Blake

Blake is a surname or a given name which originated from Old English. Its derivation is uncertain; it could come from "blac", a nickname for someone who had dark hair or skin, or from "blaac", a nickname for someone with pale hair or skin. Another theory is that it is a corruption of "Ap Lake", meaning "Son of Lake".

Blake was the name of one of the 14 Tribes of Galway in Ireland. These Blakes were descendants of Richard Caddell, alias Blake, who was involved in the Norman invasion of Ireland in 1169. As such a long present foreign name it became known as de Bláca in Irish.

The origins of the name Blake are also considered to be Old Norse, first appearing in Yorkshire, England, possibly derived from the word Blaker, referring to a village and a former municipality of Akershus county, Norway (east of Oslo).

Blake often refers to the British poet, painter and printmaker William Blake (1757–1827) or to the contemporary figurative artist Blake.

Males with given name Blake

Mediæval Bæbes

The Mediæval Bæbes are a British ensemble of female musicians founded in the 1990s by Dorothy Carter and Katharine Blake. It included some of Blake's colleagues from the band Miranda Sex Garden, as well as other friends who share her love of medieval music. The lineup often rotates from album to album, and ranges from six to twelve members. As of 2010, the group sold some 500,000 records worldwide, their most successful being Worldes Blysse with 250,000 copies purchased.

Music

The Bæbes' first album, Salva Nos (1997), shot straight to No. 2 in the classical charts, a silver disc. Subsequent albums include Worldes Blysse (which went straight to No. 1), Undrentide, (co-produced by John Cale), The Rose, (produced by Toby Wood), and the Christmas-themed album Mistletoe and Wine.

Mirabilis (2005), was launched at a concert and party in London, August 2005. A self-titled DVD was released in July 2006. The first 300 preorders were autographed by the band and received a special mention in the DVD credits.

Festival 2005

Festival 2005 is a live DVD by The Cure released in late 2006. It was shot during the band's headlining shows at 9 European music festivals in the summer of 2005. The video features a variety of angles "captured by a mix of fans, crew and 'on-the-night-big-screen cameras'." It was the first physical (non-digital download) release by the band since guitarist Porl Thompson returned to the line-up.

An extended play containing three of the tracks from the DVD was also made available.

Track listing

DVD

Berkeley Castle

Berkeley Castle (historically sometimes spelt Berkley Castle) is a castle in the town of Berkeley, Gloucestershire, UK (grid reference ST685989). The castle's origins date back to the 11th century and it has been designated by English Heritage as a grade I listed building.

The castle has remained within the Berkeley family since they reconstructed it in the 12th century, except for a period of royal ownership by the Tudors. It is traditionally believed to be the scene of the murder of King Edward II in 1327.

Construction

The first castle at Berkeley was a motte-and-bailey, built around 1067 by William FitzOsbern shortly after the Conquest. This was subsequently held by three generations of the first Berkeley family, all called Roger de Berkeley, and rebuilt by them in the first half of the 12th century. The last Roger de Berkeley was dispossessed in 1152 for withholding his allegiance from the House of Plantagenet during the conflict of The Anarchy, and the feudal barony of Berkeley was then granted to Robert Fitzharding, a wealthy burgess of Bristol and supporter of the Plantagenets. He was the founder of the Berkeley family which still holds the castle.

The Berkeley

The Berkeley is a five star deluxe hotel, located in Wilton Place, Knightsbridge, London. It is managed by Maybourne Hotel Group, who also manage Claridge's and The Connaught in Mayfair, London.

History

Located on the corner of Piccadilly and Berkeley Street, it was the base for the drivers of mail coaches travelling to the West Country, and hence named the Gloucester coffee house. As a result, it started to expand, and became a hotel for travellers both to and from London who were travelling on the mail coach services.

With the coming of the railways, in 1897 the building was formally renamed The Berkeley Hotel, a location trusted by the parents of debutantes to keep an eye on the reputation of their daughters.

In 1900 Richard D'Oyly Carte bought the hotel, and his family remained in control for the next century. In the 1920s The Berkeley became one of the first London hotels with air conditioning, and in the 1930s double glazing. Ferraro, the maitre d'hotel of the Berkeley, was a fixture of London nightlife in the 1930s, and appears in several novels of the period, such as Dennis Wheatley's 'Three Inquisitive People' (written 1932, but not published till 1940).