William Blakeney

Biography

Lieutenant-General William Blakeney, 1st Baron Blakeney, KB (7 September 1672 – 20 September 1761) was a British army officer and politician who served from 1695 until 1756. From 1725 to 1757, he also sat in the Parliament of Ireland as MP for Kilmallock, although he rarely attended. A tough, reliable and courageous soldier, Blakeney was also known for his innovative approach to weapons drill and training. One of the few officers to bolster their reputation during the Jacobite rising of 1745, he was rewarded by being appointed Lieutenant-Governor of the British-held island of Menorca in 1748. When the Seven Years' War began in April 1756, the French occupied most of the island, although Blakeney and the garrison of Fort St. Philip held out for 70 days. Admiral John Byng was later court-martialled and shot for failing to relieve him, but Blakeney was made a baron in recognition of his resolute defence. Now over eighty years old, this ended his military career, and he retired to his home in County Limerick, where he died in September 1761 and later buried in Westminster Abbey. He never married, and the title became extinct on his death.

Bio from Wikipedia