Date of Birth: 01/01/1812
Place of Birth: Portarlington, Queen's County, Ireland
Date of Death: 10/10/1882
Place of Death: Hamilton, Queensland, Australia
Parliamentary Service
| West Maitland Church Land Sale Bill Committee No.24 |
26 Feb 1861 |
11 May 1861 |
2 months 16 days |
|
| Colonial Bank of Australasia Incorporation Bill Committee No.6 |
18 Jan 1861 |
11 May 1861 |
3 months 24 days |
Chairman |
| Member for Hunter |
12 Dec 1860 |
09 Jul 1861 |
6 months 28 days |
|
| Member for Hunter |
25 Apr 1860 |
10 Nov 1860 |
6 months 17 days |
|
| Member of the NSW Legislative Assembly |
25 Apr 1860 |
09 Jul 1861 |
1 year 2 months 15 days |
|
| Member of the NSW Legislative Council |
07 Apr 1858 |
03 Nov 1859 |
1 year 6 months 28 days |
First (Quinquennial) Appointments under the Constitution Act. Date of Writ of Summons 29 March 1858. |
Qualifications, occupations and interests
Lawyer (barrister). Educated at Trinity College, Dublin. In 1838, he was called to the Bar at Kings Inn, Dublin and practised law in Ireland. Was admitted to the New South Wales Bar in 1854 after practising law in New South Wales. Appointed as a District Court Judge on 26 July 1861. Admitted to the Bar in Queensland on 25 July 1867. Appointed Judge of the Queensland Central District Court in 1878 and held the position for four years until his death.
Membership of other Parliaments & Offices Held
Local Government Activity
Personal
Son of Richard Blake, an Army Captain, and his wife Charlotte. Married (1) Henrietta Eyre Maunsell, who was 17 years old, in 1840 and they had 6 children, of whom three were surviving upon his wife's death in December 1858. Married (2) Jane Townsend, widow of Thomas Townsend; born Smith (aged about 30) on 15 January 1862 (died 17 October 1866); there were no children of this marriage. Married (3) Amelia Caroline Bressow (aged 19) on 5 October 1871. Roman Catholic.
Additional Information
H. T. E. Holt, 'A Court Rises: The Lives and Times of the Judges of the
District Court of New South Wales (1859 - 1959)', Sydney, the Law Foundation of
New South Wales, 1976.
