Anthony Richard Blake (1786–1849), was an Irish

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

, administrator and 'backstairs

Viceroy of Ireland Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (), or more formally Lieutenant General and General Governor of Ireland, was the title of the chief governor of Ireland from the Williamite Wars of 1690 until the Partition of Ireland in 1922. This spanned the Kingd ...

'. Blake, the second son of Martin Blake of Holly Park,

Athenry Athenry (; ) is a town in County Galway, Ireland, which lies east of Galway city. Some of the attractions of the medieval town are its town wall, Athenry Castle, its priory and its 13th century street-plan. The town is also well known by virtu ...

, was a member of the

Tribes of Galway The Tribes of Galway ( ga, Treibheanna na Gaillimhe) were 14 merchant families who dominated the political, commercial and social life of the city of Galway in western Ireland between the mid-13th and late 19th centuries. They were the families ...

. A granduncle was Anthony Blake,

Archbishop of Armagh In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdio ...

. He was admitted to

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of the four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. (The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn.) Lincoln ...

, London, on 13 May 1808. He became a

protégé Mentorship is the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and p ...

of Charles Butler, collecting data on Irish catholic affairs for him during 1811-12, which led to Butler's recommending him to the catholic committee as

press officer A press secretary or press officer is a senior advisor who provides advice on how to deal with the news media and, using news management techniques, helps their employer to maintain a positive public image and avoid negative media coverage. Duti ...

. In 1813 he was called to the Bar. In 1821 Blake travelled to Ireland in the cabinet of

Lord Wellesley Richard Colley Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley, (20 June 1760 – 26 September 1842) was an Anglo-Irish politician and colonial administrator. He was styled as Viscount Wellesley until 1781, when he succeeded his father as 2nd Earl of M ...

, being made Chief Remembrancer of the

Exchequer of Ireland The Exchequer of Ireland was a body in the Kingdom of Ireland tasked with collecting The Crown, royal revenue. Modelled on the Exchequer, English Exchequer, it was created in 1210 after King John of England applied English law and legal structure ...

two years later (which made him the first catholic to hold the post since the

reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

). This position enabled him to retain ''"a unique importance as adviser to British ministers and as their link with catholic interests in Ireland."'' and, by Act of Parliament, brought him an annual income of £3,000 Irish pounds; In 1843 this sum was reduced by Act of Parliament to £2,000. On 24 June 1824, he was appointed to the Royal Commission ''for inquiring into the nature and extent of the Instruction afforded by the several Institutions in Ireland established for the purpose of Education'' where he served with the other Commissioners:

Thomas Frankland Lewis Sir Thomas Frankland Lewis, 1st Baronet (14 May 1780 – 22 January 1855) was a British Poor Law Commissioner and moderate Tory MP. Early life Lewis was the son of John Lewis and Anne Frankland, daughter of Sir Thomas Frankland, 5th Baronet. ...

, John Leslie Foster, William Grant and

James Glassford James Glassford (1771 – 1845) was a Scottish legal writer and traveller. Life He was son of John Glassford of Dougalston by his third wife, Lady Margaret Mackenzie, sixth daughter of George Mackenzie, 3rd Earl of Cromartie. Glassford was admit ...

.A copy of the Report of the Commission is available at: http://eppi.dippam.ac.uk/documents/9883/eppi_pages/217631 (accessed 18/11/2012) He was on generally good terms with

Daniel O'Connell Daniel O'Connell (I) ( ga, Dónall Ó Conaill; 6 August 1775 – 15 May 1847), hailed in his time as The Liberator, was the acknowledged political leader of Ireland's Roman Catholic majority in the first half of the 19th century. His mobilizat ...

, though the latter was to accuse the government of using Blake as a token catholic. Blake's catholic enemies portrayed him as an ambitious

layman In religious organizations, the laity () consists of all members who are not part of the clergy, usually including any non-ordained members of religious orders, e.g. a nun or a lay brother. In both religious and wider secular usage, a layperson ...

, with interests

inimical Hostility is seen as form of emotionally charged aggressive behavior. In everyday speech it is more commonly used as a synonym for anger and aggression. It appears in several psychological theories. For instance it is a facet of neuroticism ...

to the church. In 1828 he published ''"Thoughts upon the catholic question, by an Irish Roman Catholic"'' which analysed the Irish question and made a number of recommendations to the British government: * - make an agreement with the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum The Holy See * The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...

* - conciliate Irish catholic demands * - provide for the poor * - extend voter's franchise In 1831 he was a member of Lord Anglesey's 'inner conclave', and helped develop the scheme of national education, particularly encouraging teacher training. He served on the Poor Law Inquiry of 1833, serving on committees on tithes, education and mortmain. He also played a role in the establishment of the Queen's Colleges in the late 1840s, a deeply divisive issue among Irish Catholics. Upon his death in January 1849, he left a substantial bequest to the national education system.

References

* ''Dictionary of Irish Biography'', p. 580-81, Cambridge, 2010. {{DEFAULTSORT:Blake, Anthony Richard People from County Galway Members of Lincoln's Inn Irish diplomats 19th-century Irish people 1849 deaths Members of the Privy Council of Ireland 1786 births People from Athenry