Newcastle Courant - Friday, 22 July 1853
JOHN BLAKE, AUCTIONEER & APPRAISER, HEXHAM
"Returns his most sincere thanks to his friends and the public generally, for the liberal support he has received during the seventeen years he has been in the above business, more especially for the last four years of that period, during which he has extended his business from Alston to Coquet Head, and hopes, through strict attention and perseverance, still to merit a greater share of public patronage"
So, he was looking forward to the future with confidence.
On 19 August the Newcastle Courant included an item "John Blake, Auctioneer, Hexham, respectfully announces he will hold his Third Quarter sale on 23rd August ......"
The death of a "John Blake, Hexham" was recorded for the Sep Qtr 1853 (Jul-Sep). John died sometime between 19 Aug and 30 Sept 1853?
In early 1854 William Blake announced in the Newcastle Courant he "had taken out the License as an AUCTIONEER AND APPRAISER to succeed his father, the late John Blake, in the business"
regards