellow) and tutor in Politics at Christ Church, Oxford, replacing

Lord Pakenham Francis Aungier Pakenham, 7th Earl of Longford, 1st Baron Pakenham, Baron Pakenham of Cowley, (5 December 1905 – 3 August 2001), known to his family as Frank Longford and styled Lord Pakenham from 1945 to 1961, was a British politician and ...

, who had joined Clement Attlee's government. His first work was an edition of the papers of

Douglas Haig Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig, (; 19 June 1861 – 29 January 1928) was a senior officer of the British Army. During the First World War, he commanded the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on the Western Front from late 1915 until ...

, which did much to restore Haig's reputation. It was followed by a biography of Bonar Law, written at the invitation of Lord Beaverbrook, Law's executor. Blake's most famous work is his 1966 ''Disraeli'', a biography of Benjamin Disraeli, which has been variously described as "the best single-volume biography of any British prime minister" and "the best biography of anyone in any language". He was elected a Fellow of the British Academy the following year. Having abandoned a project for a biography of Lord Derby, in 1970 he published ''The Conservative Party from Peel to Churchill'', a general history of the Conservative Party based on his 1968

Ford Lectures The Ford Lectures, technically the James Ford Lectures in British History, are an annual series of public lectures held at the University of Oxford on the subject of English or British history. They are usually devoted to a particular historical ...

. The work was later extended to cover the period up to the premiership of

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the first female British prime ...

and, later, that of John Major. In 1968 he was elected provost of

The Queen's College, Oxford The Queen's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, England. The college was founded in 1341 by Robert de Eglesfield in honour of Philippa of Hainault. It is distinguished by its predominantly neoclassical architecture, ...

, a post he retained until retirement in 1987. On 17 May 1971, on the recommendation of

Edward Heath Sir Edward Richard George Heath (9 July 191617 July 2005), often known as Ted Heath, was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1974 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1965 to 1975. Heath a ...

, Blake was created a life peer as Baron Blake, of Braydeston in the

County of Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies no ...

. In the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...

he took the Conservative whip. In 1972 he moved the address in reply to the Queen's Speech. His ''History of Rhodesia'' (1978) is, according to

Kenneth O. Morgan Kenneth Owen Morgan, Baron Morgan, (born 16 May 1934) is a Welsh historian and author, known especially for his writings on modern British history and politics and on Welsh history. He is a regular reviewer and broadcaster on radio and televisi ...

, "essentially a study of white rule, ending with sharp comments on the illegal breakaway regime of Ian Smith, where Blake's views were much influenced by his friendship with the liberal Garfield Todd and his daughter". It makes interesting reading in conjunction with the less critical ''Sunrise on the Zambezi'' (1953). In 1987 Lord Blake was nominated in the election for the Oxford Chancellorship, but lost to Roy Jenkins, although polling ahead of former Conservative Prime Minister

. Blake was hurt by the fact that the Cabinet had decided to endorse Heath, and became withdrawn from Oxford. In 1990 he was one of the leading historians behind the setting up of the History Curriculum Association. The Association advocated a more knowledge-based history curriculum in schools. It expressed "profound disquiet" at the way history was being taught in the classroom and observed that the integrity of history was threatened. In 1992 Blake gave the centenary

Romanes Lecture The Romanes Lecture is a prestigious free public lecture given annually at the Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford, England. The lecture series was founded by, and named after, the biologist George Romanes, and has been running since 1892. Over the year ...

on "Gladstone, Disraeli and Queen Victoria". Blake was for many years Senior Member (the University don responsible for ruling on internal disputes such as accusations of electoral malpractice) of the

Oxford University Conservative Association The Oxford University Conservative Association (OUCA) is a student Conservative association founded in 1924, whose members are drawn from the University of Oxford. Since October 2009, OUCA has been affiliated to Conservative Future and its su ...

Politics

Concomitant with his study of Conservative history, Blake was a political Conservative, and took the Conservative whip in the House of Lords. He defended the British government during the Suez Crisis and in later life was a Eurosceptic. He was, however, a supporter of

proportional representation Proportional representation (PR) refers to a type of electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to geographical (e.g. states, regions) and political divis ...

, and served as the Chairman of the

Electoral Reform Society The Electoral Reform Society (ERS) is an independent campaigning organisation based in the United Kingdom which promotes electoral reform. It seeks to replace first-past-the-post voting with proportional representation, advocating the single t ...

. He also rebelled over the War Crimes Bill. Blake opposed the Labour Party's policy to abolish the hereditary peers in the House of Lords. Writing the year before the 1997 general election, he commented:

"Abolition of the hereditary vote...is alleged to be phase one of a policy to substitute an elective Upper House for the existing chamber. Meanwhile we would have the biggest quango of all time: a House whose members would owe their seats solely to past or present prime ministerial patronage. Even as an interim measure, this would be thoroughly undesirable, and certainly no improvement on the present composition. The hereditary system, whatever its logical defects, does produce some people of independent opinions and also some who are much younger than the normal run of middle-aged legislators...My guess is that after achieving stage one, which would involve a great deal of parliamentary time and much controversy, a Labour Cabinet would rest on its oars and postpone for many years any plans for an elective chamber. There are immense difficulties involved – its powers, electoral system, and above all relations with the Commons, which would certainly resent the creation of a body with rival claims to democratic legitimacy."

Blake was a Conservative member of

Oxford City Council Oxford City Council is the lower-tier local government authority for the city of Oxford in England, providing such services as leisure centres and parking. Social Services, Education and Highways services (amongst others) are provided by Oxfor ...

from 1957 to 1964.

Other activities and honours

Lord Blake served as a Trustee of the

Rhodes Trust Rhodes House is a building part of the University of Oxford in England. It is located on South Parks Road in central Oxford, and was built in memory of Cecil Rhodes, an alumnus of the university and a major benefactor. It is listed Grade II* ...

from 1971 to 1987, and as Chair of the Rhodes Trustees from 1983 to 1987. He was editor of the '' Dictionary of National Biography'', a Trustee of the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

, and Chairman of the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts. He was High Bailiff and Searcher of the Sanctuary of

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the Unite ...

between 1988 and 1989, and

High Steward of Westminster Abbey The High Steward of Westminster Abbey is an honorary role at Westminster Abbey, London. He is appointed by the Dean and Chapter, and holds the office for life. Past holders have included Robert Cecil (in the 16th century) and Douglas Hurd (fl. ...

from 1989 to 1999. Blake was a Director of

Channel 4 Television Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

. Portraits of Lord Blake hang at

and at

Rhodes House Rhodes House is a building part of the University of Oxford in England. It is located on South Parks Road in central Oxford, and was built in memory of Cecil Rhodes, an alumnus of the university and a major benefactor. It is listed Grade II* on ...

, Oxford.

Family

Blake married Patricia Mary Waters (1925–1995), the daughter of a Norfolk farmer, on 22 August 1953;

Hugh Trevor-Roper Hugh Redwald Trevor-Roper, Baron Dacre of Glanton (15 January 1914 – 26 January 2003) was an English historian. He was Regius Professor of Modern History at the University of Oxford. Trevor-Roper was a polemicist and essayist on a range of ...

was the best man. They had three daughters. One daughter, Letita, is the Secretary of the Monte San Martino Trust, which awards English-language study bursaries to young Italians in recognition of assistance offered to thousands of escaping Allied

prisoners-of-war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...

during the

, such as Blake. Another daughter, Victoria, is a crime novelist.

Works

*''The Private Papers of Douglas Haig'' (1952) (Editor) *''The Unknown Prime Minister. The Life and Times of Andrew Bonar Law, 1858–1923'' (1955). *''Disraeli'' (1966). *''Disraeli and Gladstone'' (1969) (Stephen Lecture). *''The Conservative Party from Peel to Churchill'' (1970) (later revised and updated as ''The Conservative Party from Peel to Thatcher'', then again as ''The Conservative Party from Peel to Major''). *''The Office of Prime Minister'' (1975). *''Conservatism in an Age of Revolution'' (1976). *''History of Rhodesia'' (1977). *''Disraeli's Grand Tour: Benjamin Disraeli and the Holy Land, 1830–31'' (1982). *''The English World'' (1982) *''The Decline of Power, 1915–1964'' (1985) (part of ''The Paladin History of England'' series). *''An Incongruous Partnership: Lloyd George and Bonar Law'' (1992) (The Welsh Political Archive Lecture). *''Gladstone, Disraeli and Queen Victoria. Centenary Romanes Lecture'' (1993). *''Churchill: A Major New Assessment of His Life in Peace and War'' (1993) (edited with Wm Roger Louis). *''Winston Churchill'' (1998). *''Jardine Matheson. Traders of the Far East'' (1999).

References

External links

"Lord Blake"
Fellows Remembered, The Royal Society of Literature
Parliamentary Archives, Papers of Robert Norman William Blake (1916-2003), Baron Blake of Braydeston
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Blake, Robert 1916 births 2003 deaths Conservative Party (UK) life peers Royal Artillery officers Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford Fellows of Christ Church, Oxford People educated at Norwich School British Army personnel of World War II 20th-century English historians Fellows of the British Academy Provosts of The Queen's College, Oxford British biographers People from Brundall Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature English justices of the peace British World War II prisoners of war World War II prisoners of war held by Italy Escapees from Italian detention Life peers created by Elizabeth II Military personnel from Norfolk