Blackett family

Notes:

The Blackett family were by the early 17th century minor gentry in the area of Bishop Auckland. They emerged as wealthy Newcastle merchants and coal and lead mine owners in the later 17th century through the work of (Sir) William Blackett, 1621-80, and his brother, Edward; they were general merchants from the 1640s, trading in particular with the Baltic, and belonged to the trading companies and combines that dominated trade in the North East including the Company of Hostmen and the Newcastle Company of Merchant Adventurers. Accumulated substantial coal and lead extraction assets and associated smelting and trading interests. William Blackett's assets were inherited by his three eldest sons, notably Sir Edward, 1649-1718, and Sir William, 1657-1705, and were further developed by them. Wylam Colliery, near Newcastle, was to become a major family asset. The Blacketts were also prominent in local politics. They accumulated very large estates and owned great houses, including Newby Hall, near Ripon, Yorkshire, and Matfen Hall, Northumberland. Later on, Christopher Blackett, 1751-1829, was important in managing the family's coal and lead assets [2024]