Blake (Ardfry)

Family title

Lord Wallscourt

---

Estate(s)

Name	Description
Blake (Ardfry)	By patent dated 24 Feb 1681 the Blakes were granted almost 12,000 acres in counties Galway and Mayo, mainly in the baronies of Athenry, Dunkellin and in the barony of Kilmaine and 900 acres in county Meath. They later gained possession of lands at Wallscourt, in the barony of Leitrim, which had previously belonged to the Wall family. Lord Wallscourt held over 2800 acres in county Galway in the 1870s. In 1906 Lord Wallscourt held over 140 acres of untenanted demesne as well as the house at Ardfry.
Blake (Crumlin, Clooncon & Moorfield)	Descended from a younger son of the Blakes of Ardfry in the 17th century, the Blakes of Crumlin, parish of Abbeyknockmoy, barony of Tiaquin, county Galway, were originally granted their estate by the Cromwellian Commissioners. In the 1870s the estate amounted to 1,405 acres. By the early 1880s the family had become bankrupt and Crumlin was sold in the Land Court to Cecil Robert Henry of the Toghermore family, near Tuam in the early 1890s. Stephen Blake, a member of the Blakes of Crumlin, Clooncon and Moorfield, county Galway, held the two townlands of Clooncon East and West in the parish of Boyounagh, barony of Ballymoe, in the mid 1850s. In 1856 he was advertising the sale of these lands amounting to 1,426 acres. Almost half of the estate was readvertised in 1859.
Blake (Castlegrove)	By his will (1612) Robert Blake of Ardfry left the lands of Castlegrove or Fartigare as they were originally known, in the barony of Dunmore, county Galway, to his seventh son, Andrew Blake. In the mid 18th century Dominick Blake of Castlegrove married Frances, daughter of Nicholas, 5th Viscount Netterville, as his first wife. Their second son founded the Blake family of Newborough. The Blakes of Canada are descended from Dominick Blake's second marriage. Castlegrove, an estate of over 2,300 acres belonging to Edward Blake, was advertised for sale in November 1852 and bought by John W. Cannon. Edward Blake still held land in the parishes of Killererin, Dunmore and Tuam at the time of Griffith's Valuation. An Edward Blake of Belgium owned 924 acres in county Galway and 1698 acres in county Roscommon in the 1870s. Netterville Blake of Newborough, parish of Kilbennan, barony of Dunmore, county Galway, second son of Dominick Blake of Castlegrove, had a large family of 14 children. His third son Arthur Netterville Blake lived at Kilcloghan House, north of Tuam and held the 93 acres of the townland of Mount Potter in fee, presumably having bought it from Jeremiah Tully in the Encumbered Estates' Court in 1850. Martin Blake writes that Arthur's younger brother James Netterville Blake, a doctor, lived at Newborough. The Blakes held Newborough from Patrick Crean Lynch. Lands at Lisnanny and Ballyroe, barony of Dunmore, amounting to 656 acres and 218 at Burris, barony of Clanmorris in county Mayo were advertised for sale by the trustees of Margaret Blake widow of James Netterville Blake in 1851.