Early life The eldest son of barrister
John Anthony Fonblanque, K.C. and
MP, born in Brook Street, London in March 1787, Fonblanque was educated privately at
Putney under Mr Applebee. He spent nine months at
Charterhouse under Dr Raine, and received private tuition at
Epsom for two years under Mr Boucher. He was admitted as "pensioner" at
Gonville and Caius College,
Cambridge, aged 17, on 28 August 1804. He was on the list of scholars from Michaelmas 1804 to Lady Day 1809, and was third in the classical and mathematical examinations, 1805. Fonblanque was one of the founders of the
Cambridge Union Society.
War service In 1810 Fonblanque left Cambridge due to ill-health, a burst blood-vessel on the lungs, and entered the Army obtaining a commission in the
21st Fusiliers. With this regiment he served at
Cadiz, Gibraltar, in
Sicily and
the Greek Islands then in
Italy.
Lord William Bentinck, under whom he served in Italy, appointed him
deputy judge advocate-general. In
the American War (of 1812) he was present at the
taking of Washington, at the
Battle of Baltimore, and ultimately at
the fatal repulse at New Orleans when he was made prisoner within the enemy's lines being one of the very few who had succeeded in crossing the works. His last service was with
the army of occupation in France in 1815. He left Valenciennes in November 1816 and was almost immediately called to the bar.
The law and its reform Fonblanque was
called to the bar at
Lincoln's Inn,
London, 26 November 1816 having kept the necessary terms at Lincoln's Inn during his residence at Cambridge. The next year
Lord Eldon appointed him one of the then seventy commissioners of bankruptcy. The abuses and imperfections of the bankruptcy system did not escape his attention and long before law reform became fashionable he published a pamphlet on the subject. Having attracted the notice of
Lord Brougham as a law reformer Fonblanque was appointed one of the original Commissioners of the newly instituted Court of Bankruptcy.
Legal writer With
John Paris he wrote
Medical Jurisprudence published in 1823. It was awarded the first
Swiney Prize for works on jurisprudence; and it remained the only guide on the subject for many years. He was one of the founders of
The Jurist in 1826. A quarterly journal of jurisprudence and legislation
The Jurist was the first periodical which systematically advocated the amendment of the law. This was considered a bold step. Fonblanque married Caroline O'Connell, daughter of John O'Connell of Cork. They had at least two sons and a daughter. He died at
Brighton on 3 November 1865. == Publications ==