Joseph Blake (Governor)

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Joseph Blake (baptized April 26, 1663 in Bridgwater , Somerset , England ; † September 7, 1700 in the Province of Carolina ) was an English governor of the southern part of the Province of Carolina, today's US state South Carolina .

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Joseph Blake was a nephew of Admiral Robert Blake . His parents were Benjamin Blake and Elizabeth Wilson. His baptism is recorded on April 26, 1663 in the Bridgewater, Somerset baptismal register. This county was a stronghold of religiously motivated deviants from the Church of England in the second half of the 17th century . Many of them had to emigrate to the English colonies in America under pressure from the state. This group included Joseph Blake, who moved to the Province of Carolina in 1683. In 1689 he was already active in colonial politics. He was temporarily a member of the colony's Grand Council. After Thomas Smith's death , he was appointed to his successor as colonial governor in November 1694. He held this office until August 17, 1695. Around this time he also acquired larger lands. In August 1695, John Archdale , referred to in the sources as his uncle or cousin, was appointed his successor. His brief tenure lasted only until October 29, 1696. After that, Joseph Blake was given back the governorship, which he exercised in the following years until his death on September 7, 1700. This time was determined by internal tensions, including religious ones. Among other things, it was about the Indian trade and the equality of the Huguenots in the colony. The English Navigation Act of 1696 was also a matter of dispute. The governor has since been attacked and portrayed as corrupt. He was also said to cooperate with the pirates. A corresponding report was sent to London. This was one of the reasons for the division of the Province of Carolina into two independent colonies (North and South Carolina) and their direct subordination to the British Crown in 1710/12. But that was long after Blake's death. Despite the hostility, he kept his office until his death.

John Blake has been married twice. His first wife, Deborah Morton, was the daughter of former colonial governor Joseph Morton , who had been a judge of the Admiralty since 1697. His second wife was Elizabeth Axtell.

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personal data
SURNAME Blake, Joseph
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English politician; Governor of the Province of Carolina
DATE OF BIRTH baptized April 26, 1663
PLACE OF BIRTH Bridgwater , Somerset , England
DATE OF DEATH September 7, 1700
Place of death Province of Carolina