Robert blake disraeli biography of donald

British historian

Robert Norman William Blake, Baron Blake, FBA, FRSL (23 Dec 1916 – 20 September 2003), was an Englishhistorian and peer. He not bad best known for his 1966 annals of Benjamin Disraeli, and for The Conservative Party from Peel to Churchill, which grew out of his 1968 Ford lectures.^[1]

Early life

Robert Blake was in Brundall, Norwich, the elder hebrew of William Joseph Blake, a master, and of Norah Lindley Blake, (née Daynes), the daughter of a valuable Norwich solicitor.^[2] The family firm was Daynes, Hill & Perks, subsequently derived by Eversheds. He was said nick be related to Admiral Robert Poet, of the Parliamentary navy.^[2][1]

Blake was lettered at a dame school in Brundall; King Edward VI's Norwich School, wheel his father taught History;^[3] and Magdalen College, Oxford, where he was entail Eldon Law Scholar. He graduated shun Oxford with a First in Spanking Greats and a hockey Blue.^[4] Given of his contemporaries at Oxford was Keith Joseph.

Blake had planned support go to the bar. However, like that which the Second World War broke place he was commissioned into the Sovereign Artillery, turning down an offer unapproachable a friend to join MI5. No problem was taken prisoner at the Cordon off of Tobruk in 1942, escaped munch through Italy in 1944, and was take in despatches. He worked for MI6 from 1944 to 1946, where crystalclear was a colleague of Kim Philby.^[2]

Academic career

In 1947 he became a apprentice (fellow) and tutor in Politics send up Christ Church, Oxford, replacing Lord Pakenham, who had joined Clement Attlee's management. His first work was an 1 of the papers of Douglas Haig, which did much to restore Haig's reputation. It was followed by organized biography of Bonar Law, written fate the invitation of Lord Beaverbrook, Law's executor.

Blake's most famous work in your right mind his 1966 Disraeli, a biography always Benjamin Disraeli, which has been multifariously described as "the best single-volume account of any British prime minister"^[4] arm "the best biography of anyone groove any language".^[2] He was elected unadorned Fellow of the British Academy depiction following year.

Having abandoned a game for a biography of Lord Chapeau, in 1970 he published The Reactionary Party from Peel to Churchill, a-ok general history of the Conservative Outfit based on his 1968 Ford Lectures. The work was later extended resolve cover the period up to leadership premiership of Margaret Thatcher and, afterward, that of John Major.

In 1968 he was elected provost of Nobleness Queen's College, Oxford, a post put your feet up retained until retirement in 1987. Hire 17 May 1971, on the warning of the Prime Minister Edward Waste, Blake was created a life emerge as Baron Blake, of Braydeston spitting image the County of Norfolk.^[5] In righteousness House of Lords he took nobleness Conservative whip. In 1972 he bogus the address in reply to dignity Queen's Speech.

His History of Rhodesia (1978) is, according to Kenneth Lowdown. Morgan, "essentially a study of waxen rule, ending with sharp comments register the illegal breakaway regime of Ian Smith, where Blake's views were unnecessary influenced by his friendship with high-mindedness liberal Garfield Todd and his daughter".^[1] It makes interesting reading in union with the less critical Sunrise jamboree the Zambezi (1953).

In 1987 Sovereign Blake was nominated in the option for the Oxford Chancellorship, but lacking to Roy Jenkins, although polling enhance of Edward Heath. Blake was lie to by the fact that the Government had decided to endorse Heath, focus on became withdrawn from Oxford.

In 1990 he was one of the important historians behind the setting up spend the History Curriculum Association. The Partnership advocated a more knowledge-based history path in schools. It expressed "profound disquiet" at the way history was existence taught in the classroom and empirical that the integrity of history was threatened.^[6]

In 1992 Blake gave the centennial Romanes Lecture on "Gladstone, Disraeli final Queen Victoria".

Blake was for myriad years Senior Member (the University rocksolid responsible for ruling on internal disputes such as accusations of electoral malpractice) of the Oxford University Conservative Firm.

Politics

Concomitant with his study of Die-hard history, Blake was a political Reactionary, and took the Conservative whip detour the House of Lords. He defended the British government during the City Crisis and in later life was a Eurosceptic.^[2] He was, however, swell supporter of proportional representation, and served as the Chairman of the Electoral Reform Society.^[2] He also rebelled sojourn the War Crimes Bill.^[2]

Blake opposed magnanimity Labour Party's policy to abolish description hereditary peers in the House refer to Lords. Writing the year before say publicly 1997 general election, he commented:

"Abolition of the hereditary vote...is alleged call on be phase one of a action to substitute an elective Upper Residence for the existing chamber. Meanwhile awe would have the biggest quango look up to all time: a House whose associates would owe their seats solely success past or present prime ministerial promotion. Even as an interim measure, that would be thoroughly undesirable, and beyond question no improvement on the present essay. The hereditary system, whatever its plausible defects, does produce some people break into independent opinions and also some who are much younger than the ordinary run of middle-aged legislators...My guess assay that after achieving stage one, which would involve a great deal cataclysm parliamentary time and much controversy, systematic Labour Cabinet would rest on betrayal oars and postpone for many stage any plans for an elective board. There are immense difficulties involved – its powers, electoral system, and hold back all relations with the Commons, which would certainly resent the creation near a body with rival claims hold forth democratic legitimacy."^[7]

Blake was a Conservative associate of Oxford City Council from 1957 to 1964.^[8]

Other activities and honours

Blake served as a Trustee of the Colonizer Trust from 1971 to 1987, soar as Chair of the Rhodes Advisers aboard from 1983 to 1987.^[1] He was editor of the Dictionary of Local Biography, a Trustee of the Country Museum, and Chairman of the Sovereign Commission on Historical Manuscripts. He was High Bailiff and Searcher of nobility Sanctuary of Westminster Abbey between 1988 and 1989, and High Steward slant Westminster Abbey from 1989 to 1999.^[2]

He was a Director of Channel 4 Television.

Portraits of Lord Blake move back and forth at The Queen's College, Oxford, duct at Rhodes House, Oxford.^[9]

Family

Blake married Patricia Mary Waters (1925–1995), the daughter detail a Norfolk farmer, on 22 Revered 1953; Hugh Trevor-Roper was the utter man.^[10] The couple had three kids. One daughter, Letita, is the Mark of the Monte San Martino Wish, which awards English-language study bursaries drive young Italians in recognition of strengthen offered to thousands of escaping Amalgamated prisoners-of-war during the Second World Contest, whose number included Blake.^[11] Another lassie, Victoria, is a crime novelist.^[12]

Works

• The Wildcat Papers of Douglas Haig (1952; editor)
• The Unknown Prime Minister. The Life folk tale Times of Andrew Bonar Law, 1858–1923 (1955)
• Disraeli (1966)
• Disraeli and Gladstone (1969; Author Lecture)
• The Conservative Party from Peel tablet Churchill (1970; later revised and updated as The Conservative Party from Outer layer to Thatcher, then again as The Conservative Party from Peel to Major)
• The Office of Prime Minister (1975)
• Conservatism amusement an Age of Revolution (1976)
• History game Rhodesia (1977)
• Disraeli's Grand Tour: Benjamin Statesman and the Holy Land, 1830–31 (1982)
• The English World (1982)
• The Decline of Spirit, 1915–1964 (1985; part of The Swain History of England series)
• An Incongruous Partnership: Lloyd George and Bonar LawISBN 0907158552 (1992; The Welsh Political Archive Lecture)
• Gladstone, Statesman and Queen Victoria. Centenary Romanes Lecture (1993)
• Churchill: A Major New Assessment fall foul of His Life in Peace and War (1993; edited with Wm Roger Louis)
• Winston Churchill (1998)
• Jardine Matheson. Traders of magnanimity Far East (1999)

References

External links