Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

Francis Blake Delaval (bapt. 27 December 1692 – 9 December 1752) was a

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

officer and Member of Parliament.

Early life

He was the son of Edward Delaval (related to the Delaval baronets) and his wife Mary, daughter of Sir Francis Blake of

Cogges Cogges is an area beside the River Windrush in Witney, in the West Oxfordshire district, in Oxfordshire, England, east of the town centre. It had been a separate village and until 1932 it was a separate civil parish. History The former villag ...

(related to the

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. Two of the creations are extant as of 2010. The Blake ...

). He inherited

Seaton Delaval Hall Seaton Delaval Hall is a Grade I listed building, Grade I listed country house in Northumberland, England, near the coast just north of Newcastle upon Tyne. Located between Seaton Sluice and Seaton Delaval, it was designed by Sir John Vanbrugh i ...

from his uncle Admiral George Delaval, and Ford Castle from his mother's family.George Edward Cokayne, editor, ''The Complete Baronetage, 5 volumes (no date ()''; reprint,

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...

Alan Sutton Publishing The History Press is a British publishing company specialising in the publication of titles devoted to local and specialist history. It claims to be the United Kingdom's largest independent publisher in this field, publishing approximately 300 ...

, 1983), volume III, page 57.

Career

Delaval began his career in the

in . He retired, on half pay, as a Lieutenant in 1715; but was made Captain in 1719. He represented

Northumberland Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England, on the Anglo-Scottish border, border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumb ...

in Parliament from 1716 to 1722. From 1729 to 1730, he was

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 ...

Personal life

In August 1724 he married Rhoda Apreece, heiress of

Doddington Hall, Lincolnshire Doddington Hall is, from the outside, an Elizabethan prodigy house or mansion complete with walled courtyards and a gabled gatehouse. Inside it was largely updated in the 1760s. It is located in the village of Doddington, to the west of the ci ...

who was the daughter of Robert Apreece and Sarah ( Hussey) Apreece. Together, they had eleven children, including: * Rhoda Delaval (1725–1757), who married

Sir Edward Astley, 4th Baronet Sir Edward Astley, 4th Baronet (baptised 26 December 1729 – 27 March 1802) was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1768 to 1790. Early life and career He was the oldest son of Sir Jacob Astley, 3rd Baronet and his seco ...

Melton Constable Melton Constable is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the North Norfolk district of the county of Norfolk, England. It covers an area of and had a population of 518 in 225 households at the United Kingdom Census 2001, 200 ...

. * Sir Francis Blake Delaval (1727–1771), who married Lady Nassau Powlett ( Lady Isabella Tufton), a daughter of

Thomas Tufton, 6th Earl of Thanet Thomas Tufton, 6th Earl of Thanet, PC (30 August 1644 – 30 July 1729)G. E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden, editors. The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, G ...

and widow of

Lord Nassau Powlett Lord Nassau Powlett (23 June 1698 – 24 August 1741) was an English army officer and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1720 to 1734 and in 1741. Early life Powlett was the only son of Charles Powlett, 2nd Duke of Bolton by his ...

, but died without legitimate issue. *

John Hussey Delaval, 1st Baron Delaval John Hussey Delaval, 1st Baron Delaval (17 March 1728 – 17 May 1808), known as Sir John Delaval, Bt, between 1761 and 1783, was an English landowner and politician. Background and education Delaval was the son of Francis Blake Delaval (1692 ...

(1728–1808), who married twice but his only son predeceased him. * Edward Hussey Delaval (1729–1814), who married Sarah Scott, daughter of George Scott of Methley. * Anne Hussey Delaval (1737–1812), who married, as his third wife, William Stanhope, MP for

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshir ...

, in 1759. * Sarah Delaval (1742–1821), who married John Savile, 1st Earl of Mexborough in 1760. * Charlotte Sophia Blake Delaval (d. 1823), who married

Sir Robert Smyth, 5th Baronet Sir Robert Smyth, 5th Baronet (10 January 1744 – 12 April 1802) was a British politician and revolutionary who sat in the House of Commons between 1774 and 1790. Smyth was the son of Rev. Robert Smyth, vicar of Woolavington, Sussex, and his wi ...

in 1776. On 9 December 1752, Captain Delaval fell down the steps of the South Portico of Seaton Delaval Hall, and died of his injuries. His uncle, George Delaval, from whom he inherited the Hall, also died from a fall on the estate; he fell from his horse.

Descendants

Through his son Edward, he was a grandfather of Sarah Hussey (née Delaval) Gunman, who inherited Doddington Hall. Through his daughter Rhoda, he was a grandfather of Jacob Astley, through whom Seaton Delaval passed to the Astley family (later

Baron Hastings Baron Hastings is a title that has been created three times. The first creation was in the Peerage of England in 1290, and is extant. The second creation was in the Peerage of England in 1299, and became extinct on the death of the first holder in ...

). Through his daughter Sarah, he was a grandfather of John Savile, 2nd Earl of Mexborough.

References

External links

*
Francis Delaval
via the History of Parliament Online {{DEFAULTSORT:Delaval, Francis Blake 1692 births 1752 deaths English politicians Royal Navy captains Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1715–1722 People from Seaton Delaval Military personnel from Northumberland