The original Welsh spelling of Blake was Aplake, meaning "the family on or by the lake." Other Gaelic Welsh spellings were Mcplake, MacPlake, and A'Plake. The Celtic spelling was O'Plake. Eventually, the spelling of A'Plake changed to Blaake, and finally to Blake. The prefixes Ap and O' means "from son of.." The Blake's of Galway, Ireland, were one of the fourteen Tribes of Galway.

Richard Cadel, a feudatory of the Earl of Ulster and Lord of Connaught, Richard De Burgh, migrated to Galway from Wales before the year 1277. In 1277, the sixth year of his reign, King Edward I knighted Cadel "Sir Richard Blake". Cadel assumed the surname of Blake and was the ancestor of all the familes of Blake in Connaught. However, for many generations they used the name of Caddell as an alias.

In 1278, the castle and lands of Kiltorroge, castle and land of Sallim'croe (now Carmore) located in Dunkellin County, Galway were granted to Cadel by De Burgh. By 1315 he had received the lands and manor of Kiltullagh. Eveline, his wife, was the mother of four sons, Walter, John, Nicholas, and Valentine. Records have been documented of this line to 1878 in Ireland. Thus; Richard Cadel is considered to be the progenitor of all the Blake descendants.

In 1466, a Blake family of Southeney, England, purchased the Manor Tonwills of Wimbotsham, Norfolk County, England. This line is known as the Blake's of Wimbotsham. It was probably Peter and Elizabeth (surname possibly Spelman) Blake. They were of Wimbotsham and our oldest ancestor of record to date. In his will, dated October 21, 1500, Peter named a son, Sir John Blake, and a daughter named Mary. He also named a grandson, Jasper, who was the son of Sir John. A descendant of Jasper, also named Jasper, was born ca. 1614 in Wimbotsham and died January 5, 1674 in Hampton, New Hampshire. This Jasper Blake was the emigrant to America, settling in Hampton, New Hampshire around 1643. It is here we begin our Blake family history.