Henry Arthur Blake
Encyclopedia
Sir Henry Arthur Blake GCMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....

, DL
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....

 (Chinese name: 卜力; 1840–1918) was a British colonial administrator, Governor of Hong Kong from 1898 to 1903.

Early life and career

Blake was born in Limerick
Limerick
Limerick is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland, and the principal city of County Limerick and Ireland's Mid-West Region. It is the fifth most populous city in all of Ireland. When taking the extra-municipal suburbs into account, Limerick is the third largest conurbation in the...

, Ireland on 8 January 1840. He was the son of Jane Lane and Peter Blake, a Galway
Galway
Galway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the...

-born county Inspector
Inspector
Inspector is both a police rank and an administrative position, both used in a number of contexts. However, it is not an equivalent rank in each police force.- Australia :...

 of the Irish Constabulary. Blake started out as a draper's assistant at a haberdashery, but joined the Irish Constabulary in 1859, where he worked as an inspector and Resident Magistrate
Magistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...

 of Duff
Duff
In addition to its dictionary meanings, Duff may refer to:-Given name:*Duff, King of Scots ancestor of the Earls of Fife*Duff Cooper, British diplomat*Duff Goldman, star of Food Network's reality show Ace of Cakes...

.

In 1876 he was appointed RM to Tuam
Tuam
Tuam is a town in County Galway, Ireland. The name is pronounced choo-um . It is situated west of the midlands of Ireland, and north of Galway city.-History:...

, an especially disturbed district in the west of Ireland, where he was noted as judicious and active. In 1882, he was promoted to Special Resident Magistrate.

Early colonial services

In 1884, Blake was made Governor of Bahamas, a position he held until 1887. In this year, he moved to Newfoundland, where he was governor until 1889. In 1886 he was appointed to Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

, but resigned without entering the administration. In 1889 he became the Captain-General and Governor-in-Chief of Jamaica. His term was extended in 1894 and 1896, at the request of Legislature and public bodies of the island.

Governor of Hong Kong

In 1898 he was appointed Governor of Hong Kong
Governor of Hong Kong
The Governor of Hong Kong was the head of the government of Hong Kong during British rule from 1843 to 1997. The governor's roles were defined in the Hong Kong Letters Patent and Royal Instructions...

, a position he held until 1903. Five months before he arrived in Hong Kong, the British Government negotiated an agreement with the Imperial Chinese Government allowing the Hong Kong Government to lease the New Territories
New Territories
New Territories is one of the three main regions of Hong Kong, alongside Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula. It makes up 86.2% of Hong Kong's territory. Historically, it is the region described in The Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory...

 for 99 years. During Blake's tenure, he sent in administrators to the New Territories to assert control. The residents of the area organised a tough resistance movement, which was subdued with the use of British troops under Commander Gascoigne.

Blake left Hong Kong immediately after he attended the inauguration of the Supreme Court building (now the LegCo
Legislative Council of Hong Kong
The Legislative Council is the unicameral legislature of Hong Kong.-History:The Legislative Council of Hong Kong was set up in 1843 as a colonial legislature under British rule...

 Chambers) in 1903.

Post-Hong Kong

Blake was appointed Governor of Ceylon at the end of his tenure in Hong Kong, and he served in that capacity until 1907. This was his last post in the Colonial Service. The Blakes retired to Myrtle Grove
Myrtle Grove, Youghal
Myrtle Grove is an Elizabethan gabled house in Youghal, County Cork, Ireland. The house is notable as a rare example in Ireland of a 16th century unfortified house. It is situated in a secluded spot, close to the church.-History:...

 in Youghal, County Cork where they both died and were buried.

Personal life

Blake married twice: Jeannie Irwin in 1862 (she died in 1866), and Edith Bernal-Osborne in 1874 (she was the daughter of MP Ralph Bernal Osborne
Ralph Bernal Osborne
Ralph Bernal Osborne, MP , born and baptised with the name of Ralph Bernal, Jr., was a British Liberal politician.-Life:...

). He had two sons and one daughter (Olive, who married John Bernard Arbuthnot). During his period as Governor of Bermuda, a watercolour of his three children, Children Under a Palm
Children Under a Palm
Children Under a Palm is a water colour painting by Winslow Homer. It was featured in the second episode of the BBC TV series Fake or Fortune?.-Origin:...

, was painted by Winslow Homer
Winslow Homer
Winslow Homer was an American landscape painter and printmaker, best known for his marine subjects. He is considered one of the foremost painters in 19th century America and a preeminent figure in American art....

. The painting was subsequently featured on the BBC TV programme, Fake or Fortune?
Fake or Fortune?
Fake or Fortune? is a 2011 BBC television series which examines the provenance of notable artworks. It is presented by journalist Fiona Bruce and art dealer and art historian Philip Mould.There are four episodes:...

.

Blake died on 23 February 1918.

Honours

  • C.M.G.
    Order of St Michael and St George
    The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....

    , 1887
  • K.C.M.G., l888
  • G.C.M.G., 1897
  • Knight of Justice of Order of St. John of Jerusalem.
  • Fellow of Royal Geographical Society
    Royal Geographical Society
    The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...

     (F.R.G.S.)
  • J.P.
    Justice of the Peace
    A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...

  • D.L.
    Deputy Lieutenant
    In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....

  • Fellow of Royal Colonial Institute (F.R.C.I.)
  • Fellow of Institute of Directors
    Institute of Directors
    The Institute of Directors is a UK-based organisation, established in 1903 and incorporated by royal charter in 1906 to support, represent and set standards for company directors...

     (FIoD)
  • Honorary Colonel of Ceylon Mounted Rifles
  • District Grand Master Ceylon Freemasons.
  • Member, Council Royal Dublin Society
  • Honorary Member, Royal Zoological Society, London.

Places named after him

The community of Blaketown in Canada was named in his honour when he was the governor of Newfoundland. Blake Garden
Blake Garden, Hong Kong
Blake Garden , also known as Blake Gardens, is a small urban park in Sheung Wan on Hong Kong Island. The park is named after Sir Henry Arthur Blake, a former British Governor of Hong Kong.-Historic background:...

, Blake Dock, the former pier, Blake Pier
Blake Pier Hong Kong
Blake Pier at Stanley is a public pier in Stanley, Hong Kong. The name originally referred to Blake Pier, Central, a ferry pier in Central, Hong Kong. The pier was named after Sir Henry Arthur Blake, the twelfth governor of Hong Kong...

 (卜公碼頭), in Hong Kong are named after him.

The Bauhinia blakeana
Bauhinia blakeana
Bauhinia blakeana is an orchid tree of the genus Bauhinia with large thick leaves and striking purplish red flowers. The fragrant, orchid-like flowers are usually across, and bloom from early November to the end of March...

, discovered in Hong Kong around 1880, was named after him (Blake was very interested in botany). It became an emblem of Hong Kong in 1965 and has been the flower of Hong Kong since 1997. It appears on Hong Kong's flags and coins.

The John Crow Mountains
John Crow Mountains
The John Crow Mountains are a range of mountains in Jamaica. They extend parallel with the north east coast of the island, bounded to the west by the banks of the Rio Grande, and joining with the eastern end of the Blue Mountains in the southeast...

in Jamaica were renamed the Blake Mountains in 1890 but the name did not stick.

Publications

  • MCGRATH, Terence, pseud. [i.e. Sir Henry Arthur Blake.] 1880, Pictures from Ireland. Kegan Paul & Co.: London, 1880. Available from archive.org
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