Sir Valentine Blake, 1st Baronet
Sir Valentine Blake was an Irish merchant and Mayor of Galway, 15602 January 1635. Biography. The eldest of three sons of Walter Blake and Juliana Browne, Blake was described as the richest man in Galway in 1592. He owned extensive property in the counties of Galway, Mayo and Clare, some of which was inherited, but mainly acquired himself by mortgage. This included the monastery of Knockmoy. He resided in the town of Galway, or at Menlo Castle, located on the east bank of the Corrib some four miles north of the town. He appears to  have been the first Blake mentioned as living there (it was destroyed by accidental fire in 1910, killing one of his descendants). Blake was elected Sheriff of Mayo in 1611 but refused to take the Oath of Supremacy and was dismissed. He was elected to the Irish House of Commons as MP for Galway in 1613. He was knighted on 29 November 1622. His younger brother was James "Spanish" Blake (died 1635). He is the ancestor of the Blake baronets of Menlo.