of ▁which ▁he ▁held ▁the ▁lord ship ), ▁Cat cot , ▁B aw d rip , ▁and ▁W ool av ington , ▁came ▁into ▁the ▁estate ▁at ▁Pla ins field ▁held ▁by ▁the ▁family ▁of ▁his ▁wife , ▁S ara ▁Williams , ▁since ▁the ▁reign ▁of ▁Henry ▁VII . ▁ ▁Robert ▁Bla ke ▁was ▁the ▁first ▁son ▁of ▁th ir teen ▁children ▁born ▁to ▁Hum ph rey ▁and ▁S ara . ▁He ▁attended ▁Br id g water ▁Gram mar ▁School ▁for ▁Boys , ▁then ▁went ▁up ▁to ▁W ad ham ▁College , ▁Oxford . ▁He ▁had ▁hoped ▁to ▁follow ▁an ▁academic ▁career , ▁but ▁failed ▁to ▁secure ▁a ▁fellow ship ▁to ▁M erton ▁College , ▁probably ▁in ▁consideration ▁of ▁his ▁political ▁and ▁religious ▁views , ▁but ▁also ▁because ▁the ▁w arden ▁of ▁M erton , ▁Sir ▁Henry ▁Sav ile , ▁had ▁' an ▁ecc ent ric ▁dist aste ▁for ▁men ▁of ▁low ▁stat ure '. ▁Bla ke , ▁at ▁five ▁feet , ▁six ▁inches ▁tall , ▁thus ▁failed ▁to ▁meet ▁Sav ile ' s ▁' standard ▁of ▁man ly ▁beauty '. ▁ ▁After ▁his ▁departure ▁from ▁university ▁in ▁ 1 6 2 5 , ▁it ▁is ▁believed ▁that ▁Bla ke ▁was ▁engaged ▁in ▁trade , ▁and ▁a ▁Dutch ▁writer ▁subsequently ▁claimed ▁that ▁he ▁had ▁lived ▁for ▁' five ▁of ▁six ▁years ' ▁in ▁Sch ied am . ▁Having ▁returned ▁to ▁Br id g water , ▁probably ▁because ▁of ▁the ▁death ▁of ▁his ▁mother ▁in ▁ 1 6 3 8 , ▁he ▁decided ▁to