John Blacknall
John Blacknall was a landowner and benefactor to Abingdon-on-Thames.
Early life and education
He was born in 1583, son of William Jr. His grandfather William Sr. was a wealthy landowner and owner of the Abbey mills. William Sr. had originally bought the Abbey land after the Dissolution of the Monasteries.He is believed to have been educated at John Roysse's Free School in Abingdon, and later studied at The Queen's College, Oxford.
Career
He was a barrister-at-law and qualified from Middle Temple but decided not to practice. His grandfather died in 1585 and when his father died in 1613 he inherited the estate. He married a daughter of a gentry family and had little interest in the business selling the mills but continued to acquire more land.It is believed that the Blacknall family commissioned the Abingdon Monks' Map and Blacknall Map.