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 He declares his belief in the divinity of Christ, though he confesses to certain doubts and guards his assertions. He had qualified for his preferment by subscribing tests to which he would not again submit, but we are told that his preferments produced only 150l. a year, and that he declined an offer to succeed S. Chandler at the Old Jewry at a salary of 400l.

He had made some preparations for a life of Luther, but abandoned his plan in order to write the memoirs of his friend Thomas Hollis [see ]. These appeared in 1780. In 1787 he performed his thirty-eighth visitation in Cleveland, and died, 7 Aug. 1787, a few weeks later. He left a widow (died 20 Aug. 1799) and four children: Jane, married to Dr. Disney; Francis, vicar of Brignal; Sarah, married to the Rev. John Hall, vicar of Chew Magna; and William, a physician in London. A son, Thomas, a physician, died, aged thirty-three, in 1782. His ‘Works, Theological and Miscellaneous, including some pieces not before printed,’ with a memoir, were published by his son Francis in 1804, in seven volumes. The ‘Confessional’ occupies the fifth volume. The third volume contains ‘A Historical View of the Controversy concerning an Intermediate State,’ of which the first edition appeared in 1765, and the second, much enlarged, in 1772. It brought him into collision with Bishop Warburton. His ‘Remarks on Dr. Warburton's Account of the Sentiments of the Jews concerning the Soul’ is said to be his masterpiece. The fourth volume of the Works contains his charges, as archdeacon, in 1765, 1766, 1767, 1769, 1771, and 1773. They show that he was not prepared to extend full toleration to catholics. The other volumes contain miscellaneous pamphlets.

[Life by himself and his son, prefixed to Works.]  BLACKBURNE, FRANCIS (1782–1867), lord chancellor of Ireland, was born at Great Footstown, county Meath, on 11 Nov. 1782. In 1792 he was sent to school at the village of Dunshaughlin, where he remained a year and a half. At this time the effects of the French revolution were severely felt in some parts of Ireland. A conspiracy was discovered for an attack upon the house at Footstown, and the family removed to the village of Kells, and ultimately to Dublin. After some time spent in the school of the Rev. William White in the Irish capital, Blackburne entered Trinity College, Dublin, in July 1798, where he acquired numerous distinctions.

Blackburne kept the usual terms at King's Inn, Dublin, and subsequently proceeded to Lincoln's Inn, London. He was called to the bar in 1806, and went the home circuit. In the course of four years he was able to clear off the charges upon the paternal property to which he had succeeded. In 1809 he married the daughter of Mr. William Martley of Ballyfallon, by whom he had fourteen children. Five only of these survived him. The condition of Ireland in 1822 was very turbulent, and it was necessary to renew the Insurrection Act. Blackburne, now called within the bar, administered the act in the county and city of Limerick for two years, and he effectually restored order in the district. In 1824 Blackburne was examined on the state of Ireland before committees of both houses of parliament. Two years later he was appointed Serjeant. Although Blackbume's political opinions were distinctly conservative, on the accession of Earl Grey to power in 1830 he became attorney-general for Ireland, and speedily achieved a legal victory over Daniel O'Connell, who had threatened to teach him law. A conspiracy was formed in 1831 for the purpose of resisting the payment of tithe, and riots and murders took place in several of the disturbed districts. The government failed to obtain convictions against the agitators, in spite of the evidence accumulated by Blackburne. After the anti-tithe meetings in Ireland were suppressed, the condition of the country grew more alarming. A new coercion act was considered to be necessary and passed in March 1833.

Blackburne was called upon to draw up a report to the lord-lieutenant on the condition of the country at about the same time. His activity was very distasteful to O'Connell and his followers, who fiercely attacked him in a series of letters to Lord Duncannon, the home secretary. On the recall of Lord Melbourne to power in 1834, Blackburne resigned. Post after post on the bench became vacant during the premiership of Lord Melbourne, but Blackburne was overlooked. It is said that Lord Melbourne was not a free agent in this matter, being bound to O'Connell and his followers, who were bitterly hostile to Blackburne.

In 1841 Sir Robert Peel again appointed Blackburne attorney-general for Ireland. Upon the death of Sir Michael O'Loghlen in 1842 he became master of the rolls in Ireland. Soon afterwards he assisted the lord-chancellor in preparing a code of general orders for the court of chancery. In January 1846 Blackburne was appointed chief justice of the queen's bench. He presided with conspicuous 